Clinical Presentation and Successful Management of an Infant With Down Syndrome and COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Alsahabi, Ibrahim; Alobaidi, Abdulaziz; Alahmari, Ayman S; Almohsen, Noof; Alhamoud, Abdullah H

Coronavirus is a serious, global disease. Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by immune dysregulation, has various anatomical variations, and is considered as comorbidity. These variations mean that children with DS are at risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19 if the virus is contracted. Here, we report the first case of COVID-19 in a four-month-old infant girl with DS and congenital heart disease (CHD) who was treated in Al-Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital in the first health cluster in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The medical management and clinical outcome of the infant are reviewed. The infant was admitted after having received previous treatment from other hospitals, with a deteriorating condition. The patient had developed a rash, and oxygen support was required in addition to her baseline medication (furosemide and captopril). Ten days post admission, the patient’s condition improved, and she became clinically stable. She was then discharged after two consecutive negative nasopharyngeal swabs. Based on the reported case, infants with DS and CHD should be considered a high-risk patient in terms of COVID-19 infection and require close observation.