Title: Investigating the neurological impact of COVID-19 in non-hospitalised children with persistent symptoms
Funder: Action Medical Research

Abstract: Background _x000D_ Long COVID in children is not yet clearly defined and it is unclear how common the condition is in children who have had COVID-19. Conservative estimates suggest around two per cent of children may be affected, but other estimates indicate it could be as many as 10 to 15 per cent. The symptoms most commonly described by affected children are tiredness, headache, loss of smell, and finding it hard to think or concentrate. At the moment, we do not understand how the virus causes persistent symptoms in some children. These researchers plan to study children with long COVID to gain a better understanding of the disease process, the likely long-term outcomes for these children and how best to help them. _x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ These researchers aim to determine if children and young people with persistent symptoms following COVID-19 have changes detectable by brain scans that suggest there is, or may have been, some mild inflammation in the brain. The study will include 80 children aged 10 to 17 years from the Evelina London Children's Hospital Post COVID clinic and the Pan London Children and Young Person Post Covid Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). Although the initial COVID-19 infection in these children was manageable at home and they did not require hospitalisation, they have continued to experience moderate to severe symptoms for more than 12 weeks after infection. The children will undergo magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The team will then compare these brain scans with those of children who were hospitalised with paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) caused by COVID-19 and two control groups; healthy children and children who have fully recovered from COVID-19. Comparing these scans will help to determine if there are changes in brain volume or structure associated with long COVID. If children with long COVID have loss of brain volume and small structural changes, similar to those seen in children with conditions that cause brain and spine inflammation, this will provide insights into the underlying disease processes. Finding out if and/or how long COVID affects the brain could enable earlier diagnosis and guide the development of management strategies to give these children the best possible long-term outcome._x000D_ _x000D_

Lay abstract: Background _x000D_ Long COVID in children is not yet clearly defined and it is unclear how common the condition is in children who have had COVID-19. Conservative estimates suggest around two per cent of children may be affected, but other estimates indicate it could be as many as 10 to 15 per cent. The symptoms most commonly described by affected children are tiredness, headache, loss of smell, and finding it hard to think or concentrate. At the moment, we do not understand how the virus causes persistent symptoms in some children. These researchers plan to study children with long COVID to gain a better understanding of the disease process, the likely long-term outcomes for these children and how best to help them. _x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ These researchers aim to determine if children and young people with persistent symptoms following COVID-19 have changes detectable by brain scans that suggest there is, or may have been, some mild inflammation in the brain. The study will include 80 children aged 10 to 17 years from the Evelina London Children's Hospital Post COVID clinic and the Pan London Children and Young Person Post Covid Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). Although the initial COVID-19 infection in these children was manageable at home and they did not require hospitalisation, they have continued to experience moderate to severe symptoms for more than 12 weeks after infection. The children will undergo magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The team will then compare these brain scans with those of children who were hospitalised with paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) caused by COVID-19 and two control groups; healthy children and children who have fully recovered from COVID-19. Comparing these scans will help to determine if there are changes in brain volume or structure associated with long COVID. If children with long COVID have loss of brain volume and small structural changes, similar to those seen in children with conditions that cause brain and spine inflammation, this will provide insights into the underlying disease processes. Finding out if and/or how long COVID affects the brain could enable earlier diagnosis and guide the development of management strategies to give these children the best possible long-term outcome._x000D_ _x000D_

Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: NEUROLOGICAL;INFECTION