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Overview of COVID-19 Infection, Treatment, and Prevention in Children
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Insights
Children can develop severe COVID-19, including complications like MIS-C and long COVID. This review summarizes COVID-19 in children and prevention strategies for families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, became a global pandemic in March 2020.
- While generally less severe in children than adults, COVID-19 can lead to severe illness, especially in those with underlying conditions.
- Children face risks of severe complications, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and long COVID, with evolving definitions and management needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an evidence-based review of COVID-19 in children since the pandemic's onset.
- To summarize current knowledge on COVID-19 epidemiology, presentation, and management in pediatric populations.
- To offer guidance for counseling children and families on prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on COVID-19 in children.
- Synthesis of data on disease course, complications, and evolving case definitions.
- Analysis of current treatment and prevention recommendations.
Main Results:
- Children can experience severe COVID-19 and complications like MIS-C and long COVID.
- Ongoing SARS-CoV-2 variant circulation necessitates updated clinical guidance.
- Improved diagnostic methods and optimal management strategies for MIS-C and long COVID are still required.
Conclusions:
- Understanding of pediatric COVID-19 has advanced, but challenges remain in diagnosis and management.
- Continuous updates on prevention and treatment are crucial for clinicians.
- Effective communication with families regarding prevention is essential.
Abstract:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel respiratory virus-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Since then, substantial gains have been made in our understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology, disease presentation, and management. While children tend to have less severe disease courses compared to adults, children can still develop severe COVID-19 infections, particularly in those with underlying medical conditions such as obesity, chronic lung disease, or prematurity. In addition, children are at risk of severe complications of COVID-19 infection, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or long COVID. The case definitions of MIS-C and long COVID have continued to evolve with the increased understanding of these new entities; however, improved methods of diagnosis and determination of the optimal management are still needed. Furthermore, with the continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, there remains a need for clinicians to remain up-to-date on the latest treatment and prevention options. The purpose of this review is to provide an evidence-based review of what we have learned about COVID-19 in children since the start of the pandemic and how best to counsel children and their families on the best methods of prevention.
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