LONDON: Most children who develop Covid-19 symptoms recover after six days, and a small number of those who experience symptoms for more than four weeks, according to a large UK study published in The. Knife Child and Adolescent Health Magazine.
Study based on data reported via smartphone Application Provides the first detailed description of COVID-19 disease in symptomatic school-aged children, by parents and caregivers.
“This is reassuring that the number of children who experience long-lasting symptoms of COVID-19 symptoms is small. Nevertheless, very few children with COVID-19 experience prolonged illness, and our study found these children. and validates the experiences of their families,” said the professor. Emma DuncanLead author of the study from King’s College London, UK.
The researchers noted that some adults experience a protracted illness after covid-19, described as long-term, where symptoms persist for four weeks or more, but it is not known whether children have a similar condition. can develop or how common it is.
Many children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus do not develop symptoms but who do have mild illness, he said. The latest research used data collected through zoi covid study The smartphone app, which includes data from more than 250,000 UK children aged five to 17 years.
The team focused on reports collected between September 1, 2020 and February 22, 2021.
Some 1,734 children who developed symptoms of COVID-19 and received a positive PCR test result near the onset of symptoms, reported their symptoms regularly until they recovered.
Overall, these children were sick for an average of six days and experienced an average of three symptoms in the first week of illness, confirming that COVID-19 appears as a mild illness in children, and that they usually recover quickly, the researchers said.
The study found that most children recovered within four weeks, while a minority were experiencing symptoms after a month.
Typically, they had only two symptoms left after four weeks.
The most common symptom experienced by children with long illness duration was fatigue.
At least 84 percent of children were reported with fatigue at some point during their illness, and it was the most frequent symptom.
Headache And loss of the sense of smell was also common, the researchers said, although headache was more common in the disease, whereas loss of sense of smell occurred later and lasted longer.
Of the 1,379 children who developed symptoms at least two months before the end of the study period, less than 2 percent experienced symptoms for more than eight weeks, they noted.
According to the researchers, older children aged 12 to 17 years are generally sick longer than primary school children aged 5 to 11 years.
Older children were also more likely to have symptoms after four weeks than younger children, but there was no difference in the number of children who still had symptoms after eight weeks, they said.
The researchers also assessed children who tested negative for COVID-19 who may have had other childhood illnesses, such as colds and flu.
They found that children with covid-19 were sick longer than children with other illnesses who tested negative for covid-19.
However, the study shows that at four weeks, a smaller number of children with other illnesses had more symptoms than those who were sick with COVID-19.
“Our data highlights that other illnesses such as colds and flu can also cause prolonged symptoms in children and this is important to consider when planning pediatric health services during and after a pandemic.” michael absurdsaid a senior author of the study and consultant and senior lecturer at King’s College London.
“This will be especially important given that the prevalence of these diseases is likely to increase as physical distancing measures implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are relaxed,” Absoud said.
The study authors note some limitations of their findings.
They could not check symptoms reported by parents and caregivers with health records, and there may be discrepancies in the way people interpret symptoms on behalf of their children.
Furthermore, only children who had an adult who was participating in the COVID symptom study were able to participate, which may bias participation towards certain demographic groups, the researchers said.
Study based on data reported via smartphone Application Provides the first detailed description of COVID-19 disease in symptomatic school-aged children, by parents and caregivers.
“This is reassuring that the number of children who experience long-lasting symptoms of COVID-19 symptoms is small. Nevertheless, very few children with COVID-19 experience prolonged illness, and our study found these children. and validates the experiences of their families,” said the professor. Emma DuncanLead author of the study from King’s College London, UK.
The researchers noted that some adults experience a protracted illness after covid-19, described as long-term, where symptoms persist for four weeks or more, but it is not known whether children have a similar condition. can develop or how common it is.
Many children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus do not develop symptoms but who do have mild illness, he said. The latest research used data collected through zoi covid study The smartphone app, which includes data from more than 250,000 UK children aged five to 17 years.
The team focused on reports collected between September 1, 2020 and February 22, 2021.
Some 1,734 children who developed symptoms of COVID-19 and received a positive PCR test result near the onset of symptoms, reported their symptoms regularly until they recovered.
Overall, these children were sick for an average of six days and experienced an average of three symptoms in the first week of illness, confirming that COVID-19 appears as a mild illness in children, and that they usually recover quickly, the researchers said.
The study found that most children recovered within four weeks, while a minority were experiencing symptoms after a month.
Typically, they had only two symptoms left after four weeks.
The most common symptom experienced by children with long illness duration was fatigue.
At least 84 percent of children were reported with fatigue at some point during their illness, and it was the most frequent symptom.
Headache And loss of the sense of smell was also common, the researchers said, although headache was more common in the disease, whereas loss of sense of smell occurred later and lasted longer.
Of the 1,379 children who developed symptoms at least two months before the end of the study period, less than 2 percent experienced symptoms for more than eight weeks, they noted.
According to the researchers, older children aged 12 to 17 years are generally sick longer than primary school children aged 5 to 11 years.
Older children were also more likely to have symptoms after four weeks than younger children, but there was no difference in the number of children who still had symptoms after eight weeks, they said.
The researchers also assessed children who tested negative for COVID-19 who may have had other childhood illnesses, such as colds and flu.
They found that children with covid-19 were sick longer than children with other illnesses who tested negative for covid-19.
However, the study shows that at four weeks, a smaller number of children with other illnesses had more symptoms than those who were sick with COVID-19.
“Our data highlights that other illnesses such as colds and flu can also cause prolonged symptoms in children and this is important to consider when planning pediatric health services during and after a pandemic.” michael absurdsaid a senior author of the study and consultant and senior lecturer at King’s College London.
“This will be especially important given that the prevalence of these diseases is likely to increase as physical distancing measures implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are relaxed,” Absoud said.
The study authors note some limitations of their findings.
They could not check symptoms reported by parents and caregivers with health records, and there may be discrepancies in the way people interpret symptoms on behalf of their children.
Furthermore, only children who had an adult who was participating in the COVID symptom study were able to participate, which may bias participation towards certain demographic groups, the researchers said.
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