A new study points out that long Covid can also affect very young populations, such as children and infants.
The virus of Covid-19 continues to reveal its secrets. The largest study conducted on the symptoms of Covid long in children aged 0 to 14 has just revealed that this age group can also suffer from this pathology at least two months following infection. Published in the specialized journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Healththis work involved more than 43,000 children.
Children in infants also affected by the long Covid
In detail, the researchers came to separate the children into two groups: one with the positive cases; and a control group with no history of Covid-19 virus infection. The parents then reported the presence of 23 most common symptoms of Covid long that took place in their offspring, i.e. for a period of more than two months. Most frequently, they cited the following symptoms: impaired memory or concentration; mood swings ; stomach ache ; fatigue ; or skin rashes.
The results show that 40% of infected children aged 0-3 years had symptoms for more than two months, compared to 27% in the control group; 38% of infected aged 4 to 11, compared to 34% of controls; and 46% of 12-14 year olds, compared to 41% of controls.
Prof Selina Kikkenborg Berg, co-author of the study, said through a press release “Our results are in line with previous studies on long Covid in adolescents, showing that, although the chances of children experiencing long Covid are low, especially compared to control groups, it must be recognized and treated seriously”. In addition to this, the researchers point out the indirect effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as confinements or isolation, have also had a greater impact on infected children.
Prof Selina Kikkenborg Berg underlined that “the pandemic has affected all aspects of the lives of all young people”. She ends by explaining that “further research on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on all children will be important in the future”.
