Symptoms And Probability Of Developing Persistent Covid In Children And Adolescents

Young people usually pass the Covid-19 in a mild or asymptomatic way. However, the scientific community was concerned about how the prolonged disease could affect these age groups.

A new scientific study, published in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health , reveals that the probability of young people developing persistent covid is low and lower than in adults.

This work has shown, in particular, that a prolonged illness can occur in 4.4% of cases , a much lower percentage than 13.3% of adults. Furthermore, the study has revealed that symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK children aged 5 to 17 years is typically short-lived (6 days versus 11 days in adults), with low symptom burden.

The study has also shed some light on the possible sequelae in relation to memory or concentration that persistent covid could leave in children and adolescents: “Our data does not support anecdotal reports of weakness and seizures as common in children with Covid- 19 of any duration, and no serious neurological symptoms were reported. However, any persistent illness can have adverse mental health outcomes and affect school attendance, “he explains.

What symptoms of Covid-19 young people usually have
The most common symptoms in the cohort of children with Covid-19 in this study were headache (62.2%) and fatigue (55.0%). Other signs were fever (37.7%) or cough (25.5%). Furthermore, anosmia and dysosmia (loss or alteration of smell) were common (39.6%).