Long COVID In Children Can Last At Least Two Months: Study

Thursday, June 23, 2022, 16:22

A study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal on Thursday shows that children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus may experience symptoms of long-term COVID lasting at least two months [1].

Approximately 46 per cent of children who contract COVID-19 may suffer from long COVID symptoms for at least two months following the infection, according to the largest study of long COVID symptoms among children aged 0-14.

Long-COVID In Children Aged 0-14: Everything You Need To Know

Long Covid In Children Can Last At Least Two Months, Study

In general, the study aimed to determine the prevalence of long-lasting symptoms among children and infants, as well as their quality of life and absence from school or day-care. Further research into the long-term effects of the pandemic on all children will be necessary for the future.

Here are the study findings:

A national-level sample of Danish children with Covid positivity was matched with a control group of children without any prior history of infection [2].
Researchers have found that most previous studies of long-term cognitive development in young people have focused on adolescents, with infants and toddlers rarely represented.
In the survey, participants were asked about the 23 most common symptoms of long-term infections in children, and the World Health Organization definition of long-term infections is symptoms lasting more than two months [3].

The Full List Of COVID-19 Symptoms

In the 0-3 years age group, 40 per cent of children diagnosed with COVID-19 (478 out of 1,194 children) reported symptoms for at least two months; in the 4-11 age group, 38 per cent; and in the 12-14 age group, 46 per cent.
Among children ages 0-3 years old, mood swings, rashes, and stomachaches were the most commonly reported symptoms.
Among children ages 4-11, mood swings, difficulty remembering or concentrating, and rashes were the most commonly reported symptoms.
For 12-14-year-olds, fatigue, mood swings, and difficulty remembering or concentrating rank among the most common symptoms.

Otherwise, healthy children experience many of the non-specific symptoms associated with COVID-19; headaches, mood swings, abdominal pain, and fatigue are all symptoms of common ailments experienced by children without any relation to COVID-19 [4].
Furthermore, the proportion of children with these symptoms tends to decrease with increasing duration of symptoms.
It was found that children with positive COVID-19 diagnoses were more likely to experience long-term symptoms than children who had not had a positive diagnosis, indicating that these symptoms were the result of long-term COVID.