Long Covid, in children it can last up to 3 years: symptoms and consequences

From an international study on 1,300 pediatric patients, published in ‘eClinical Medicine’ (‘The Lancet’ group) and coordinated by pediatricians of Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Irccs-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, emerge New evidence on the consequences of Sars-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents. In some, “Long Covid” can last up to three years with consequences on school life and usual activities. Vaccines appear to have a protective effect (but it depends on the number of doses administered and the age of the patients) on Long Covid, on reinfections and on the autoimmune complications of this disease”. Conducted on approximately 1,300 patients aged between 0 and 18 years, followed at the Post-Covid pediatric clinic at Gemelli.

The research focused on pediatric Long Covid cases that appeared after the first infection or after reinfections and on their duration. The aim of the work was “to describe the characteristics of Long Covid in pediatric patients, to evaluate the presence of factors able to predict the risk of developing Long Covid and to evaluate the role of the vaccine in preventing Long Covid, the risk of reinfections or the appearance of autoimmune diseases”.

“In this work – comments Danilo Buonsenso, corresponding author, professor of Pediatrics at the Catholic University and medical director of the Complex Operating Unit of Pediatrics of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Irccs – we documented the progress of Sars-CoV-2 infection in pediatric age up to thirty-six months after the first infection”.

“On the Long Covid front – Buonsenso continues – we have confirmed the data from our previous studies, but adding new information. In fact, this new research shows that, Although most patients recover from Covid-19, some continue to present symptoms attributable to Long Covid, up to 3 years later from the initial infection. This confirms the importance of the potential consequences of this virus in children. Many of those followed for 3 years after the initial infection were unable to resume their daily routines, with negative consequences on their ability to regularly attend school or participate in traditional extra-curricular activities, due to the debilitating symptoms they reported.”

In short, Covid can have important and long-lasting consequences even on the youngest. But is the vaccine also able to protect against the ‘after’ acute phase of the infection, that is, from Long Covid and other complications? “In our study – explains Buonsenso – vaccination has proven to be a protective factor against Long Covid even if, as we have highlighted, this ‘shield’ effect varies depending on the number of doses received or the age of the patient and this adds further information and offers food for thought, compared to what has been known so far”.

Another finding that emerged from the study is that the risk of presenting a severe form of Covid-19, in the case of a reinfection that appears in the 24-36 months following the first infection, is extremely low. “It must be said, however – the pediatrician points out – that, although rare, It is possible to develop Long Covid even following a reinfection. Furthermore, children with Long Covid are at greater risk of presenting symptomatic infections”. Finally, as already highlighted in adults, the study published in ‘eClinical Medicine’ also shows that the infection due to the original virus was associated with a greater risk of developing autoimmune diseases in the months following the acute infection.