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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
July 01, 2022
According to a new scientific study, published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, the symptoms of long Covid would also impact the youngest.
This is the largest study conducted to date in children and infants…and the results are not good. According to the researchers, children aged 0 to 14 could suffer from long-lasting Covid more than two months after infection.
43,000 children participated in the study
In an attempt to better understand the effects of long Covid, scientists analyzed the symptoms of the disease in children aged 0 to 14 years.
These 43,000 children, from Denmark, were divided into two groups: positive cases and the control group, that is to say, children with no history of coronavirus infection.
For more than 2 months, parents filled out a questionnaire on the presence of the 23 most common symptoms in the event of long Covid.
- The most common symptoms in children 0-3 years old were mood swings, skin rashes, and upset stomach;
- Among 4- to 11-year-olds, the most common signs were mood swings, trouble remembering or concentrating, and skin rash;
- Among 12-14 year olds, parents mainly observed fatigue, mood swings and memory or concentration problems.
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40% of infants would develop a long Covid
The results also showed that 40% of Covid-19 positive children aged 0-3 had symptoms more than two months after infection – compared to 27% of controls.
Among 4-11 year olds, the ratio was 38% of cases versus 34% of controls.
A significant rate among adolescents aged 12 to 14: 46% of them indeed presented symptoms of long Covid, compared to 41% of controls.
“Our findings align with previous studies of long Covid in adolescents, showing that while the odds of children experiencing long Covid are low, particularly compared to control groups, this should be recognized and treated seriously” said Professor Selina Kikkenborg Berg, co-author of the study, in a press release.
Results, which must be taken with a little haughtiness, according to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
“We still do not know today what Covid-long is. Conducting a study on the subject is therefore difficult. Then, we can read in the study that the results are not clinically significant, which means that children’s daily lives are not impacted, so you have to be very careful with this data and not overreact with children.”advises Dr. Kierzek.