NEW DELHI: Symptoms of long Covid experienced by children and young people may change over time, according to the largest study published in The Lancet Regional Health — Europe.For the study, researchers asked children aged 11 to 17 years about their health six months and 12 months after taking a PCR test between September 2020 and March 2021. They also asked them to recall their symptoms at the time of taking the test.
They noted that the symptoms experienced changed over the course of a year. And while some of the children’s original symptoms declined, new symptoms were reported.The data of 5,086 children, 2,909 of whom tested positive for Covid-19, and 2,177 of whom tested negative were examined. None of the children initially invited to participate in the study had been hospitalised.
Children and young people were asked what they had experienced from a list of 21 symptoms, including shortness of breath and tiredness, as well as using validated scales to assess quality of life, mental health, wellbeing and fatigue.It was found that, at time of testing, health issues were more common in children and young people who had tested positive for the virus compared to those who tested negative.