Admission Pattern Among Children With Gastro-intestinal Infections Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic

During the Covid-19 pandemic, admission patterns for infections other than Covid-19 have changed dramatically among children worldwide. Particularly admissions due to respiratory infections and later invasive streptococcal infections have been well documented. However, few studies have compared rates af gastro-intestinal infections during the pandemic with the previous years. This study aims to compare the number and characteristics of children hospitalized with gastrointestinal infections before the COVID-19 pandemic, to the first strict lockdown in 2020 and to the second, less strict lockdown in 2021. A retrospective review of medical records will be performed, of patients aged 1 month to 5 years admitted with gastroenteritis at the pediatric department at Slagelse Hospital in Denmark over a period from 2017 to 2021.