TY - JOUR
T1 - Pediatric long-COVID: An overlooked phenomenon?
AU - Brackel, Caroline L. H.
AU - Lap, Coen R.
AU - Buddingh, Emilie P.
AU - van Houten, Marlies A.
AU - van der Sande, Linda J. T. M.
AU - Langereis, Eveline J.
AU - Bannier, Michiel A. G. E.
AU - Pijnenburg, Marielle W. H.
AU - Hashimoto, Simone
AU - Terheggen-Lagro, Suzanne W. J.
N1 - Funding Information: The authors?thank the Dutch Pediatric Society for their help in distributing our survey. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Background: Long-COVID is a well-documented multisystem disease in adults. Far less is known about long-term sequelae of COVID in children. Here, we report on the occurrence of long-COVID in Dutch children. Patients and Methods: We conducted a national survey asking Dutch pediatricians to share their experiences on long-COVID in children. We furthermore describe a case series of six children with long-COVID to explore the clinical features in greater detail. Results: With a response rate of 78% of Dutch pediatric departments, we identified 89 children, aged 2–18 years, suspected of long-COVID with various complaints. Of these children, 36% experienced severe limitations in daily function. The most common complaints were fatigue, dyspnea, and concentration difficulties with 87%, 55%, and 45% respectively. Our case series emphasizes the nonspecific and broad clinical manifestations seen in post-COVID complaints. Conclusion: Our study shows that long-COVID is also present in the pediatric population. The main symptoms resemble those previously described in adults. This novel condition demands a multidisciplinary approach with international awareness and consensus to aid early detection and effective management.
AB - Background: Long-COVID is a well-documented multisystem disease in adults. Far less is known about long-term sequelae of COVID in children. Here, we report on the occurrence of long-COVID in Dutch children. Patients and Methods: We conducted a national survey asking Dutch pediatricians to share their experiences on long-COVID in children. We furthermore describe a case series of six children with long-COVID to explore the clinical features in greater detail. Results: With a response rate of 78% of Dutch pediatric departments, we identified 89 children, aged 2–18 years, suspected of long-COVID with various complaints. Of these children, 36% experienced severe limitations in daily function. The most common complaints were fatigue, dyspnea, and concentration difficulties with 87%, 55%, and 45% respectively. Our case series emphasizes the nonspecific and broad clinical manifestations seen in post-COVID complaints. Conclusion: Our study shows that long-COVID is also present in the pediatric population. The main symptoms resemble those previously described in adults. This novel condition demands a multidisciplinary approach with international awareness and consensus to aid early detection and effective management.
KW - TB
KW - infections
KW - pneumonia
KW - viral
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107818849&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.25521
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.25521
M3 - Article
C2 - 34102037
SN - 8755-6863
VL - 56
SP - 2495
EP - 2502
JO - Pediatric pulmonology
JF - Pediatric pulmonology
IS - 8
ER -