Pediatric post COVID-19 condition: an umbrella review of the most common symptoms and associated factors

Abstract

Background: Although the long-term consequences of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are yet to be fully comprehended, a syndrome symptomatically akin to the COVID-19 disease has been defined, for children and adolescents, in February 2023 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 'post COVID-19 condition' (PCC). Potential consequences of COVID-19 that affect developmental milestones in children and adolescents should be comprehended in their magnitude and duration. The aim is to investigate the most common symptoms and predictors or risk factors for pediatric PCC.

Methods: In this umbrella review, the population of interest was defined as children and adolescents from 0 to 19 years old presenting PCC symptoms as defined by the WHO in the International Classification of Diseases. The intervention considered was general follow-up activity to monitor the patients' recovery status. No comparator was chosen, and the outcomes were symptoms of PCC and predictors or risk factors of developing PCC. Methodological quality, risk of bias and the level of overlap between studies were assessed. A random-effects meta-analytic synthesis of respective estimates with inverse variance study weighting was carried out, for the primary studies included by the reviews retrieved, regarding predictors or risk factors reported.

Results: We identified six eligible systematic reviews, five with meta-analyses, from three databases. The most common symptoms reported were fatigue and respiratory difficulties; female sex and older age were the most reported factors associated with the development of pediatric PCC.

Conclusions: A deeper understanding of pediatric PCC requires well-designed and clearly defined prospective studies, symptom differentiation, and adequate follow-up.