Post COVID-19 in Children: Most Young Patients Can Recover Within 6 Months

A new study recently found that post-COVID-19 in Children can be gone in six months after researchers investigated 46 young individuals in the United Kingdom.

A The Print report said, according to the new study, symptoms of rare condition linked to COVID-19 in children, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome, typically gets addressed after six months in spite of the illness' severity.

This said new research looked into the said 46 kids who underwent treatment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK.

Severe Post-COVID-19 Symptoms Experienced

As indicated in the study, most children experienced severe effects on different systems of their body during initial illness, with 45 children suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms. Meanwhile, 24 participants experienced neurological symptoms, and 15 suffered from heart symptoms.

Most symptoms, as indicated in the research, were resolved at six months follow-up, with the disappearance of systemic inflammation in all, except for one child.

Two children, though, exhibited irregularities in their heart rhythms, while six other kids still experienced GI symptoms.

An Unusual Complication of Post-COVID-19 in Children

According to the study's co-author, Justin Penner, from the Great Osmond Street Hospital in the UK, these findings nevertheless, can hopefully indicate cautious optimism compared to many of the severe effects of PIMS that appear to resolve within six months.

"As PIMS-TS is a very rare complication of COVID-19 in children," explained Penner, their study, 6-month multidisciplinary follow-up and outcomes of patients with paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS) at a UK tertiary paediatric hospital: a retrospective cohort study, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, comprised a small number of children from a single hospital.

However, added the co-author, the continuing fatigue, difficulty exercising, and mental health impacts observed in some children, which can disrupt their daily lives, needs to be closely observed and monitored, and patients need to continue to be backed by medical teams with a wide range of specialisms.

PIMS-TS or MIS-C

Also known as PIMS-TS, as described in the National Library of Medicine, a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children or MIS-C, is an unusual or extraordinary condition that's linked to COVID-19 infection that was initially defined in April 2020.

Over 250 cases were detected in the UK and Ireland between March 2020 and June 2020. While it remains unknown, what's triggering the condition, it is believed to be a rare or unusual immune overreaction that takes place four to six weeks from mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Children suffering from PIM-TS or MIS-C may experience symptoms such as rash, fever, diarrhea, eye infection, nausea, and stomach ache. In certain rare conditions, the occurrence may result in multi-organ failure.

This UK research is the first to present six-month follow-up results on the longer-term impacts of the virus. The results are essential for clinicians who treat PIMS-TS, as well as those recovering from the illness.

Symptoms Gone in Six Months

While the symptoms were gone in most children, the study specified, minor irregularities were detected on neurological examination at six months in 18 children.

Nonetheless, the kids experienced slight difficulty walking and performing their daily tasks. And activities. This suggests then, that any lasting neurological impacts are possibly mild and, the study authors noted, they do not result in disability.

The related report is shown on WMAR-2 News's YouTube video below: