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COVID-19

COVID-19 Symptoms in Children: New Research Offers Insights on Recovery and Ongoing Issues

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from Public Health England have conducted a study to examine the symptoms experienced by children with COVID-19. According to the findings, most children recover quickly from the virus, but some may experience ongoing symptoms. The study, which used national testing data, identified 1,500 PCR-positive cases and 1,500 matched PCR-negative controls. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about the acute illness and various symptoms experienced by their children. The results showed that 35.0% of the participants completed the questionnaire, with 38.0% of cases and 32% of controls being symptomatic. The most prevalent acute symptoms were cough, fever, headache, and fatigue. One month later, 6.7% of symptomatic cases and 4.2% of symptomatic controls experienced ongoing symptoms.

Key Takeaways:

  • Most children with COVID-19 (68%) experienced symptoms, while 40% of controls experienced symptoms (P = .24).
  • The most prevalent acute symptoms were cough (29.0%), fever (27.5%), headache (27.4%), and fatigue (26.9%).
  • One month later, 21/320 (6.7%) of symptomatic cases and 6/154 (4.2%) of symptomatic controls experienced ongoing symptoms.
  • The study highlights the importance of prioritizing mental health support for children with COVID-19.
  • The research was conducted by Georgina Ireland, Maria Zavala, Zahin Amin-Chowdhury, Mary E. Ramsay, and Shamez N. Ladhani from Public Health England.

Statistics:

  • 35.0% of participants completed the questionnaire (859/2456).
  • 38.0% of cases (472/1242) and 32% of controls (387/1214) were symptomatic.
  • 68% of symptomatic cases (320/472) and 40% of symptomatic controls (154/387) experienced ongoing symptoms.
  • 6.7% of symptomatic cases (21/320) and 4.2% of symptomatic controls (6/154) experienced ongoing symptoms one month later.

Sources:

  • Public Health England, "Acute and Persistent Symptoms in Children With Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Compared With Test-Negative Children in England: Active, Prospective, National Surveillance"
  • Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2022; 75(1)
  • Oxford Univ Press Inc, Journals Dept, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC 27513, USA
  • NewsRx, "Public Health England Reports Findings in COVID-19 [Acute and Persistent Symptoms in Children With Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Compared With Test-Negative ...]"

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