Symptom Profiles of Children and Young People 12 Months after SARS-CoV-2 Testing: A National Matched Cohort Study (The CLoCk Study)
Snehal M. Pinto Pereira,
Manjula D. Nugawela,
Kelsey McOwat,
Emma Dalrymple,
Laila Xu,
Shamez N. Ladhani,
Ruth Simmons,
Trudie Chalder,
Olivia Swann,
Tamsin Ford,
Isobel Heyman,
Terry Segal,
Malcolm G. Semple,
Natalia K. Rojas,
CLoCk Consortium,
Roz Shafran,
Terence Stephenson
Affiliations
Snehal M. Pinto Pereira
Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Manjula D. Nugawela
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Kelsey McOwat
Immunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
Emma Dalrymple
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Laila Xu
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Shamez N. Ladhani
Immunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
Ruth Simmons
Immunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
Trudie Chalder
Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
Olivia Swann
Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TL, UK
Tamsin Ford
Department of Psychiatry, Hershel Smith Building Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
Isobel Heyman
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Terry Segal
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London NW1 2PG, UK
Malcolm G. Semple
NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
Natalia K. Rojas
Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
CLoCk Consortium
Roz Shafran
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Terence Stephenson
UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Background: Although 99% of children and young people have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the long-term prevalence of post-COVID-19 symptoms in young people is unclear. The aim of this study is to describe symptom profiles 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 testing. Method: A matched cohort study of a national sample of 20,202 children and young people who took a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test between September 2020 and March 2021. Results: 12 months post-index-test, there was a difference in the number of symptoms reported by initial negatives who never tested positive (NN) compared to the other three groups who had at least one positive test (p p < 0.001). Symptom profiles, mental health, well-being, fatigue, and quality of life did not vary by vaccination status. Conclusions: Following the pandemic, many young people, particularly those that have had multiple SARS-CoV-2 positive tests, experience a range of symptoms that warrant consideration and potential investigation and intervention.
