Diagnosing, Managing, and Studying Long-COVID Syndromes in Children & Adolescents in Rural and Underserved Populations
Kathryn Weakley; Jessica Snowden
The COVID-19 pandemic has arguably had its greatest impact in rural and other historically hard-to-reach populations. Families in rural and underserved communities experienced COVID-19 infections at higher rate than their peers in other groups and also experienced disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Without careful design and implementation of resources, children in these areas are also at risk of being disproportionately impacted by long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections, such as "Long COVID" syndromes.
Increased frequency and severity of COVID-19 infections; decreased access to healthcare and supporting services; environmental and social structure factors that exacerbate post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC); and increased baseline frequency of health disorders that may complicate post-COVID issues, such as higher rates of obesity, asthma, diabetes, and mental health disorders all place children and adolescents in under-resourced areas at significant risk.
Unfortunately, children and adolescents in these areas have been historically underrepresented in clinical research. Not only are fewer studies published with participants in rural and underserved communities, but these studies more often exhibit lower quality with fewer randomized controlled trials and multicenter studies. This gap not only deprives people in rural and underserved areas of the country of access to cutting edge therapy; but it also risks "evidence-based" solutions that are not generalizable because they cannot be implemented in the areas disproportionately impacted by many health conditions such as Long COVID. These factors significantly impede our ability to provide appropriate medical care for underserved communities.
This review will discuss the impact of COVID-19 in rural and underserved communities and the factors that must be considered in designing evidence-based Long COVID solutions for children and adolescents in these areas.
Link | PDF (Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)
Kathryn Weakley; Jessica Snowden
The COVID-19 pandemic has arguably had its greatest impact in rural and other historically hard-to-reach populations. Families in rural and underserved communities experienced COVID-19 infections at higher rate than their peers in other groups and also experienced disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Without careful design and implementation of resources, children in these areas are also at risk of being disproportionately impacted by long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections, such as "Long COVID" syndromes.
Increased frequency and severity of COVID-19 infections; decreased access to healthcare and supporting services; environmental and social structure factors that exacerbate post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC); and increased baseline frequency of health disorders that may complicate post-COVID issues, such as higher rates of obesity, asthma, diabetes, and mental health disorders all place children and adolescents in under-resourced areas at significant risk.
Unfortunately, children and adolescents in these areas have been historically underrepresented in clinical research. Not only are fewer studies published with participants in rural and underserved communities, but these studies more often exhibit lower quality with fewer randomized controlled trials and multicenter studies. This gap not only deprives people in rural and underserved areas of the country of access to cutting edge therapy; but it also risks "evidence-based" solutions that are not generalizable because they cannot be implemented in the areas disproportionately impacted by many health conditions such as Long COVID. These factors significantly impede our ability to provide appropriate medical care for underserved communities.
This review will discuss the impact of COVID-19 in rural and underserved communities and the factors that must be considered in designing evidence-based Long COVID solutions for children and adolescents in these areas.
Link | PDF (Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology)
