School closures and social isolation will leave long-lasting scars on our children. To compound this, they are less likely to have opportunities to develop their own natural immunity. Maren Johanne Heilskov Rytter is a clinical associate professor at University of Copenhagen. She says a small minority of kids may suffer the difficult reality of Long COVID in children.
Difficult Childhood Symptoms – The Reality of Long COVID
The signs of Long COVID are non-specific, and occur in otherwise healthy children Rytter explains. These might include headache, mood swings, abdominal pain, and fatigue. However, they could also be symptoms of another disease.
A recent study of enduring childhood symptoms by Selina Kikkenborg Berg and colleagues reveals the following:
1… The symptoms we describe above occur frequently in children, regardless of whether or not they had had COVID-19.
2… They come and go frequently without obvious cause, may persist to several months, but eventually decrease in severity.
3… These systems are “slightly more likely” to occur in children who were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Pondering Over and Interpreting These Findings
Rytter agrees this is not an easy task. She explains the Kikkenborg findings may reduce in value if we allow for what she calls “selection bias”. That because the study asked a sample of parents for their opinions, but only a quarter responded.
And after all, if your kid had the problem you would be more likely to want to contribute. This classifies this particularly study of the difficult reality of Long COVID in children as a signpost along the road to better understanding.
Rytter concludes her report by affirming “Research in COVID-19 is like trying to hit a moving target. The overall impact on children of having had COVID-19 is probably small, and less than the indirect effects of the pandemic” [on their lifestyle].
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Preview Image: Mood Swings Anxiety and Depression
