Index emphasizes distinct symptoms in children and adolescents, and is linked to poorer overall health, QoL<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) can be identified using an index of symptoms, which differs for school-aged children and adolescents, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rachel S. Gross, M.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, longitudinal observational cohort study involving participants recruited from more than 60 U.S. health care and community settings between March 2022 and December 2023. Data were included for 898 school-aged children (751 with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection [infected] and 147 without [uninfected]) and 4,469 adolescents (3,109 infected and 1,360 uninfected).<\/p>\n The researchers found that in both school-aged children and adolescents, 14 symptoms were more common in those with versus without infection history, with four additional symptoms in school-aged children only and three in adolescents only in adjusted models. Almost every organ system was affected by these symptoms. For each age group, a PASC research index was developed based on combinations of symptoms most associated with infection history; these indices correlated with poorer overall health and quality of life. In school-aged children, the index emphasized neurocognitive, pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms, while in adolescents, change or loss in smell or taste, pain, and fatigue\/malaise-related symptoms were emphasized. In school-aged children and adolescents, clustering analyses identified four and three PASC symptom phenotypes, respectively.<\/p>\n “Symptoms that characterized pediatric PASC differed by age group, and several distinct phenotypic PASC presentations were described,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n