Long COVID Seen in 16.2 Percent of Pediatric COVID-19 Patients

FRIDAY, July 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, 16.2 percent of the pediatric population experience one or more persistent symptoms at least three months after COVID-19, according to a review published online July 21 in Pediatrics.

Li Jiang, M.D., M.P.H., from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the prevalence and characteristics of the long-term clinical features of COVID-19 (long COVID) in the global pediatric population (aged 0 to 19 years). Published articles and preprints from December 2019 to December 2022 were included; 27 cohorts and four cross-sectional studies involving more than 15,000 pediatric participants met the inclusion criteria.

The researchers found reports of more than 20 persistent symptoms and clinical features among children and adolescents. Overall, 16.2 percent of the pediatric participants experienced one or more persistent symptoms at least three months after COVID-19. Developing certain long COVID symptoms was possibly associated with female gender.

"Long COVID in children and adolescents has been reported with a very wide symptom spectrum and with great heterogeneity among studies included in this review," the authors write. "The presentation of long COVID may change with time. There is the need for high quality, prospective, and well controlled studies to address these issues. In the interim, preventing COVID-19 infection and vaccinations for children and adolescents must remain a priority."

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