Emergency department utilization among children with Long COVID symptoms: a COVID-19 research consortium study.

BMC Pediatr

Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E 70th street LH 348, New York, NY, USA.

Published: October 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigates the impact of Long COVID symptoms on Emergency Department (ED) visits in children post-COVID-19 infection.
  • Approximately 33.6% of the 130,010 pediatric COVID cases experienced at least one Long COVID symptom, leading to a 152% increase in ED visits.
  • Specific symptoms like chest pain and fluid disturbances significantly increased the odds of visiting the ED, emphasizing the need for better management strategies for Long COVID in children.

Article Abstract

Background And Objectives: Long COVID, characterized by persistent symptoms beyond the acute infection phase, remains poorly characterized in children. Our study aim is to determine if children who exhibit any symptoms/conditions associated with Long COVID after acute COVID-19 infection have higher Emergency Department (ED) utilization compared to those who do not exhibit these symptoms.

Methods: Data from the HealthJump ambulatory database from the COVID-19 Research Database Consortium was utilized to identify pediatric COVID-19 cases from March 2020 to May 2023. Long COVID cases were defined based on symptoms/conditions occurring 30-180 days after initial COVID diagnosis. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to model the relationship between Long COVID and child ED utilization.

Results: Out of 130,010 children diagnosed with COVID-19, 43,645 (33.6%) exhibited at least one Long COVID symptom/condition. Children with Long COVID symptoms/conditions had 152% higher odds (OR: 2.52, CI: 2.32-2.73) of ED visits, while those with specific symptoms including "chest pain" had 255% higher odds (AOR: 3.55, CI: 2.73-4.54) and "fluid and electrolyte disturbances" had 229% higher odds (AOR: 3.29, CI: 2.23-4.73) compared to those without those symptoms/conditions.

Conclusion: This study reveals that children with Long COVID symptoms had notably higher odds of ED visits, with chest pain, fluid imbalances, and generalized pain being most closely linked to such visits. This study highlights the burden of Long COVID on ED providers and underscores the importance of improved guidance for managing Long COVID symptoms in children.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11452963PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12887-024-04817-9DOI Listing

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