Like adults, children who have tested positive for the coronavirus can develop long covid, with 10 percent of youths who were hospitalized with covid-19 experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, coughing, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath three months later, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Based on data from 1,884 children and youths who were treated for covid-19, the study found that long covid was less likely among those under 18 who did not require hospitalization but instead had been treated in an emergency room and discharged. About 5 percent of those youths had post-covid conditions three months later.
The researchers also found that the more covid symptoms young people had initially, the more likely they were to develop long covid: Nearly 5 percent of those hospitalized with one to three covid-19 symptoms subsequently developed long covid, compared with nearly 23 percent of those who had seven or more covid-19 symptoms when hospitalized.
For adults, long covid often involves problems with the sense of smell or taste (or both), with roughly 50 percent of those with covid reporting problems, according to research published in the journal BMJ based on data from 18 studies involving 3,699 adults. After six months, most adults had recovered the senses, but about 5 percent (12 million to 15 million people worldwide, according to the BMJ study) experience long-lasting smell and taste dysfunction.
This article is part of The Post’s “Big Number” series, which takes a brief look at the statistical aspect of health issues. Additional information and relevant research are available through the hyperlinks.