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. 2021 Aug;56(8):2495-2502.
doi: 10.1002/ppul.25521. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Pediatric long-COVID: An overlooked phenomenon?

Caroline L H Brackel  1   2 , Coen R Lap  3 , Emilie P Buddingh  4 , Marlies A van Houten  5 , Linda J T M van der Sande  6   7 , Eveline J Langereis  1 , Michiel A G E Bannier  7 , Marielle W H Pijnenburg  8 , Simone Hashimoto  1 , Suzanne W J Terheggen-Lagro  1
Affiliations

Pediatric long-COVID: An overlooked phenomenon?

Caroline L H Brackel et al. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: TB; infections; pneumonia; viral.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

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