NEW US NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH GUIDELINES ON LONG COVID IN CHILDREN

Long Covid Kids
Jul 27, 2023
2 min read

One of the most challenging aspects of running Long Covid Kids is knowing that despite all our efforts to inform and educate, more and more families will see their children develop the condition.

Long Covid patient advocacy groups have warned about the potential harms of the condition, often months or, in some cases, years ahead of public health and government agencies.

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) regularly updates its guidelines on the clinical management of COVID-19 for healthcare providers. It issued its most recent guidelines on Friday, and among the numerous changes was greater recognition and certainty around Long Covid in children. The NIH said, “The persistent symptoms after COVID-19 that have been described in children are similar to those seen in adults.” This echoes what Long Covid Kids has been saying for some time, that, while seemingly rarer than the prevalence in adults, Long Covid can affect children in the same ways.

The NIH says that while the prevalence of Long Covid in children is lower than in adults,

“given the high overall rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, the burden of post-COVID conditions in children may be quite large.”

The NIH advises clinicians that,

“The incidence of post-COVID symptoms in children appears to increase with age. The most common symptoms reported include persistent fatigue, headache, shortness of breath, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms, and an altered sense of smell.”

The NIH also states that,

“Cardiopulmonary injury, neurocognitive impairment, and new-onset diabetes may occur.”

This echoes what Long Covid Kids and other Long Covid groups have been saying for some time; that some of the outcomes of Long Covid can be quite serious. The need for paediatric biomedical research continues to be a priority.

It is important to remember that most children have been exposed to COVID-19 through vaccination or infection, so this clinical guidance refers to children in the context of breakthrough or reinfection. This fits with what we’re seeing and reported in our reinfection survey. Children can develop Long Covid on their third, fourth, or fifth infection.

It also fits with the advice of the US Department of Health and Human Services, which has recently alerted people to the increased risk of developing Long Covid with each reinfection.

Until we understand more about the condition and have identified therapeutics to treat it, Long Covid Kids believes prevention is the best way to avoid the risk of Long Covid.

We recommend families take individual measures such as wearing masks, ventilation and air cleaning to reduce their risk of catching COVID-19.