NIAID and Children’s National Hospital begin long-term study of children with COVID-19
pharmafile | November 18, 2021 | News story | Business Services |
The National Institutes of Health has commenced a long-term investigation into the impacts of COVID-19 in children. The study, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, will track up to 1,000 children and young adults previously tested positive for COVID-19, evaluating the impact of the virus on their physical and mental health over three years.
The study will take place in the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center, located in Bethesda, Maryland, and is expected to provide significant insight into the effects of COVID-19 on the overall health of children, their development and immune responses to infection, and their overall quality of life in the three years following infection. This work forms part of NIH’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, aiming to better understand the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Participants in the study will be enrolled with the consent of their parents or guardians. The NIH Clinical Center will recruit children aged 3-21 years of age, while the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, will recruit children aged 0-21 years. The study will additionally evaluate long-term immune responses to the disease, screen for genetic factors affecting how children respond to infection from the virus, and determine whether immunological factors may influence long-term outcomes.
“Although we know that children are vulnerable to COVID-19, we still do not have a clear picture of how COVID-19 affects them in the long term,” shared NIAID Director Anthony S Fauci, MD. “In adult patients, the long-term sequelae of COVID, including post-acute COVID-19, can significantly affect quality of life. Our investigations into the pediatric population will deepen our understanding of the public health impact that the pandemic has had and will continue to have in the months and years to come.”
Ana Ovey
