Long COVID-19 Risk in Children Could be a icy Ground

Higher risk of long COVID-19 in younger children, those with complex chronic conditions, and those with more severe acute COVID-19 illness.

The risk of sequelae occurring post-COVID-19 infection or long COVID, in children appears to be lower than what has been reported in adults. However, more children have long COVID than those kids who are hospitalized with acute COVID-19. These findings are featured in a new study published in Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.

This new study was conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RECOVER Pediatric Electronic Health Records (EHR) Cohort and authored by Suchitra Rao, MD, infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

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‘Children who experience post-COVID-19 symptoms such as myocarditis, abnormal liver enzymes, hair loss, skin rashes, and diarrhea are more unique than adults.’

While the presentation has some overlap compared with adults, distinct features exist in children. The risk for PASC appears to be higher in children younger than five years of age, those with medical complexity, and those admitted to the intensive care unit with their initial COVID-19 infection.

Researchers used electronic health record data from PEDSnet member institutions of 659,286 children who tested for SARS-CoV-2 and compared 59,893 children who tested positive with those who tested negative.

Later, conducted a multistate analysis using EHR data of children and people younger than 21 years of age who underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 at one of eight pediatric health systems in the country between March 1, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2021.

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Clinicians identified conditions, symptoms, and medications associated with PASC in the one to six months following testing. Out of 660,000 children who underwent testing, 9% were positive and most were tested as outpatients.

Symptoms most strongly associated with infection included changes in loss of smell and taste, hair loss, chest pain, abnormal liver enzymes, skin rashes, fever and chills, fatigue, and malaise.

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Conditions most strongly associated with infection included myocarditis, acute respiratory distress, and myositis. There was also a higher association with mental health treatment among children who tested positive for PASC compared with those who tested negative.

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Source-Eurekalert