- “Some are coming in with heart failure after asymptomatic Covid infections,” said “It’s startling how many of these children present and have a range of symptoms that we haven’t fully appreciated.”
- “They tested me, and it looked like nothing was wrong with me, but they tried their best to find something,” Jack Ford said.
- Some have fatigue, brain fog and severe headaches, “to the point where some kids aren’t able to go to school, grades are failing, those types of issues,” she said.
Kim Ford recalls November 10th all too well. It was the day her 9-year-old son, Jack, was supposed to have his Covid-19 immunisation at the school clinic last year as reported by CNN.
Long Covid
They were excited that he’d finally have some protection, but on November 9, he had the sniffles.
Jack tested positive for Covid-19 that day and he’s lived with the symptoms ever since.
It has kept him from staying at school all day.
“He’s one of potentially millions of kids with long Covid.
It’s just an absurd amount of things that you can feel,” Jack Ford said.
‘An undiagnosed issue’
It’s not clear how many children go on to develop long Covid, because there’s not enough research on it in this age group, some experts say.
Almost 13 million children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Studies suggest that between 2% and 10% of those children will develop long Covid, but the number may be larger.
In adults, some research puts the number around 30% of cases.
“I personally believe that this is a very much an undiagnosed issue,” said Dr Sara Kristen Sexson Tejtel, who helps lead a long Covid pediatric clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
An unusual range of symptoms
There are no specific tests for long Covid.
It’s not clear which children will have it, as it can happen even when a child has a mild case of Covid-19.”It’s startling how many of these children present and have a range of symptoms that we haven’t fully appreciated.
“They tested me, and it looked like nothing was wrong with me, but they tried their best to find something,” Jack Ford said.
His pulmonary function test and EKG came back normal.
“We also scoped them, and their GI tracts are normal.”
They are also figuring out what symptoms define long Covid in children.
‘Once that bucket is empty, that’s it’
One of Jack Ford’s symptoms affects the amount of energy he has for typical activities.
“He’s woken up pretty miserable the next day.”
It’s like they have one bucket of energy, and it has to be used carefully for school, for play, or to watch TV.
Experts across the country say they’ve heard from patients whose complaints are ignored, even after a stark change in their health.
“They get passed around from place to place.”
Help is available, but not all have access
There’s no specific treatment for long Covid, but most of these clinics are multidisciplinary.
At Edwards’ clinic, which opened last year, experts can address pulmonary issues, digestive problems, physical rehabilitation, sleep issues, mental health problems and others.
They do massage therapy and mind-body exercises.
“Children need multiple elements of help.”
“I’ve talked to so many people working with pediatric Covid recovery, and they all say the same thing: ‘We are worried about the kids who aren’t getting the help, who don’t have the parents who can advocate for them or navigate the medical system.’
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Source: CNN
