Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39633013›Full record

ArticleCommunications medicine2024

A 24-month National Cohort Study examining long-term effects of COVID-19 in children and young people.

Terence Stephenson, Snehal M Pinto Pereira, Manjula D Nugawela, Emma Dalrymple, Anthony Harnden, Elizabeth Whittaker, Isobel Heyman, Tamsin Ford, Terry Segal, Trudie Chalder and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Communications medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Long COVID in children and young people: then and now.Current opinion in infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Terence Stephenson *UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8871-7847
Snehal M Pinto Pereira *Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, London, UK. snehal.pereira@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0876-8757
Manjula D NugawelaUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Emma DalrympleUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Anthony HarndenNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Elizabeth WhittakerDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Isobel HeymanUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Tamsin FordDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Hershel Smith Building Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
Terry SegalUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Trudie ChalderDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De'Crespigny Park, London, UK.
Shamez N LadhaniImmunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, UK.
Kelsey McOwatImmunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, UK.
Ruth SimmonsImmunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, UK.
Laila XuUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Lana Fox-SmithUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7434-2762
CLoCk Consortium
Roz ShafranUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Funding

DH | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) COVLT0022RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC) MR/P020372/1RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC) MR/Y009398/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSome children and young people (CYP) infected with SARS-COV-2 experience impairing symptoms post-infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). Using data from the National Long COVID in Children and Young People (CloCk) study, we report symptoms and their impact up to 24-months post-infection.

methodsCloCk is a cohort of CYP in England aged 11-to-17-years when they had a SARS-CoV-2 PCR-test (between September 2020 and March 2021). Of 31,012 eligible CYP 24-months post-PCR test, 12,632 participated (response = 40.7%). CYP were grouped by infection status: 'initial test-negatives; no subsequent positive-test' (NN); 'initial test-negatives; subsequent positive-test' (NP); 'initial test-positives; no reported re-infection' (PN); and 'initial test-positives; reported re-infection' (PP). The Delphi research definition of PCC in CYP was operationalised; symptom severity/impact and validated scales (e.g., Chalder Fatigue Scale) were recorded. We examine symptom profiles 24-month post-index-test by infection status.

results7.2% of CYP consistently fulfil the PCC definition at 3-, 6-, 12- and 24-months. These CYPs have a median of 5-to-6 symptoms at each time-point. Between 20% and 25% of all infection status groups report 3+ symptoms 24-months post-testing; 10-25% experience 5+ symptoms. The reinfected group has more symptoms than the other positive groups; the NN group has the lowest symptom burden (p < 0.001). PCC is more common in older CYPs and in the most deprived. Symptom severity/impact is higher in those fulfilling the PCC definition.

conclusionsThe discrepancy in the proportion of CYP fulfilling the Delphi PCC definition at 24-months and those consistently fulfilling the definition across time, highlights the importance of longitudinal studies and the need to consider clinical impairment and range of symptoms.

Identifiers

PMID39633013
PMCPMC11618575

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.