Millions Of American Kids Are Living With Long COVID … Here Are The Signs

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all of our lives for a long time, but there are many folks who are still living with the daily reminders of the virus. A condition known as “long COVID” has left countless individuals with an array of painful and frustrating symptoms that still haven’t gone away.

There’s been a lot of research into the ways that long COVID have impacted adults, but evidence also shows that millions of kids across the U.S. are also living with the condition — but there’s a lot less information available about these cases.

A new NIH report

The results of a recent study by the National Institutes of Health showed the stark differences between children living with long COVID and those without it. One of the notable conclusions from the resulting report, which has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is that children not only have different symptoms than adults but those symptoms also vary depending on a child’s age.

For kids between the ages of 6 and 11, long COVID often results in headaches, problems sleeping, stomach pains, memory issues, and an inability to focus.

Between the ages of 12 and 17, however, common symptoms more closely align with those of adults, including:

• Fatigue and reduced energy
• Heart palpitations
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Brain fog
• Dizziness

An imperfect representation

Although the NIH looked at data from thousands of children, the report acknowledged that there are likely some unavoidable inaccuracies based on the fact that the data researchers used came from parents and other caregivers and not scientifically vetted sources.

Nevertheless, the broader takeaway seems clear: As many as 20% of children who contract the virus could develop long COVID, making it difficult to attend school or take part in other aspects of their normal lives.

Chris Agee August 22nd, 2024

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