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Aim The long-term sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children remain poorly characterised. This study aimed to assess long-term outcomes in children previously hospitalised with COVID-19 and associated risk factors. Material and Method Table 1 based on a retrospective analysis of the main database of children admitted to Zangiota-1 Clinic between 2 November 2022 and 20 February 2023, a prospective cohort study of children (≤18 years old) hospitalized with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 was conducted. Telephone interviews and the online questionnaire used the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 Health and Wellbeing Follow-up Survey for Children. Persistent symptoms (>5 months) were further categorised by system(s) involved. Results 104 eligible children were available for the follow-up assessment and included in the study. Median (interquartile range (IQR)) age was 92% (1–12) years, 71 of whom (68%) were girls (figure 1). Median (IQR) follow-up period since hospital discharge was 226–267 days. At the time of follow-up interview, 17 (16.7%) participants reported persistent symptoms, among which besides fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased concentration (3.8%), diarrhea (9.7%), joint pain and stiffness (3.2%) were the most common (figure 1). Multiple symptoms were observed in 3 (2.2%) participants. Risk factors for persistent symptoms were: early age '1–9 years', and a history of allergic diseases. Conclusions A quarter of children experienced persistent symptoms months after hospitalisation with acute COVID-19 infection, with almost one in 2 experiencing multisystem involvement. Early age and allergic diseases were associated with higher risk of persistent symptoms at follow-up.
Ma’rupova et al. (Mon,) studied this question.