10 to 20 percent of US children who had Covid developed long Covid, but this number may be higher due to underreporting and lack of awareness among healthcare providers.
Long Covid can manifest as a variety of symptoms including neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral problems
Long Covid is becoming increasingly common in both adults and children
Most parents should not worry that their children will develop long Covid in single digits for adults and 1-2% for children
Long Covid, a condition that can occur after an acute infection with SARS-CoV-2, is becoming increasingly common in both adults and children. A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 10 to 20 percent of US children who had Covid developed long Covid. However, this number may be higher due to underreporting and lack of awareness about the condition among healthcare providers. Long Covid can manifest as a variety of symptoms including neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral problems. While most parents should not worry that their children will develop long Covid in single digits for adults and 1-2% for children, it is important to monitor any changes in behavior or symptoms after an acute infection.
One in 10 people who had Covid when they were pregnant will develop long-term symptoms. The most common symptom was a feeling of being tired after light physical or mental activity.
Pregnant people have less baseline medical complications, are younger and may have a different immune response compared to the general US population.
Chronic stress is well known to mess up your immune system and stimulate an inflammatory response. There's a well-known association with chronic stress.
Accuracy
Long Covid symptoms in children include breathing problems like cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness along with fatigue.
Children had a higher risk of some autoimmune conditions like type 1 diabetes after Covid infection even if the illness was mild or asymptomatic. Studies haven't fully explained what factors kids with long Covid have in common.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that 'millions of people deal with Covid-19 symptoms long after their initial infections'. However, the study only looked at pregnant people and children who had Covid-19 symptoms six months or more after they were infected. Therefore, this statement is misleading as it implies that millions of people are dealing with long term effects when the study only focused on a specific group. Secondly, the article states that 'the percentage of pregnant people with long Covid is on the low side compared to the proportion of the general US population'. However, there isn't enough information provided in this statement to determine if it is true or not. Thirdly, when discussing common factors among those who developed long Covid, it mentions obesity and a diagnosis of chronic anxiety or depression as risk factors. It also states that vaccination status wasn't a statistically significant factor which contradicts other studies that have found vaccination to be effective in reducing the risk of severe disease leading to long Covid.
The article claims 'millions of people deal with Covid-19 symptoms long after their initial infections'. However, this statement is misleading as it implies millions when only pregnant and child participants were included.
The article mentions obesity, a diagnosis of chronic anxiety or depression and vaccination status as risk factors for developing long Covid. However, it contradicts other studies that have found vaccination effective in reducing the risk of severe disease leading to long Covid.
The article states that the percentage of pregnant people with long Covid is on the low side compared to the general US population. There isn't enough information provided to determine if this claim is true or not.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing studies without providing any context or analysis of their methodology or reliability. Additionally, the author commits a false dilemma by presenting only two options for long-term symptoms after Covid infection: either they are caused by long Covid or not caused by long Covid. This oversimplifies a complex issue and ignores other potential factors that may contribute to these symptoms.
The first study says that 1 in 10 people who had Covid when they were pregnant will develop long-term symptoms.
18% increased odds of being diagnosed as having one or more long-COVID symptoms among hospitalized children with a positive COVID-19 test
40% higher risk of shortness of breath after recovery from COVID-19 in children who were hospitalized with a positive COVID-19 test
Hospitalization within 16 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 infection acted as a proxy for COVID severity
Accuracy
17% increased odds of being diagnosed as having one or more long-COVID symptoms among hospitalized adults with a positive COVID-19 test
40% higher risk of shortness of breath after recovery from COVID-19 in children who were hospitalized with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that hospitalized adults and children with a positive COVID-19 test had increased odds of being diagnosed as having one or more long-COVID symptoms 31 to 150 days after their positive test. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed long-COVID symptoms. This is not the case, and there are many other factors that can contribute to the development of long-COVID symptoms such as age, comorbidities, and severity of illness. Secondly, the author claims that adults had a 50% higher risk of having shortness of breath after recovery from COVID-19 compared to children who also recovered from COVID-19. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed shortness of breath after recovery. This is not the case, and there are many other factors that can contribute to the development of shortness of breath such as age, comorbidities, and severity of illness. Thirdly, the author claims that hospitalized adults with a positive test had increased odds of being newly diagnosed as having type 1 or type 2 diabetes compared to those testing negative. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed diabetes after recovery from COVID-19. This is not the case, and there are many other factors that can contribute to the development of diabetes such as age, comorbidities, and lifestyle choices.
The article claims that hospitalized adults with a positive test had increased odds of being newly diagnosed as having type 1 or type 2 diabetes compared to those testing negative. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed diabetes after recovery from COVID-19.
The article claims that adults had a higher risk of having shortness of breath after recovery from COVID-19 compared to children who also recovered from COVID-19. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed shortness of breath after recovery.
The article claims that hospitalized adults had increased odds of being diagnosed as having one or more long-COVID symptoms 31 to 150 days after their positive test. However, this statement is misleading because it implies that all patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 developed long-COVID symptoms.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a study published in BMC Infectious Diseases without providing any context or information about the authors of the study. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when they describe long COVID as having many symptoms and conditions linked to it, which could be seen as fear-mongering. The article also contains an example of a dichotomous depiction when it describes hospitalized adults with positive COVID tests being at increased risk for several key symptoms compared to those testing negative.
The condition with the highest incidence among hospitalized adults with a positive test was respiratory diseases (14%), compared to 7% incidence among patients testing negative.
Bias
(85%)
The article has a moderate amount of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes those who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 by referring to them as 'hospitalized adults and children'. This is an example of emotional appeal and creates a negative connotation towards the group being discussed.
The article refers to 'hospitalized adults' which implies that they are in some way responsible for their condition.
Long Covid in children can lead to neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral symptoms
10-20% of US children who had Covid developed long Covid according to a new review
Most parents should not be worried that their children will develop long Covid as the prevalence is likely in single digits for adults and 1-2% for children
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is misleading in several ways. Firstly, it states that long Covid can take a toll on children's schoolwork and social lives but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Secondly, the article quotes Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly stating that 10 to 20 percent of children who had Covid developed long Covid without providing any context or explanation for this estimate. Thirdly, the article states that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests a prevalence of long Covid in children is closer to 1 to 2 percent but does not provide any evidence to support this claim.
The sentence 'long Covid can take a toll on children's schoolwork and social lives.' is misleading as there is no evidence provided in the article.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly and Dr. Suchitra Rao as experts in their field without providing any context or qualifications for their opinions.
> Long Covid can take a toll on children, leading to neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral symptoms in the months after an acute infection. <
> The new review suggested that 10 to 20 percent of children in the United States who had Covid developed long Covid. However, Dr. Suchitra Rao acknowledged that there are
Bias
(85%)
The article discusses the toll long Covid can take on children and presents prevalence estimates for long Covid in kids. However, it also acknowledges that there are caveats with these estimates and mentions that some studies included looked only at hospitalized cases of Covid. Additionally, the article quotes experts who say most parents should not be worried about their children developing long Covid.
The new review suggested that 10 to 20 percent of children in the United States who had Covid developed long Covid.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article raises concerns about long Covid in children. The authors have a conflict of interest as they are affiliated with the V.A St Louis Health Care System and Washington University in St Louis.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of long Covid in children as they are affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis which is conducting research on this topic.
PASC epidemiology - No consensus on the prevalence of PASC among children
Infections with variants before the emergence of Omicron were found to increase the risk of PASC. Increasing age, severity of the infection, higher body weight, chronic underlying medical conditions, and organ systems affected during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection are all risk factors for developing PASC.
PASC in children - Defined as a heterogeneous group of symptoms occurring after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persistent COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, fatigue, headaches, anosmia, ageusia and chronic pain are part of PASC.
Exacerbation of existing conditions is also thought to be a part of PASC in children with asthma or deterioration of neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. Diabetic ketoacidosis in pediatric diabetes cases is another manifestation.
Accuracy
Potential development of de-novo post-acute conditions and onset of autoimmune disorders are also discussed as potential outcomes for PASC in children.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that there is no consensus on the prevalence of PASC among children when studies have consistently reported a range between 4% and 62%. Secondly, the author states that only 15% of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections progress to PASC while research has shown it to be much higher. Thirdly, the article implies that environmental and psycho-social factors contribute to the development of PASC when there is no evidence supporting this claim.
The article states that only 15% of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections progress to PASC while research has shown it to be much higher. This statement is deceptive because it misrepresents the findings of a study.
The author claims that there is no consensus on the prevalence of PASC among children when studies have consistently reported a range between 4% and 62%. This statement is deceptive because it implies that all studies agree on the same number, which they do not.
The author implies that environmental and psycho-social factors contribute to the development of PASC when there is no evidence supporting this claim. This statement is deceptive because it presents an opinion as fact.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a study published in the journal Pediatrics without providing any context or analysis of the research findings. Additionally, there are instances where dichotomous depictions are used to describe PASC symptoms as either mild or severe, which oversimplifies complex medical conditions and can lead to misinformation. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that PASC is a
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the prevalence and symptoms of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) in children. It also mentions that PASC can exacerbate or deteriorate existing conditions such as asthma and neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions, leading to de novo postacute conditions including autoimmune disorders, diabetes, neurological problems. The article discusses the economic and social consequences of PASC on medical and healthcare fields specific racial and socioeconomic groups.
The article discusses de novo postacute conditions including autoimmune disorders that could potentially develop during PASC, which may be a conflict of interest if the author or publisher has financial ties to pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for these conditions.
The article mentions that PASC can exacerbate or deteriorate existing conditions such as asthma in children with PASC, which could be a conflict of interest if the author has financial ties to companies involved in treating asthma.
