Children who have Covid twice double their risk of long Covid

Children who have Covid twice are at double the risk of experiencing long Covid, an often debilitating condition.

The findings, published Tuesday, challenge the perception that Covid cases in children are “mild,” as well as the notion that re-infections do not carry the same risk of long Covid as getting it the first time.

Second infections leave children at an increased risk of pain, fatigue, headache, abnormal heartbeats and kidney damage, along with two potentially life-threatening physical conditions: myocarditis and blood clots.

A child’s risk of myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle that can weaken the organ or even be fatal – tripled after a second Covid infection, and they were more than twice as likely to get blood clots.

Myocarditis, while rare, is the most common condition associated with long Covid in young people, said researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and dozens of institutions around the country, who were involved in the study.

The findings are based on the electronic health records of more than 465,000 children and adolescents in the U.S. The records were taken from January 2022-October 2023, when Omicron was the dominant variant spreading across the country.

The study adds to a growing body of research on long Covid, which doctors are still working to fully understand. The condition impacts nearly 6 million children in the U.S.and more than 17 million adults.

Long Covid can leave once-healthy and vibrant individuals unable to get out of bed or carry on with normal activities due to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, chest and muscle pain. Overall, more than 200 long Covid symptoms have been identified and infections can last months or years, and bring an elevated risk of death.

Long Covid is more likely to occur in children after a severe infection, prior studies have shown. Kids who get long Covid are also at a higher risk of other concerning conditions like anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

The next step in the national research is to look at health records spanning longer periods, and analyze what risks new variants have for long Covid.

Covid cases have dwindled in the U.S. after a late summer surge. Hospitalizations have fallen markedly since August, according to CDC data.

But as the country enters fall, the advice on Covid vaccines for children is causing confusion.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration approved Covid shots only for those at higher risk, and health officials no longer recommend the Covid vaccine for healthy children. Until then, the vaccines had been available for anyone six months and older, regardless of their health.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advised against the Trump administration decision, saying that any barrier to the Covid vaccine would be dangerous for kids and their families.

“Respiratory illnesses can be especially risky for infants and toddlers, whose airways and lungs are small and still developing,” Dr. Susan Kressly, AAP president, said.

The researchers behind the new study also say their findings bolster the case for child vaccinations.

“The results of this study further support one of the strongest reasons I give patients, families and physicians about getting vaccinated: More vaccines should lead to fewer infections, which should lead to less long Covid,” Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said.