Symptoms of long Covid present differently in children and teens, study finds

A new study offers insight into what long Covid looks like in kids and teens, suggesting that they experience different symptoms from adults.

Millions of U.S. children have had long Covid, estimates suggest, but less is known about their symptoms than those of adults. 

A large, national study offers new insights into what the post-viral illness looks like in kids and teens, suggesting that they experience a markedly different set of symptoms from adults. Although Covid itself has historically been milder in kids, the results indicate that many have debilitating, long-term side effects that make it difficult to attend school, participate in extracurriculars or spend time with family or friends. 

“This is a public health crisis for children,” said Dr. Rachel Gross, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of pediatrics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. 

“Experiences of chronic illness affect them as they grow, and it impacts the health of the adults that they become,” she said.

The study is part of the RECOVER initiative, one of the world’s largest investigations into long Covid, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/symptoms-long-covid-kids-rcna167188

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