Long Covid “rarely” lasts more than 12 weeks in children

This is because research from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia found that after 10 months of circulation, the Delta variant had not caused more severe illness in children than previous variants and most cases remained asymptomatic or mild.

It also revealed that children and adolescents with pre-existing health conditions, including obesity, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and immune disorders, have a 25 times higher risk of severe Covid-19.

A recent systematic review reported that severe Covid-19 occurred in 5.1% of children and adolescents with pre-existing conditions and in 0.2% without.

Professor Nigel Curtis of MCRI said that while children infected with Sars-CoV-2 are typically asymptomatic or have mild illness with low rates of hospital admissions, the risk and characteristics of a long Covid were misunderstood.

He added: “Current studies lack a clear case definition and age-related data, have variable follow-up times, and are based on symptoms reported by themselves or by parents without laboratory confirmation.

“Another important issue is that many studies have low response rates, which means they might overestimate the risk of long-term Covid.”

The review led by the MCRI analyzed 14 international studies involving 19,426 children and adolescents who reported persistent symptoms as a result of Covid-19.

The most common symptoms reported four to 12 weeks after acute infection were headache, fatigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and abdominal pain.