Perspective Chapter: Sequelae and Consequences of COVID-19 in the Paediatric Population

Abstract

During the pandemic and in subsequent years, we observed that COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus affected the paediatric population in different ways. In certain groups of children and adolescents, social isolation, changes in family dynamics, increased exposure to technological screens and changes in diet, among others, have affected their development, education, emotional, physical and social aspects, including access to immunizations, medical surveillance and medical control. COVID-19 is considered a generally benign pathology in children; however, some patients develop well-defined post-COVID-19 entities: multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and long COVID. In this chapter, we review, in relation to the paediatric population, the effects of the pandemic and confinement during its development and its subsequent consequences, the forms of clinical presentation of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 entities and MIS-C and long COVID, including prevalence, pathophysiology, presentation, evolution, detection and management recommendations.