What are the consequences of COVID-19 infection in children and adolescents aged ten to 15? This question is currently being investigated by the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics of Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz, Dean of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences, in the study "Long term Impact of COVID-19" (LICO).
Infection with COVID-19 can also lead to severe cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary impairments in children and adolescents. Specific symptoms may also occur over a longer period of time. Therefore, the long-term effects on the heart, blood vessels and lungs of children and adolescents after infection with COVID-19 will be investigated, as well as how the disease affects physical performance and what influences on quality of life can be determined.
"There has been little scientific knowledge in the field of child and adolescent research to date about the long-term consequences of infection with COVID-19," explains Prof. Oberhoffer-Fritz. "The study therefore starts precisely here and aims to investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cardiovascular health of our children and adolescents."
The project is being conducted as a cohort study. The primary cohort being studied will consist of male children and adolescents who have been infected with coronavirus within the past six months. In parallel, a comparison cohort consisting of age- and sex-matched healthy children and adolescents who have not previously been infected with COVID-19 will be recruited. This comparison cohort will serve as the control group. Both groups will each be evaluated for vascular health, pulmonary function and cardiopulmonary performance.
"Our goal is to recruit at least 150 subjects in total. At the moment, it is not possible to estimate how many will then have not yet been infected with COVID-19 due to the current dynamics," said Laura Dünzinger, research associate at the Department of Preventive Pediatrics.
All participants will be recruited via a study flyer that will be distributed at several Munich schools and clubs. In addition, potential subjects will be approached in parallel via public advertisements on various social media platforms as well as pediatricians' practices in and around Munich.
In addition to a detailed personal and family history including previous illnesses, the study procedure includes a detailed infection-related history in the group of children and adolescents who have already been infected. In addition, quality of life, anthropometric parameters, and cardiopulmonary performance are assessed, and a resting ECG, measurement of blood pressure and pulse wave velocity, static retinal vascular analysis, flow-mediated dilatation, echocardiography, spirometry, and stress echocardiography are performed. Because of the large number of medical values collected from both cohorts, the research question about the long-term effects of disease with COVID-19 in children and adolescents should be able to be answered validly at the end.
To the project page of the LICO study
To the homepage of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz
Dean Department of Sport and Health Sciences
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24570
e-mail: renate.oberhoffer(at)tum.de
Laura Dünzinger
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24579
e-mail: laura.duenzinger(at)tum.de/kindergesundheit.corona(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos: LICO study/Andreas Heddergott/TUM