A word from the Long COVID Initiative Faculty Director, Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, MD, MS, PhD, Interim Chair of the Department of Epidemiology; Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health:
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"One aspect of Long COVID that receives less attention is its effect on children and adolescents. This was also an area of COVID-19 that was initially less researched and more susceptible to misinformation. Just as our understanding of pediatric acute COVID-19 has continued to evolve, we can hope that further research will do the same for instances of Long COVID. An encouraging sign of progress is the number of clinics and programs that have already been established for this very purpose. As always, further research is required. However, this is one area where we can at least point to efforts to improve potential outcomes."
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Why Long COVID is often overlooked in children
"...the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly one out of five adults in the United States have developed a health condition that may be the result of a COVID-19 infection. Yet far less is known about the prevalence among children; and indeed, the studies on children seem to vary wildly in their findings. Some indicate that less than 1% of children will develop one of these conditions; another study found that an estimated half of children who came down with COVID-19 would have long-term symptoms." |
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Long COVID symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-positive children aged 0–14 years and matched controls in Denmark
"After the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, children can develop long COVID symptoms. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of long-lasting symptoms, the duration and intensity of symptoms, quality of life, number of sick days and absences from daycare or school, and psychological and social outcomes in children aged 0–14 years who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 relative to controls with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection."
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Mother of 11-year-old boy details his 'crushing' Long COVID symptoms
"At first 11-year-old Jack Coviello’s COVID-19 seemed to be the mild version that health experts had assured parents was typical. But a week after Jack’s initial symptoms cleared, a crushing fatigue set in and the sixth grader was sleeping 20 hours a day. Other distressing symptoms soon arrived, like dizziness, joint pain and blurred vision...
Three months later when Jack’s symptoms hadn’t abated, his pediatrician diagnosed him with long COVID, a condition that is as poorly understood as it is debilitating. The doctor referred the family to Boston Children’s Hospital which had a multidisciplinary clinic for kids like Jack with long COVID."
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Our Early Work on PASC Must Not Exacerbate Stigma
"Sneller and colleagues’ recent article received controversial coverage in social media for their conclusions that extensive diagnostic evaluation did not identify a cause of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and people with a history of anxiety disorder are at increased risk of PASC. While we may be apt to dismiss such critiques in the age of misinformation, it is worth further examination lest we draw erroneous inference about anxiety and PASC...
This study contributes much needed data on PASC and highlights critical areas for future research. However, we must not draw broad conclusions from a small study with important limitations, and appropriate messaging around the science is critical. Patients with PASC already experience stigma and difficulty accessing care; our early work on PASC should not exacerbate this."
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The Patient-Led Research Collaborative
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The Patient-Led Research Collaborative is a collective of Long COVID patients who are also scientific researchers. The collaborative believes that those who are experiencing an illness are the best able to identify and answer research questions and create solutions, regularly collaborating with the Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization and National Institute of Health on their Long COVID work. The collaborative works through patient-led and involved research advocating to ensure that everyone, in particular those who are marginalized, have access to quality healthcare and can live with dignity.
More information is available on their website.
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