“24% of the pediatric population who passed the acute phase of Covid with mild or no symptoms”, in practice one child in 4 recovered, “suffers from disorders related to Sars-CoV-2 infection after at least 2 months from healing, and up to 9 months from the same “. Again: “Having developed symptoms in the acute phase significantly increases the risk of Long Covid, taking it from 11.5% to 46.5%, while suffering from concomitant diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis and others) does not cause any added risk”. I’m the main results of the first multicenter study conducted in Italy on Long Covid in childrenannounces the City of Health of Turin, leader of the research published in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics’.
The authors evaluated more than 650 children in 8 Italian regions who had Covid-19 between October 2020 and June 2021. “The data confirm and consolidate the value of the recommendations expressed by the Italian Society of Pediatrics and by numerous other pediatric scientific societies: children and adolescents who have contracted Covid, even if mildly, must be monitored by their parents and in case of symptoms they should always be visited by the pediatrician “, recommend the scholars. The symptoms most often complained of by the young patients were fatigue (7%), neurological problems – difficulty concentrating, light-headedness and headache (6.8%) – and respiratory symptoms (6%).
The incidence of Long Covid – highlighted by the Piedmontese structure – has almost doubled in older children and adolescents compared to younger children, going from 18.3% (0-5 years) to 21.3% (6-10 years) , up to 34.4% risk (11-16 years). In the older age group, the most typical symptoms can be associated with anxiety, agitation, sleep and behavioral disturbances. The only type of Long Covid pathology that is most often found in early childhood is respiratory, with 11.4% risk in the 0-5 year range, compared to 3.8% after 6.
“The results confirm the importance of vaccination in pediatric age as a preventive tool, even from the onset of pathology from Long Covid”, state the authors.
Since “children and adolescents overcome acute Sars-CoV-2 infection with often mild or even absent symptoms”, the researchers note, “many of them do not come to the attention of the pediatrician and any symptoms that occur at a distance from the acute phase may not be correctly recognized by parents or associated with Covid “. Hence the appeal to monitor any disturbances.
The study group, coordinated by Enrico Bertino and Giulia Maiocco (University Neonatology of the City of Health of Turin), Gianfranco Trapani (Asl 1 Sanremo, Imperia), Vassilios Fanos (University of Cagliari) and Giuseppe Verlato (University of Verona) are part of the study group.