TABLE 1.
Strengths and Limitations of Studies Which Investigated Persistent Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children and Adolescents
| Limitations | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study | Control Group Without SARS-CoV-2 Infection | Includes Children With Moderate and Severe Disease | All Cases Laboratory Confirmed | Face-to-face Follow-up or Clinical Assessment | Further Strengths | Preprint (Not Peer-reviewed) | No Control Group | Small Cohort or Small Number Seropositive | No Data on Preexisting Medical Conditions | Large Number With Preexisting Medical Condition | Includes Self-reported SARS-CoV-2 Infection | Not All Children Laboratory Confirmed Infection | Includes Only/mostly Asymptomatic or Mild Infection | Timing of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Not Specified | Duration of Symptoms Not Specified | Self-/Parent-reported Symptoms, No Clinical Assessment | Few Clinical Outcomes Assessed | No Mental Health Outcomes | Selection Bias | Misclassification Bias | Recall Bias | Nonresponse Bias | Further Limitations |
| Studies with controls | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blankenburg et al30 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓† | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Includes participants up to 38y of age | |||||||||
| Miller et al36 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Molteni et al35 | ✓ | ✓ | Control group matched for age, sex, week of testing | ✓* | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Participants who did not answer every week were excluded (73%) | |||||||||||
| Radtke et al34 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Stephenson et al37 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Largest cohort; control group matched for age, sex, month of testing, geographical area | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | More female and adolescent participants | ||||||||||||
| Studies without controls | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ashkenazi-Hoffnung et al39 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓‡ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Blomberg et al33 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Fatigue, concentration difficulties, memory problems assessed only in adults | |||||||||||
| Brackel et al32 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Buonsenso et al31 | Variety of questions asked | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| Buonsenso et al26 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||||||
| Osmanov et al40 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Only includes hospitalized children | ||||||||||||||||
| Say et al41 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Low median age | |||||||||||||
| Smane et al42 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||||||
| Sterky et al38 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Only includes hospitalized children | |||||||||||
*Except asthma.
†Only for blood drawing.
‡Except overweight.