Pediatric Prevalence of Long COVID

For some, COVID-19 may seem like a thing of the past, but for medical professionals, the data regarding post-acute sequalae of COVID infection is only just emerging. Four years ago, the start of the pandemic left doctors puzzled by certain symptoms. Today, we are learning more about the long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 in children, often called long COVID or PASC (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection). As the population continues to struggle with persistent and debilitating after-effects and symptoms, we are looking for answers.

To provide insight into this important diagnosis, we are joined by Suchitra Rao, MD. She is an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control. She is also an associate professor of Pediatrics within the sections of Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, and Hospital Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Read more about her research in our May 2024 article “Lifting the Fog of Pediatric Long COVID.”

This episode on pediatric long COVID discusses:

• The epidemiology of long COVID in kids
• The difference between the data in adults and children
• How to diagnose asymptomatic patients
• Rao’s groundbreaking research