Children and COVID-19 Research Library

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently widely spread across the world. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the overall treatment process. As a special group of population, the treatment outcome of children with COVID-19 has attracted much attention. This study summarizes the current situation of TCM treatment of children with COVID-19. The results showed that TCM displayed a positive role in the treatment process, and that no significant adverse reactions were found.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the protective face mask has proven to be essential. The protective face masks cover the lower part of the face, including teeth and, for orthodontic patients, the orthodontic appliances. The aim of this study was to assess the impact that the restrictive measures that were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and, especially, wearing a protective face mask had on a sample of Romanian children, and to compare the results previously obtained on a sample of Romanian teenagers with the results obtained after investigating children under the age of 12 years. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in two orthodontic offices from the city of Oradea, Romania. The study sample included children with ages between 8 and 11.9 years that were undergoing an orthodontic treatment with removable or fixed orthodontic appliances.

Previous studies assessing the prevalence of COVID-19 sequelae in adults and children were performed in the absence of an agreed definition. This research investigated prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) (WHO definition), at 6- and 12-months follow-up, amongst previously hospitalised adults and children and assessed risk factors. Prospective cohort study of children and adults with confirmed COVID-19 in Moscow, hospitalised between April and August, 2020. Two follow-up telephone interviews, using the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium survey, were performed at 6 and 12 months after discharge.

The coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid-19) pandemic led to a number of measures being introduced in many countries worldwide. Lockdowns were imposed on individuals aged <18 years, education was delivered online, and mask-wearing was made compulsory in public places, resulting in an unprecedented period for children. Real-life data showing how children with asthma are affected by major changes are limited. This study investigated how asthmatic children are affected by pandemic conditions based on real-life data. Patients with asthma aged 6–18 years followed up from March to May 2019—before the Covid-19 pandemic—were included in the study. Data from March to May 2020 and 2019 were then compared to reveal the effects of pandemic-related lifestyle changes on symptoms, frequency of exacerbations, and drug use in asthmatic children.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented health and economic losses. Children generally present with less severe disease from this virus compared with adults, yet neonates and children with COVID-19 can require hospitalization, and older children can develop severe complications, such as the multisystem inflammatory syndrome, resulting in >1500 deaths in children from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. The introduction of effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in school-age children and adult populations combined with the emergence of new, more highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants has resulted in a proportional increase of infections in young children. Here, we discuss (1) the current knowledge on pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis in comparison with adults, (2) the data on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy in children, and (3) the benefits of early life SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to leave long-lasting marks on a generation of children and young people, mainly from indirect effects, including those of school closures, social isolation and a so-called immunity debt resulting from 2 years with reduced exposure to common pathogens. A small proportion of children have had serious sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection itself, with the most dramatic being multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).  Furthermore, a less well-defined entity, termed long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition, has been suggested, referring to children with long-lasting symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection that are not explained by another disease.

‘Long COVID’ describes both ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (5–12 weeks after onset) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (≥12 weeks after onset). Long COVID is also a patient-preferred term so will be used throughout this editorial to describe symptoms lasting ≥4 weeks after an acute episode of COVID-19. As the phenomenon of long COVID emerged and came to be recognised, including with the publication of the guideline by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, there was still limited evidence about whether children and young people could suffer with prolonged symptoms following an acute COVID-19 infection. The general opinion was still that SARS-CoV-2 was a mild infection in the young.

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. A major concern of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women is vertical maternal-fetal transmission and the ramifications on infant hearing. This retrospective study aims to investigate whether perinatal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has an impact on the hearing of the offspring. The study population included neonates born to unvaccinated COVID-19 positive mothers in the University Hospital of Patras, Greece from March 2020 to January 2021. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were performed on the neonates on the first, second,^, and seventh day of life. All neonates underwent transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) within the first three months of life and were all examined at the age of nine months.

Long COVID-19 syndrome is a complex of symptoms that occurs after the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, in the absence of other possible diagnoses. Studies on Long COVID-19 in pediatric population are scanty and heterogeneous in design, inclusion criteria, outcomes, and follow-up time. The objective of the present study is to assess the prevalence of Long COVID-19 syndrome in a cohort of Italian pediatric primary care patients, observed for a period of time of 8 to 36 weeks from healing. Prevalence was also assessed in a cohort of pediatric patients hospitalized during acute infection. Data concerning 629 primary care patients with previous acute SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected by a questionnaire filled in by Primary Care Pediatrician (PCP). The questionnaire was administrated to patients by 18 PCPs based in 8 different Italian regions from June to August 2021. Data concerning 60 hospitalized patients were also collected by consultation of clinical documents.

The proportion of children affected with COVID-19 accounted for approximately 1 to 2 % of all infected cases and the disease often follows a mild to moderate disease. Increased coagulation and events that are thrombotic were repeatedly recorded in adult patients with COVID-19. Nevertheless, till now, there is no consensus about thrombotic events in children in published articles.  This studyaimes to make evaluation of d-dimer level in children with COVID-19 and the rate of thrombotic complications. The present research that is of cross sectional type was carried out in Children and Maternity Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah Province, Iraq. The study included 168 children with COVDI-19 proved by positive RT-PCR results following nasopharyngeal swabs. The age ranged from one month up to 15 years and the study included 77 girls and 91 boys.

Post-covid syndrome (PCS) is a symptom complex that occurs during and after COVID-19 lasting more than 12 weeks, which is not a possible disease. The clinical manifestations of PCS are many-sided, under their mask or manifestations or exacerbations of chronic organic activity, the trigger of which was the virus, are hidden. PCS is a diagnosis of exclusion. The main manifestations of PCS: autonomic dysregulation, cognitive and psycho-emotional disorders, disorders of the respiratory system, cardiovascular, digestive systems. Direct pathogenic factors, the main neurological manifestations are PCS of preservation of brain hypoperfusion, hypoxia and hypoxemia, resulting in energy deficiency of neuronal structures, violation of the probable, as well as virus-induced structural detection of neurons in the cortex and subcortical structures of the brain. The severity and duration of exposure appear to be increasingly dependent on the body's response to SARS-CoV-2. PCS has a different severity of severity in recovered patients and does not always depend on the severity of the acute period. Timely examination with differential diagnosis allows not only to make a diagnosis, but also to recommend therapy with a personalized approach to the correction of PCS.

Concerns that athletes may be at a higher risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission has led to reduced participation in sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess COVID-19 incidence and transmission during the spring 2021 high school and college water polo seasons across the United States. This prospective observational study enrolled 1825 water polo athletes from 54 high schools and 36 colleges. Surveys were sent to coaches throughout the season, and survey data were collected and analyzed.