Neurological and psychological effects of long COVID in a young population: A cross-sectional study.
Front Neurol
; 13: 925144, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2022804
ABSTRACT
Aim:
We evaluated the long-term clinical status of pediatric patients after testing positive for COVID-19. We hypothesized that there are similar symptoms to those that have been described in adults and children and that pediatric patients with neurophysiologic symptoms still present 3-5 months after infection have psychological consequences that interfere with their adaptive functioning.Method:
We recruited 322 COVID-19-positive pediatric patients, between 1.5 and 17 years old, from the outpatient clinic for COVID-19 follow-up. Neurological symptoms were analyzed at onset, after 1 month, and after 3-5 months. A psychological assessment with standardized questionnaires was also conducted to determine the impact of the disease.Results:
At the onset of COVID-19, 60% of the total sample exhibited symptoms; this decreased after 1 month (20%) but stabilized 3-5 months after disease onset (22%). Prevailing long-COVID neurological symptoms were headache, fatigue, and anosmia. In the 1.5-5-year-old subgroup, internalizing problems emerged in 12% of patients. In the 6-18-year-old subgroup, anxiety and post-traumatic stress showed significant associations with neurological symptoms of long COVID.Conclusions:
These data demonstrate that long COVID presents various broad-spectrum symptoms, including psychological and long-lasting cognitive issues. If not treated, these symptoms could significantly compromise the quality of life of children and adolescents.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Language:
English
Journal:
Front Neurol
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Fneur.2022.925144
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