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Characterizing Long COVID in Children and Adolescents
Rachel S Gross1, Tanayott Thaweethai2,3, Lawrence C Kleinman4,5
1Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York.
JAMA
|August 28, 2024
Summary
This study identified common prolonged symptoms of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, in children and adolescents. Researchers developed PASC indices to aid in identifying and studying this condition in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Longitudinal Studies
Background:
- Most research on postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, has focused on adults, leaving a knowledge gap regarding its impact on children.
- Characterizing pediatric PASC is crucial for understanding underlying mechanisms and guiding future treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify prevalent prolonged symptoms of PASC in children aged 6–17 years.
- To analyze symptom differences between school-age children (6–11 years) and adolescents (12–17 years).
- To define PASC symptom clusters (phenotypes) and develop an empirical index for PASC identification in pediatric research.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter, longitudinal observational cohort study involving over 5,000 children and adolescents (with and without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection).
- Data collection occurred between March 2022 and December 2023 across diverse US healthcare and community settings.
- Analysis included identifying common symptoms, comparing age groups, clustering symptoms into phenotypes, and developing PASC research indices.
Main Results:
- 14 symptoms were significantly more common in children with a SARS-CoV-2 infection history compared to uninfected children, affecting multiple organ systems.
- Distinct PASC research indices were developed for school-age children (emphasizing neurocognitive, pain, GI symptoms) and adolescents (emphasizing smell/taste loss, pain, fatigue).
- Four PASC symptom phenotypes were identified in school-age children, and three in adolescents, indicating age-specific patterns.
Conclusions:
- This study successfully developed research indices for characterizing PASC in pediatric populations.
- While symptom patterns showed similarities, they were distinguishable between school-age children and adolescents.
- The findings underscore the necessity of age-specific approaches for characterizing and researching PASC in children and adolescents.
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