“It was a puzzle as far as what was going on,” she says. Yet her daughter’s symptoms persisted and worsened. An ultrasound of Haley’s stomach and lab work all came back normal, as well. She made multiple trips to the pediatrician. Mononucleosis tests came back negative, Hailey says, as did her daughter’s re-test for strep. Haley was diagnosed with strep throat and was put on antibiotics, but the symptoms persisted after she finished her course of antibiotics. Then the school year started, she says, and Haley complained of a sore throat, headache and stomach ache - the three main symptoms she experienced while sick with COVID-19. Haley’s mother, D.C.-area teacher Javanese Hailey, says her daughter had a mild case of COVID-19 last summer and bounced back to her energetic self shortly after. “It's a roll of the dice,” Yonts says, “and you never know if your child may be the one that will have fatigue that keeps them out of school for the next six months or has debilitating headaches or abdominal pain.”Īmong those suffering from long COVID is 10-year-old Haley Bryson. And that includes their chance of developing COVID complications. While children may be at lower risk for getting severely sick and dying from COVID-19 than adults, Yonts says that doesn’t mean there’s no risk at all. Still, she says it’s “likely we are under-detecting ongoing symptoms in the younger age populations.” Yonts says it comes down to parents reporting their diligent observations about changes in their child. Still, long COVID clinics share the goal of getting patients back to the good health most experienced before COVID-19, she says.īecause young children have trouble vocalizing their symptoms, she says, it’s harder to diagnose them with long COVID. Instead, they work to treat and rehabilitate the various symptoms kids have developed. Right now, Yonts says there’s no consensus on how to manage long COVID as a whole. “Lots of patients and families don't know what to do with these new symptoms that their kids are presenting with, so they often get passed around from doctor to doctor,” she says. ![]() Long COVID and post-COVID clinics like the one at Children's National Hospital are vital to helping parents navigate their children's symptoms and putting a name to the illness. While COVID-19 is thought to be a trigger for a vast range of long-haul symptoms, these are often not the same symptoms the child experiences during their active COVID infection. Long COVID is “an entirely different beast” than the acute illness, she says. She’s seen children present with vertigo, abnormal rashes, as well as one young girl developing high blood pressure, Yonts says. Other common symptoms include decreased appetite, abdominal pain, headaches, brain fog and changes in behavior, like depression and anxiety. Alexandra Yonts says she witnesses at Children's National Hospital’s kids’ long COVID clinic in Washington, D.C.įatigue has been the most prominent symptom, she says, adding that it can range from kids not being as active as they once were to not being able to get out of bed. The illnesses plaguing Hogan’s children perfectly fit the spectrum of symptoms Dr. Specialists now estimate that about 10% of kids who get infected with COVID-19 are showing signs of having this post-COVID syndrome. As raw numbers tick up, infectious disease doctors are noting an increase in cases of kids presenting with long COVID - a huge constellation of symptoms, many debilitating, that can follow even mild infections. He’s too anxious to go to school, she says, something the family is helping him work on.Įven with declines in COVID-19 cases around the country, more than 375,000 new cases were reported last week. The youngest of the three kids, 9-year-old Sebastian, developed obsessive compulsive disorder following COVID-19, she says. ![]() In addition, Ben’s been suffering from a condition nick-named “spaghetti legs” where the teen’s limbs give out underneath him, his mom says. His sudden heart rate fluctuations often result in nausea and vomiting. ![]() Kelly also developed headaches, back pain, depression and anxiety, Hogan says.īen, Hogan’s 13-year-old middle child, was diagnosed with POTS - a syndrome that causes increased heart rate. Hogan’s oldest child, 15-year-old Caleigh, has pancreatic enzymes so high that she has to take medication 30 minutes before eating - every time she eats. All are being treated for long COVID after mild infections. Rebekah Hogan has three children at home in Albany, New York. (Courtesy) This article is more than 1 year old. Javanese Hailey (left) and 10-year-old daughter Haley Bryson.
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