Comparison of Long-Term Complications of COVID-19 Illness among a Diverse Sample of Children by MIS-C Status

Sarah E. Messiah (), Luyu Xie, M. Sunil Mathew, Sumbul Shaikh, Apurva Veeraswamy, Angela Rabi, Jackson Francis, Alejandra Lozano, Clarissa Ronquillo, Valeria Sanchez, Weiheng He, Sitara M. Weerakoon, Nimisha Srikanth, Madeline Borel, Olivia Kapera and Jeffrey Kahn
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Sarah E. Messiah: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Luyu Xie: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
M. Sunil Mathew: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Sumbul Shaikh: Children’s Health System of Texas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
Apurva Veeraswamy: Center for Pediatric Population Health, School of Public Health, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Angela Rabi: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston Campus, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Jackson Francis: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Alejandra Lozano: Children’s Health System of Texas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
Clarissa Ronquillo: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Austin Campus, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Valeria Sanchez: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Austin Campus, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Weiheng He: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Sitara M. Weerakoon: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Nimisha Srikanth: Center for Pediatric Population Health, School of Public Health, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Madeline Borel: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Dallas Campus, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Olivia Kapera: Center for Pediatric Population Health, School of Public Health, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Jeffrey Kahn: Children’s Health System of Texas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: Most pediatric COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic; however, a small number of children are diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but severe condition that is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persistent symptoms of COVID-19 illness in children diagnosed with/without MIS-C is largely unknown. A retrospective EHR review of patients with COVID-19 illness from one pediatric healthcare system to assess the presence of acute (<30 days) and chronic (≥30, 60–120, and >120 days) long-term COVID symptoms was conducted. Patients/caregivers completed a follow-up survey from March 2021 to January 2022 to assess the presence of long COVID. Results showed that non-MIS-C children ( n = 286; 54.49% Hispanic; 19.23% non-Hispanic Black; 5.77% other ethnicity; 79.49% government insurance) were younger (mean age 6.43 years [SD 5.95]) versus MIS-C ( n = 26) children (mean age 9.08 years, [SD 4.86]) ( p = 0.032). A share of 11.5% of children with MIS-C and 37.8% without MIS-C reported acute long COVID while 26.9% and 15.3% reported chronic long COVID, respectively. Females were almost twice as likely to report long symptoms versus males and those with private insurance were 66% less likely to report long symptoms versus those with government insurance. In conclusion, a substantial proportion of ethnically diverse children from low resource backgrounds with severe COVID illness are reporting long-term impacts. Findings can inform pediatric professionals about this vulnerable population in post-COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Keywords: COVID-19; complications; children; adolescents; MIS-C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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