July: Children’s Long Covid | News and Features

This report, led by the University of Bristol, is the first step in the COVID-19 test at school to gain long-term COVID opinions and experience from different groups of people.

‘Strengthen the use of COVID-19 testing in schools‘Is in progress Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), National Bureau of Statistics And UK research and innovation (UKRI)-Funded research to summarize Bristol-based research COVID-19 mapping and relaxation in school (CoMMinS)¹ Studies, electronic patient records, and COVID-19 School Infection Survey (SIS)² To address additional questions that were not initially included in the individual studies. One of these questions is the long range and characteristics of COVID in children.

The views on children’s long COVID are: 7 adolescents aged 13-18, 5 families with children aged 10-16 having or suspected long COVID, and 4 GPs and 2021 3 Three pediatricians from 9th April to 30th April.

Diagnosis of long COVID in children

According to doctors, the long COVID of a child is not well defined and it can be difficult to distinguish long COVID from other conditions. Physicians need to understand whether long COVID is a new condition or a group of conditions such as post-viral fatigue that can occur after common infections such as influenza and adenomy.

Symptoms of long COVID in children

Adolescents and families of children with long or suspected long COVID said that feeling sick or stomach pain, extreme malaise, and headache were the most “harmful” symptoms.

The family also has many, and often very serious, symptoms of long COVID in their children, which are more extensive than those currently listed as long COVID on the NHS website. Said. It is not yet clear what is causing the abnormal symptoms.

Prevalence and long-term effects of long-term COVID in children

It is unknown how many children have long COVIDs or develop them. To date, studies attempting to measure this have suggested that it is rare, but the long lack of clinical understanding of COVID, including the lack of an agreed clinical definition, makes this difficult. ..

The family said they had a hard time getting their children diagnosed and treated. They also stated that long COVID symptoms had a significant physical and psychological impact on children’s daily lives, and some children were absent from school because of the symptoms. The family wanted to know why a series of symptoms were occurring, and especially why children developed them.

Asymptomatic infections and long COVID

Young people showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and were worried about passing the infection to the elderly and vulnerable people unnoticed. The risk of long-term health outcomes in children with COVID-19 infection is when those events are likely to be severe COVID-19 infection and severe infection is likely to be diagnosed. It can be overestimated.

Reinfection

Reinfection of children is possible, but very rare. Nevertheless, the frequency of reinfections can be underestimated if infections are not always recorded. Young people thought they needed to be more aware of the possibility of reinfection. There was also concern among families about the impact of reinfection on long-term COVID symptoms.

Caroline Lerton, Professor and Director of Epigenetic Epidemiology Bristol Institute for Population and Health Sciences At the University of Bristol, CoMMinS co-leader and one of the lead authors of the report explained: The child’s COVID remains poorly defined.

“An additional complication of studying long COVIDs in children when it is sometimes difficult to unravel what may be the result of experiencing an infection from what may result from the broader effects of experiencing a pandemic. There are complications. All family life can affect health. Defining the scope and root cause of children’s problems provides appropriate treatment and helps the recovery of suffering young people. It’s essential. “

Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), said: “This study presents an important step in helping school children better understand COVID-19 and is another great example of why access to health data is important for important studies. HDRUK and ONS National. Core Studies supports the UK Health Innovation Gateway and provides a common entry point for researchers to discover and request access to UK health datasets for critical research improving people’s lives. It offers. .”

Professor Punam Mantani , Collaborator of School Infection Survey (SIS) LSHTM, Added: “It’s great to see data from our groundbreaking research being used in other valuable work, and learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on children in the UK. SIS has helped us understand the COVID-19 infection within, between schools, between schools and the community, but as shown here, the abundant data collected. Is used far beyond our research. “

Dr. Shamez Ladhani, a PHE pediatrician and research leader at the Schools Infection Survey (SIS), said:

“This study also established a well-defined group of students and staff for follow-up, which provides a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of children’s long COVID. “

Reflected in the COVID-19 test at school, this report is a better way to assess how COVID-19 affected children by examining GP and hospital visits, and school attendance. It suggests that it may be a useful and achievable method. However, you need to be aware of the extent to which you have access to healthcare as needed and that you will be absent from school due to self-isolation that affects what you are measuring. You may also miss the effects on children with mild symptoms. Feeling sick, or stomach pain, extreme fatigue, and headaches are important symptoms to consider in a study. Researchers should also keep in mind that some health measures, such as asymptomatic infections and reinfections, are not always documented.

Report survey

‘Children’s Long COVID: A report summarizing the views of young people, parents and doctors‘Dr. Catherine J. Lucker, Michael Bell, Rachel Skelly, Dr. Lindsey Pike, Professor Sarah Lewis, Professor Caroline Relton, and Dr. Rachel Denholm represent CoMMinS research and school infection investigations.

More information

1. Partnerships with the University of Bristol, Bristol City Council, British Public Health Services (PHE), and Bristol School.
2. School infection investigations are jointly led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the UK Public Health Services (PHE), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This report is funded by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) under the Call for Rapid Funding to Use and Enhance Data Within the Data & Connectivity National Core Study (NCS) Feature. The NIHR Center for Biomedical Research in Bristol has funded a refund for participants.

About the involvement and activities of patients and the general public
The “Strengthening the Use of COVID-19 Testing in Schools” study examines the characteristics of long-term COVID and COVID-19 infections in children. This study is funded by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), Office for National Statistics and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

We use data from the Bristol-based COVID-19 mapping and school mitigation (CoMMinS) study (University of Bristol, partnership with the Bristol City Council of UK Public Health Services). [PHE] And Bristol Schools), information from electronic medical records, and COVID-19 School Infection Survey (SIS).Co-led by London School of Economics and Tropical Medicine [LSHTM], PHE, and National Bureau of Statistics [ONS]).

Members of the University of Bristol research team gathered opinions on the long COVID of children from March 9th to April 30th, 2021 to inform them of research questions and methods.

• Seven adolescents from the NIHR Bristol Center for Biomedical Research Youth Advisory Group (YPAG).
• Five families whose children have long COVID or are suspected of having long COVID, recruited through two online UK campaign groups for long COVID, and
• A survey completed by 4 GPs and 1 pediatrician, and an online meeting with 2 pediatricians.

About the Bristol UNCOVER Group
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, researchers at the University of Bristol have formed the Bristol COVID Emergency Research (UNCOVER) group to pool resources, capabilities, and research efforts to combat this infection...

Bristol UNCOVER includes clinicians, immunologists, virologists, synthetic biologists, aerosol scientists, epidemiologists, mathematical modelers, and has connections with behavioral scientists, social scientists, ethicists, and lawyers. Supported by many young academic and administrative colleagues.

Follow Bristol UNCOVER on Twitter. https://twitter.com/BristolUncover

For more information on the University of Bristol’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) research priorities, please see: www.bristol.ac.uk/research/impact/coronavirus/research-priorities/

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