Children who have received a COVID-19 diagnosis can experience symptoms of long COVID 19 lasting at least two months, according to a major study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
In the study, the researchers found that children diagnosed with COVID-19 in all age groups are more likely to experience at least one symptom for two months or longer. They said that the most commonly reported symptoms among children 0-3 |years old were mood swings, rashes, and stomach aches. Among 4-11 years old, the most commonly reported symptoms were mood swings, trouble remembering or concentrating, and rashes, and among 12-14 years old, fatigue, mood swings and trouble remembering or concentrating.
The researchers came to the conclusion after a national level sampling of children in Denmark.
On the study, one of the authors Professor Selina Kikkenborg Berg, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark said that the overall aim was to determine the prevalence of long-lasting symptoms in children and infants, alongside quality of life, and absence from school or day care. “Our results reveal that, although children with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis are more likely to experience long-lasting symptoms than children with no previous COVID-19 diagnosis, the pandemic has affected every aspect of all young people’s lives. Further research into the long-term consequences of the pandemic on all children will be important going forwards,” Kikkenborg Berg said.
The professor said that the study was undertaken as the vast majority of children have now had a COVID-19 infection. They noted that 58 per cent of children in Denmark had lab confirmed infection between December 2021 and February 2022. The researchers said that knowledge of long-term symptom in children was needed to guide clinical recognition, parental caregiving, and societal decisions about isolation, lockdown, non-pharmaceutical interventions, and vaccine strategies.
