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Post-COVID-19 condition and persisting symptoms in English schoolchildren: repeated surveys to March 2022.


ABSTRACT:

Background

Both post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) and the presence of persisting symptoms that do not meet formal definitions of post-COVID-19-condition may adversely affect quality of life and function. However, their prevalence among children and young people in England is unclear.

Methods

We used data from repeated surveys in a large cohort of English schoolchildren from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) for the school year 2021/22 to describe the weighted prevalence of post-COVID-19-condition and compare persisting symptoms between individuals with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and those with neither a positive test history nor suspected infection.

Results

Among 7797 children from 173 schools, 1.8% of primary school pupils (aged 4 to 11 years), 4.5% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 (aged 11 to 16 years) and 6.9% of those in years 12-13 (aged 16 to 18 years) met a definition of post-COVID-19 condition in March 2022. Specific persisting symptoms such as anxiety or difficulty concentrating were frequently reported regardless of prior infection status and increased with age: 48.0% of primary school pupils, 52.9% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 and 79.5% in years 12-13 reporting at least one symptom lasting more than 12 weeks. Persisting loss of smell and taste, cardiovascular and some systemic symptoms were more frequently reported by those with a previous positive test.

Conclusions

We showed that ongoing symptoms were frequently reported by English schoolchildren regardless of SARS-CoV-2 test results and some specific symptoms such as loss of smell and taste were more prevalent in those with a positive test history. Our study emphasises the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

SUBMITTER: Warren-Gash C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10075149 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Post-COVID-19 condition and persisting symptoms in English schoolchildren: repeated surveys to March 2022.

Warren-Gash Charlotte C   Lacey Andrea A   Cook Sarah S   Stocker Dylan D   Toon Samantha S   Lelii Ffion F   Ford Ben B   Ireland Georgina G   Ladhani Shamez N SN   Stephenson Terence T   Nguipdop-Djomo Patrick P   Mangtani Punam P  

BMC infectious diseases 20230405 1


<h4>Background</h4>Both post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) and the presence of persisting symptoms that do not meet formal definitions of post-COVID-19-condition may adversely affect quality of life and function. However, their prevalence among children and young people in England is unclear.<h4>Methods</h4>We used data from repeated surveys in a large cohort of English schoolchildren from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) for the school year 2021/22 to describe the weighted prevalen  ...[more]

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