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Long-COVID in children and their parents: A prospective cohort study

Hiroyuki Iijima1, Takanori Funaki2, Mitsuru Kubota1

  • 1Department of General Pediatrics and Interdisciplinary Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|May 12, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Long-COVID affects nearly half of children initially, with over 20% experiencing symptoms six months post-infection. Sleep disturbance significantly impacts children's quality of life.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Long-COVID is a growing global health issue affecting all age groups.
  • Limited longitudinal data exists on pediatric long-COVID characteristics, prevalence, and risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally evaluate the characteristics, prevalence, and risk factors of long-COVID in children.
  • To assess the impact of long-COVID symptoms on children's quality of life (QOL).

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study of 108 Japanese children under 18 hospitalized with COVID-19 and their affected parents.
  • Symptom questionnaires administered during hospitalization and at 1, 3, and 6-month follow-ups.
  • Multivariable logistic regression and analysis of covariance were used to identify risk factors and QOL impacts.

Main Results:

  • Long-COVID prevalence was 44.9% at 1 month, 37.8% at 3 months, and 22.8% at 6 months post-infection.
  • No specific risk factors for pediatric long-COVID were identified.
  • Cough, fatigue, and sleep disturbance were most common; sleep disturbance significantly lowered QOL scores.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of children (22.8%) experience long-COVID symptoms up to six months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Pediatric long-COVID symptoms overlap with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) criteria.
  • Long-COVID symptoms, particularly sleep disturbance, negatively affect children's QOL.
Abstract

Keywords:
childcoronavirus disease 2019fatiguequality of lifesequelae

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