Long COVID in Children: Observations From a Designated Pediatric Clinic

Liat Ashkenazi-Hoffnung; Einat Shmueli; Shay Ehrlich; Adi Ziv; Ophir Bar-On; Einat Birk; Alexander Lowenthal; Dario Prais

doi:10.1097/INF.0000000000003285

Long COVID in Children: Observations From a Designated Pediatric Clinic

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2021 Dec 1;40(12):e509-e511. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003285.

Authors

Liat Ashkenazi-Hoffnung^{1

2}, Einat Shmueli^{1

2}, Shay Ehrlich^{1

2}, Adi Ziv^{1

2}, Ophir Bar-On^{1

2}, Einat Birk^{1

2}, Alexander Lowenthal^{1

2}, Dario Prais^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ From the Day Care Hospitalization, Pulmonary Institute and Heart Institute, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel.
² Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Abstract

Systematic data are lacking on pediatric long COVID. This study prospectively assessed 90 children with persistent symptoms who presented to a designated multidisciplinary clinic for long COVID. In nearly 60%, symptoms were associated with functional impairment at 1-7 months after the onset of infection. A comprehensive structured evaluation revealed mild abnormal findings in approximately half the patients, mainly in the respiratory aspect.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
COVID-19 / complications*
COVID-19 / virology
Child
Female
Humans
Male
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Prospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity*
Tertiary Care Centers / statistics & numerical data