The 14 Most Common Long COVID Symptoms in Children and Teens

Long COVID in children is real and can be disabling for long periods of time, a new study finds.

A team of more than 140 researchers led by the National Institutes of Health  analyzed data from RECOVER-Pediatrics … an initiative that tracks long-term symptoms in children with a history of infection.

One author says the evidence is convincing that COVID-19 is not just a mild, benign illness for kids.

He says, “Children do get long COVID, and it’s not rare.  Some children are severely affected; they are not faking it or making it up.”

The researchers identified the most common long-term symptoms in kids 6 to 11 years old, as well as adolescents 12 to 17.

Overall, the symptoms impacted almost every organ system, but there were clear differences based on age.

Common long COVID symptoms in younger kids included memory issues, stomach pain, headaches, back or neck pain, phobias, refusing to go to school, itchy skin, trouble sleeping and nausea.

In 12- to 17-year-olds, the list included a loss of smell and/or taste, daytime tiredness, body, muscle, or joint pain, memory issues, headaches, and feeling lightheaded or dizzy.

The authors say while these findings are designed to help identify children most likely to have long COVID, they are not for use in clinical settings yet. More study is needed.

Source: JAMA

Author Affiliations: National Institutes of Health, NYU Langone Health, Rutgers University