Not only adults, long haul-COVID-19 can also be experienced by children. Long-haul COVID-19 in children can make them still feel symptoms of Corona virus infection for a longer period of time.
Long-haul COVID-19 is a condition when a person has been declared cured through a negative COVID-19 test result but still feels COVID-19 symptoms for some time. The duration of these symptoms can be felt up to several weeks or even months.
Some research shows that around 15–60% of children who have survived COVID-19 can experience long-haul COVID-19.
The cause of long-haul COVID-19, in both children and adults, is still not clearly understood. However, there are several factors that are known to increase a child's risk for long-haul COVID-19, namely a weak immune system and delay in giving COVID-19 treatment.
Symptoms of Long-Haul COVID-19 in Children
Long-haul can occur in children who have mild or no symptoms of COVID-19. However, in most cases, children with mild COVID-19 symptoms experience long-haul more often, even with more severe complaints.
Some studies state that long-haul COVID-19 in children can occur for about 30-120 days after the child is declared recovered from the disease. Symptoms of long-haul COVID-19 in children can include:
- Fever
- Coughs
- Fatigue
- Hard to breathe
- Joint and muscle pain
- Chest pain
- Anosmia
- Palpitations or different chest
- Problems with the stomach, such as nausea and flatulence
- Lack of appetite
- Insomnia
- skin rash
- Psychological disorders, such as difficulty concentrating, anxiety, anxiety, and depression
Each child can show different long-haul symptoms of COVID-19. When these symptoms appear, the child may also feel disinterested or reluctant to carry out activities as usual and have difficulty doing schoolwork.
Long-haul COVID-19 in children can sometimes cause more serious health problems, namely: multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).
This condition occurs when the organs in the child's body are damaged due to inflammation caused by Corona virus infection. Signs and symptoms of MIS-C can mimic Kawasaki disease.
Treating and Preventing Long-Haul COVID-19 in Children
If Mom and Dad find your little one is experiencing long-haul symptoms of COVID-19, you should immediately consult a doctor. To evaluate your little one's condition, the doctor will perform a physical examination and additional examinations, such as blood tests, antigen swab tests or PCR, and chest X-rays.
After being diagnosed with long-haul COVID-19, the doctor will give medicines according to the child's condition.
If your child has mild long-haul symptoms of COVID-19, the doctor will prescribe medication to relieve it, such as paracetamol to relieve fever and pain, or cough medicine to treat coughs.
If the child's long-haul COVID-19 symptoms are more severe or have caused MIS-C, the doctor may need to treat the child in a hospital.
To treat this condition, doctors can give drugs, such as corticosteroids and IVIG, as well as oxygen therapy if the child has shortness of breath or decreased oxygen saturation.
Until now, the best way to prevent children from being exposed to long-haul COVID-19 is to avoid infection with the Corona virus. Therefore, mothers and fathers need to teach and familiarize their little ones with discipline in implementing health protocols.
If your child is 12–17 years old, he or she can get the COVID-19 vaccine. The type of COVID-19 vaccine that is recommended for children in Indonesia is the Sinovac vaccine with a dose of 2 times and an interval of 1 month.
If you still have questions regarding long-haul COVID-19 in children or information about COVID-19, Mom and Dad can chat directly with the doctor in the ALODOKTER application. Through this application, Mom and Dad can also make a consultation appointment with a doctor at the hospital if you need an immediate examination.
