Long COVID in Kids Linked to Serious Heart, Kidney & Gut Damage 

Long COVID in Kids Linked to Serious Heart, Kidney & Gut Damage 
Long COVID in Kids Linked to Serious Heart, Kidney & Gut Damage 

United States: For children dealing with long COVID, patients face higher dangers of developing severe health conditions in kidneys and gastrointestinal systems together with heart complications, as researchers from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have proven. 

According to the senior author, Yong Chen, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, “While most public attention has focused on the acute phase of COVID-19, our findings reveal children face significant long-term health risks that clinicians need to monitor,” pennmedicine.org reported. 

A group of studies took place within the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, which receives funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its special project with twenty-four healthcare institutions. 

The collected data stemmed from electronic health record systems at these medical centers since the initial COVID pandemic period started. 

Positive SARS-CoV-2 test results in young patients increased their risk of chronic kidney disease development at stage 2 or higher by 17 percent as well as stage 3 or higher by 35 percent during one month to two years after SARS-CoV-2 exposure. 

Stage 2 shows mild kidney damage, and stage 3 presents mild to severe kidney function impairment. 

A research paper found in JAMA Network Open investigated gastrointestinal complaints of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome in 1,576,933 children and adolescents, pennmedicine.org reported. 

Individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibited elevated probabilities of 25 percent for at least one gastrointestinal ailment or disease during the follow-up stage after their positive test results and 28 percent during the extended period between six months and two years. 

People who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 displayed substantially increased probabilities for various cardiovascular issues, which included arrhythmias, heart inflammation, chest pain, palpitations, and hypertension, above participants who remained SARS-CoV-2 negative. 

The patients showed elevated risks no matter what their congenital heart defect (CHD) status was.