Long Covid symptoms. In pediatric patients they vary according to age

Long Covid

covid

May 17, 2024

In children, symptoms associated with Long Covid vary by age. This is what is shown by research presented at the meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS), which was held from 3 to 6 May in Toronto, Canada. Second Rachel Grassof New York University, who presented the study, the research will allow doctors to recognize and manage pediatric Long Covid more accurately.

Data collected from the RECOVER-Pediatrics study

For the investigation, the team interviewed 7,229 children and their caregivers enrolled in the National Institutes of Health’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER)-Pediatrics study. 75% of participants reported having had a Covid-19 infection.

In the study, pediatric patients were divided into various age groups: infants, toddlers and preschoolers, up to 5 years old, school children, 6 to 11 years old, adolescents, 12 to 17 years old, and young adults, ages 18 to 25. The researchers compared Long Covid symptoms in participants with and without coronavirus infection.

The differences in symptoms

According to the findings, school-age children, adolescents and young adults with a history of Covid-19 infection had many prolonged symptoms in common, including: tiredness, headache, body, muscle and joint pain, dizziness , difficulty concentrating and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Some symptoms varied by age. School-age children, for example, had more prolonged specific fears and school refusal, while adolescents had more fears of crowded places or closed spaces and more panic attacks, compared to children and young people of the same age without viral infection. Additionally, research showed that change in smell or taste was more commonly described by adolescents and young adults, as well as chest pain and palpitations were more common in young adults, but not in younger participants.

Finally, the study found that young children between birth and five years of age with a previous Covid-19 infection were more likely to have general symptoms, including poor appetite, sleep disturbances, irritability, and prolonged respiratory symptoms such as stuffy nose and cough, compared to children without a previous viral infection.

Source

Rachel Grass. Spectrum of clinical symptoms identified as Long COVID from infancy through young adulthood: First look results from the NIH-Funded RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery) initiative. Saturday May 4, 2024 PAS 2024

TAGS: PEDIATRICS, LONG COVID, IMMUNOLOGY