e-Article
Post-COVID-19 condition and persisting symptoms in English schoolchildren: repeated surveys to March 2022
Document Type
Report
Author
Warren-Gash, Charlotte; Lacey, Andrea; Cook, Sarah; Stocker, Dylan; Toon, Samantha; Lelii, Ffion; Ford, Ben; Ireland, Georgina; Ladhani, Shamez N.; Stephenson, Terence; Nguipdop-Djomo, Patrick; Mangtani, Punam; McClenahan, Elliot; McKay, Gillian; Phelan, Jody; Lin, Liang-Yu; Lewin, Alex; Judd, Alison; Davies, Byron; Saib, Anisah; McCrae, James; Kelly, Joe; Diamond, Ian; Rourke, Emma; Dawe, Fiona; Jones, Pete
Source
BMC Infectious Diseases. April 5, 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 1
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1471-2334
Abstract
Author(s): Charlotte Warren-Gash[sup.1] , Andrea Lacey[sup.2] , Sarah Cook[sup.1,3] , Dylan Stocker[sup.2] , Samantha Toon[sup.2] , Ffion Lelii[sup.2] , Ben Ford[sup.2] , Georgina Ireland[sup.4] , Shamez N. Ladhani[sup.4] , Terence [...]
Background Both post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) and the presence of persisting symptoms that do not meet formal definitions of post-COVID-19-condition may adversely affect quality of life and function. However, their prevalence among children and young people in England is unclear. Methods We used data from repeated surveys in a large cohort of English schoolchildren from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) for the school year 2021/22 to describe the weighted prevalence of post-COVID-19-condition and compare persisting symptoms between individuals with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and those with neither a positive test history nor suspected infection. Results Among 7797 children from 173 schools, 1.8% of primary school pupils (aged 4 to 11 years), 4.5% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 (aged 11 to 16 years) and 6.9% of those in years 12-13 (aged 16 to 18 years) met a definition of post-COVID-19 condition in March 2022. Specific persisting symptoms such as anxiety or difficulty concentrating were frequently reported regardless of prior infection status and increased with age: 48.0% of primary school pupils, 52.9% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 and 79.5% in years 12-13 reporting at least one symptom lasting more than 12 weeks. Persisting loss of smell and taste, cardiovascular and some systemic symptoms were more frequently reported by those with a previous positive test. Conclusions We showed that ongoing symptoms were frequently reported by English schoolchildren regardless of SARS-CoV-2 test results and some specific symptoms such as loss of smell and taste were more prevalent in those with a positive test history. Our study emphasises the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Keywords: Schools, Children and young people, England, Post-COVID-19 condition, Persisting symptoms
Background Both post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) and the presence of persisting symptoms that do not meet formal definitions of post-COVID-19-condition may adversely affect quality of life and function. However, their prevalence among children and young people in England is unclear. Methods We used data from repeated surveys in a large cohort of English schoolchildren from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) for the school year 2021/22 to describe the weighted prevalence of post-COVID-19-condition and compare persisting symptoms between individuals with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and those with neither a positive test history nor suspected infection. Results Among 7797 children from 173 schools, 1.8% of primary school pupils (aged 4 to 11 years), 4.5% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 (aged 11 to 16 years) and 6.9% of those in years 12-13 (aged 16 to 18 years) met a definition of post-COVID-19 condition in March 2022. Specific persisting symptoms such as anxiety or difficulty concentrating were frequently reported regardless of prior infection status and increased with age: 48.0% of primary school pupils, 52.9% of secondary school pupils in years 7-11 and 79.5% in years 12-13 reporting at least one symptom lasting more than 12 weeks. Persisting loss of smell and taste, cardiovascular and some systemic symptoms were more frequently reported by those with a previous positive test. Conclusions We showed that ongoing symptoms were frequently reported by English schoolchildren regardless of SARS-CoV-2 test results and some specific symptoms such as loss of smell and taste were more prevalent in those with a positive test history. Our study emphasises the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Keywords: Schools, Children and young people, England, Post-COVID-19 condition, Persisting symptoms