Congenital anomalies and predisposition to severe COVID-19 among pediatric patients in the United States

Abstract

Abstract Background and objective Congenital heart defects are known to be associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19. Congenital anomalies affecting other body systems may also be associated with poor outcomes. This study is an exhaustive assessment of congenital anomalies and odds of severe COVID-19 in pediatric patients. Methods Data were retrieved from the COVID-19 dataset of Cerner® Real-World Data for encounters from March 2020 to February 2022. Prior to matching, the data consisted of 664,523 patients less than 18 years old and 927,805 corresponding encounters with COVID-19 from 117 health systems across the United States. One-to-one propensity score matching was performed, and a cumulative link mixed-effects model with random intercepts for health system and patients was built to assess corresponding associations. Results All congenital anomalies were associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes, with the strongest association observed for cardiovascular anomalies (odds ratio [OR], 3.84; 95% CI, 3.63–4.06) and the weakest association observed for anomalies affecting the eye/ear/face/neck (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03–1.31). Conclusions and relevance Congenital anomalies are associated with greater odds of experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19. In addition to congenital heart defects, all other birth defects may increase the odds for more severe COVID-19. Impact All congenital anomalies are associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19. This study is the largest and among the first to investigate birth defects across all body systems. The multicenter large data and analysis demonstrate the increased odds of severe COVID19 in pediatric patients with congenital anomalies affecting any body system. These data demonstrate that all children with birth defects are at increased odds of more severe COVID-19, not only those with heart defects. This should be taken into consideration when optimizing prevention and intervention resources within a hospital.