According to a research, school-age children and teenagers may experience the illness in various ways. Muscle soreness, exhaustion, headaches, and stomach discomfort are typical complaints.
Estimates place the number of American children with long-term COVID-19 at millions, although less is known about their symptoms compared to those of adults.
A comprehensive nationwide study provides fresh perspectives on the manifestation of post-viral disease in children and adolescents, indicating that their symptoms differ significantly from those of adults. The data show that many experience crippling, long-term adverse effects that make it impossible to go to school, participate in extracurricular activities, or spend time with family or friends, even though Covid itself has generally been gentler in children.
The study’s primary author, Dr. Rachel Gross, an associate professor of pediatrics at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, stated, “This is a public health crisis for children.”
“Chronic illness experiences have an effect on them as they grow up and have an effect on their adult health,” the speaker stated.
The research is part of the National Institutes of Health-funded RECOVER project, which is one of the biggest studies of long-term Covid in the world.
More than 3,800 children’s caregivers were questioned by the researchers for the new study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal JAMA, on their children’s symptoms at least ninety days following COVID-19. Additionally, they polled the parents of about 1,500 kids who had never had a case of COVID and compared their answers.
The findings indicated that headache, difficulty focusing or remembering things, difficulty sleeping, and stomach discomfort were the most frequently reported symptoms of prolonged COVID in children aged 6 to 11.
The prevalent symptoms in adolescents were more akin to those in adults, which included heart palpitations, exhaustion, brain fog, post-exertional malaise (worsening symptoms after exercise), and lethargy, according to earlier RECOVER studies. According to the current research, children under the age of five were less likely than those aged 12 to 17 to report experiencing body, muscle, or joint discomfort, as well as daytime drowsiness or poor energy.
In this age range, headaches and problems with memory and concentration were still widespread. Another common sign of prolonged COVID-19 in adults is a change or loss of taste or smell, which was also evident in teenagers but not in young children.
Gross stated, “We have to search for these differences.” “Otherwise, children who are going through prolonged Covid may be missing.”
Although long-term Covid infection generally appears to be less prevalent in children than in adults, 10% to 20% of children who contracted the virus within six months after infection, according to an analysis published in the journal Pediatrics in February.
The current study indicates that children and teenagers have a wide range of symptoms. Children with a history of Covid-19 had an increased prevalence of 14 symptoms overall compared to those without.
There are certain restrictions on the study, though: Given that caregivers documented their kids’ symptoms, it’s probable that some were overlooked or that others were overstated. Although tests were not performed to confirm the illnesses, the caretakers also disclosed that their children had Covid. Nonetheless, the researchers performed tests to ensure that the uninfected group lacked Covid antibodies.
Dr. Amy Edwards, director of the pediatric Covid recovery clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, who was not part in the current research, said the results are consistent with what clinicians are seeing in lengthy Covid clinics.
A few of the children at Edwards’ clinic “have dropped out of school, all of their extracurricular activities, and are barely functioning,” according to Edwards. “It’s not so bad that they can’t go to school, but their grades are slipping,” she continued for the others. Even though they were once A or B students, they are currently having a lot of difficulty passing.
She stated that the current research supports similar experiences, particularly for some of her younger patients who encountered adult skepticism when they disclosed their symptoms.
Edwards claimed, “School nurses were making fun of them for acting like it.” “People are telling these kids and teenagers directly that there is nothing wrong with them,”
According to Christine Koterba, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital who was not involved in the study, children may find it easier to locate suitable therapies if they are aware that a symptom may be connected to prolonged Covid.
Although there isn’t a widely accepted cure for long-term COVID, several clinical trials are being conducted. According to Koterba, in the interim, medical professionals are utilizing therapies that are often employed for other chronic conditions, such as post-concussion syndrome, which is also marked by headaches and issues with memory or attention.
“We can learn a lot from other, comparable populations to assist children in regaining their functionality,” the speaker stated.
According to Edwards, treating other problems including allergies that can exacerbate the immune system, getting enough sleep, and eating a nutritious diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods are all important for many children with prolonged Covid.
According to her anecdotal evidence, small children recover from extended COVID-19 exposure more quickly than adults or teenagers.
“Within a year or two, we observe nearly 100% recovery in our school-age youngsters. Edwards stated, “The pediatric immune system is structured toward dealing with novel viruses, because all the viruses are novel for a kid.” “That’s pretty universal — and for a lot of them, even shorter than that.”
Although it might take them longer, she said that most teenagers do recover in the end.
Although there isn’t enough data to support such theories just yet, according to Gross, the RECOVER researchers want to monitor the kids in their study to see if their symptoms get better over time.
