Long COVID: Identification, Management, and Holistic Support
摘要
Although most children and adolescents who have been infected with COVID-19 generally experience mild symptoms, a small minority will develop chronic, long-term symptoms that vary from mild to debilitating, affecting multiple body systems. Children can remain symptomatic for weeks, months, or years after the initial infection. Identification and management of children with long COVID should involve a multidisciplinary team and begin with a comprehensive history and physical exam followed by appropriate diagnostic testing and referrals. Long COVID is often characterized by periods of exacerbations and remissions that can progress over time and may require long-term management and follow-up. It is important to note that long COVID is not a single condition. It encompasses various overlapping entities, each possibly having distinct biological causes, risk factors, and outcomes (The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, What is long COVID?, https://www.covid.gov/longcovid/about#term).