Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35659358›Full record

ArticleItalian journal of pediatrics2022

Long COVID-19 in children: an Italian cohort study.

Gianfranco Trapani, Giuseppe Verlato, Enrico Bertino, Giulia Maiocco, Roberta Vesentini, Alessia Spadavecchia, Angelica Dessì, Vassilios Fanos

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
6.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Long-Term Consequences of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. A Predictive Model for the Development of Long COVID in Children.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Observational
  14. Review
  15. Impact of Long-COVID in children: a large cohort study.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Gianfranco TrapaniAlfred Nobel International Association Studies Center, Sanremo, Italy.
Giuseppe VerlatoDepartment of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Enrico BertinoDepartment of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences of the University, City of Health and Science of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Giulia MaioccoDepartment of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences of the University, City of Health and Science of Turin, Turin, Italy. giulia.maiocco@unito.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4889-1661
Roberta VesentiniDepartment of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Alessia SpadavecchiaDepartment of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences of the University, City of Health and Science of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Angelica DessìDepartment of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Vassilios FanosDepartment of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
University of Cagliari · ITUniversity of Verona · ITDepartment of Public Health · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLong COVID-19 syndrome is a complex of symptoms that occurs after the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, in the absence of other possible diagnoses. Studies on Long COVID-19 in pediatric population are scanty and heterogeneous in design, inclusion criteria, outcomes, and follow-up time. The objective of the present study is to assess the prevalence of Long COVID-19 syndrome in a cohort of Italian pediatric primary care patients, observed for a period of time of 8 to 36 weeks from healing. Prevalence was also assessed in a cohort of pediatric patients hospitalized during acute infection.

methodsData concerning 629 primary care patients with previous acute SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected by a questionnaire filled in by Primary Care Pediatrician (PCP). The questionnaire was administrated to patients by 18 PCPs based in 8 different Italian regions from June to August 2021. Data concerning 60 hospitalized patients were also collected by consultation of clinical documents.

resultsCumulative incidence of Long COVID-19 resulted to be 24.3% in primary care patients and 58% in hospitalized patients. The most frequently reported symptoms were abnormal fatigue (7%), neurological (6.8%), and respiratory disorders (6%) for the primary care cohort. Hospitalized patients displayed more frequently psychological symptoms (36.7%), cardiac involvement (23.3%), and respiratory disorders (18.3%). No difference was observed in cumulative incidence in males and females in both cohorts. Previous diseases did not influence the probability to develop Long COVID-19. The prevalence of Long COVID-19 was 46.5% in children who were symptomatic during acute infection and 11.5% in asymptomatic ones. Children aged 0 to 5 years had a greater risk to develop respiratory symptoms, while adolescents (aged 11-16 years) had a greater risk to develop neurological and psychological Long COVID-19 symptoms.

conclusionsOur study demonstrates that Long COVID-19 is a reality in pediatric age and could involve even patients with mild or no acute symptoms. The results stress the importance of monitoring primary care pediatric patients after acute COVID-19 infection and the relevance of vaccination programs in pediatric population, also in order to avoid the consequences of Long COVID-19 syndrome.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdolescentChildCohort StudiesFemaleHospitalizationHumansMalePost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 in pediatric ageLong COVID-19Primary care assisted children

Identifiers

PMID35659358
PMCPMC9163526
OpenAlexW4281716889

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.