Four years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and medical professionals are still exploring treatments for long COVID, which consists of lingering symptoms that can last well beyond the initial infection. These symptoms are often severe and can significantly impair daily functioning.
While adults frequently report prolonged fatigue and cognitive disruptions, children display a different spectrum of symptoms. Recent research indicates that children, particularly those in their preteen years, tend to suffer from headaches, abdominal pain, sleep disturbances, and concentration issues. According to Petter Brodin, a pediatric immunology expert at Imperial College London, the manifestation of long COVID varies with age, with younger kids showing fewer signs of organ damage and teenagers experiencing symptoms closer to those seen in adults.
Despite the allocation of enormous resources to long COVID research—with the US National Institutes of Health investing over a billion dollars in various studies and clinical trials—the focus on affected children has generally been restricted to indirect methods like online surveys, discussions with parents, and reviews of digital health records. This approach persists even though recent findings suggest that 10 to 20 percent of children might develop long COVID after an infection, and other data points to some children still suffering from symptoms three years post-infection.
Currently, what is considered the first clinical trial targeting children and adolescents with long COVID is in progress, enrolling participants between the ages of 7 and 21 to evaluate a new treatment option. This trial is grounded in findings that link long COVID in youngsters to gastrointestinal issues.
In May 2021, Lael Yonker, a pediatric pulmonologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, published findings on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which she now believes represents a severe, acute form of long COVID. Her research found elevated levels of zonulin—a protein indicating increased intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut”—in these children. Elevated zonulin levels suggest that the intestinal wall might allow SARS-CoV-2 viral particles to pass into the bloodstream rather than being expelled from the body, potentially leading to inflammation.
As Yonker encountered an increasing number of long COVID cases among children, she hypothesized that many of their gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms were related. Her initial research also hinted at a potential treatment: administering larazotide, a drug designed to address leaky gut issues, reduced the viral load in the bloodstream of children with MIS-C and alleviated their symptoms.
I am Sofia, a tech-savvy journalist and passionate member of the “Jason Deegan” team. Growing up, I was always fascinated by the latest technological advancements and loved sharing my knowledge with others.