Long COVID Rare in Children: Study

Fewer than 1 percent of children who tested positive for COVID-19 still had symptoms six months later.

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While long-COVID cases keep popping up, a new study reports the condition is relatively rare in children.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, noted that just 0.52 percent of children who had tested positive for COVID-19 in pediatric emergency departments still had symptoms six months later.

Interestingly, the rates of long COVID among children rose slightly after one year to 0.67 percent of those who had been admitted to the pediatric emergency department with COVID-19. Among symptomatic children who had tested negative for COVID-19, 0.16 percent still had symptoms after one year.

The children’s quality of life between the six-month and one-year interval did not change, the research team noted, adding that the most common symptom reported in children with long COVID and still tested positive at one year included recurrent respiratory congestion.

To determine the rates of long COVID among children, the research team, led by Frederick Dun-Dery of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, looked at data from 14 pediatric emergency departments in Canada. The data included check-in points on the children at 90 days, six months, and one year after diagnosis.

In all, 1,152 children with positive COVID tests and 3,995 children with negative tests were included in the six-month follow-up study. For the one-year follow-up, 1,192 children with positive COVID tests and 4,371 children with negative tests were included.

The average age of the patients was 2 years old, and over 53 percent were male. Nearly 6 percent had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Of those who tested positive for the virus, about 35 percent had the omicron strain, followed by wild type (27 percent), delta (about 22 percent), and alpha (almost 16 percent). Only a few cases featured the gamma variant.

What Is Long COVID?

Long COVID, or post-COVID condition (PCC), occurs when someone experiences COVID-19 symptoms at least four weeks after their initial COVID diagnosis. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), long COVID can last weeks, months, or years. Symptoms vary, from tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily activities to respiratory and heart symptoms or neurological symptoms such as headaches, sleep issues, or dizziness. Some people with long COVID have also reported digestive problems, joint pain, and, for women, changes in menstrual cycles.

While signs and symptoms of long COVID vary, fatigue is typically the most prevalent or first sign. This can manifest in a child’s inability to maintain daily routines, such as schoolwork or extracurricular activities.

“Children who used to be actively engaged in sports may now be barely able to make it down the street before having to take a break,” Dr. Carlos Oliveira, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine, told United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in June 2023.

Dr. Oliveira added that children with long COVID might also feel tired, have sore muscles, feel dizzy, or experience heart issues.

Is Long COVID Preventable?

While long COVID isn’t preventable, the best way to cut your or your child’s chances of developing it is to avoid contracting COVID-19 in the first place. The CDC recommends children aged 6 months and older receive one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The agency also suggests improving ventilation in homes and avoiding contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Although the CDC recommends vaccines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and, therefore, long COVID, other research suggests a different way to prevent the condition. For example, a study from Feb. 6, 2023, suggests that lifestyle factors are a factor in preventing long COVID. In the study, researchers looked at multiple lifestyle factors for female health care workers around the age of 65. Women who had five or six healthy lifestyles, which included avoiding both smoking and alcohol consumption, having healthy diets, engaging in physical activity, having healthy BMIs, and getting adequate sleep, had nearly a 50 percent lower risk of getting long COVID.

The two most important lifestyle factors, the research team found, were getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. Sleep deprivation can hamper the body’s immune system, leading to chronic inflammation and an increased risk for infectious and inflammatory conditions. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night, while school-age children need at least nine hours. Teenagers should get between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night.

Additionally, researchers have found that obesity can increase the risk of COVID symptoms and is a risk factor for long COVID. Regular exercise and a healthy diet full of whole foods can help you maintain a healthy metabolism and improve overall health.