RECOVER researchers and Representatives discuss impacts of pediatric Long COVID to mark awareness week
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted children both mentally and physically, causing the need for targeted research that studies ongoing Long COVID symptoms in rapidly developing bodies.
RECOVER researchers recently participated in 2 webinars to recognize Pediatric Long COVID Awareness Week. The webinars were part of a week of events organized by Long COVID Families, an organization that empowers families affected by Long COVID and associated conditions. Megan Carmilani, a RECOVER Representative and president of Long COVID Families, hosted the sessions.
“Inside Out: Mental Health and Long COVID”
In this webinar, RECOVER researcher Richard Gallagher, PhD, and RECOVER Representative Megan Fitzgerald, PhD, explained how COVID-19 impacted children both emotionally and physically. Dr. Gallagher shared that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many children experienced loss of a parent or caregiver, changes in a parent or caregiver’s employment, or reduced social interactions because of school closures or distance learning. These factors, in addition to children having COVID, increased children’s risk of conditions that were less common prior to the pandemic, including:
- Brain fog and problems with memory and attention.
- Tiredness and pain.
- Trouble reaching developmental milestones.
- Depression.
- Mood changes.
- Anxiety.
In addition to being a RECOVER Representative, Dr. Fitzgerald is a principal investigator at the Brain Inflammation Collaborative. She explained how inflammation (swelling that occurs in the body due to an injury or infection) can lead to ongoing symptoms in the brain and spinal cord. Children’s brains are rapidly developing, which makes it difficult for researchers to fully understand how COVID-19 and Long COVID may affect children’s brains in the long term. Dr. Fitzgerald expressed the need for additional research to understand which treatments will be most effective in managing mood and behavior disorders in children, noting that these treatments may differ from those used in adults.
Watch the full webinar to learn more about pediatric mental health challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From Discovery to Care: Moving Pediatric Long COVID Research into Action”
During this webinar, RECOVER researcher Rachel Gross MD, MS, FAAP described the current pediatric Long COVID landscape and explained how ongoing and future research will improve medical care for families whose children suffer from Long COVID. Previous RECOVER research estimated that 6 million children in the US are living with Long COVID, a condition that can impact every organ system in the body.
Through her work on RECOVER’s pediatric observational study, Dr. Gross led the development of publications that report on the differences in Long COVID symptoms seen in school-aged children, teens, and babies and toddlers. Researchers used findings from these studies to develop multiple Long COVID research indexes, which other researchers can use to consistently identify children who have Long COVID for future studies.
Dr. Gross highlighted that the next phase of RECOVER’s pediatric research plans to include clinical trials to test potential treatments for Long COVID submitted by community members through RECOVER-Treating Long COVID (RECOVER-TLC). Additionally, researchers from RECOVER’s pediatric observational study plan to continue following up to 4,000 children, adolescents, and young adults for up to 4 years to understand if:
- Existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, anxiety, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) become more difficult to manage.
- Ongoing COVID-19 symptoms like headache and fatigue get better over time.
- New health problems develop, such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a problem with blood flow that causes many symptoms, including dizziness and fainting.
Watch the webinar recording to learn more about RECOVER’s current and future pediatric Long COVID research.
Awareness and advocacy can support improved care
The information shared during both webinars highlighted that Long COVID has serious impacts—both physically and mentally—on children. Presenters who participated in Pediatric Long COVID Awareness Week events emphasized that children suffering from Long COVID need their parents, caregivers, and others in the community to advocate for them. Advocacy can include sharing resources such as RECOVER research findings with pediatricians. This resource sharing may help pediatricians better recognize Long COVID symptoms in children and recommend strategies for managing these symptoms.
