{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T05:54:00Z","timestamp":1781589240374,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781568000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, attention shifted towards patients who developed sequelae, persistent symptoms, or relapsing or remitting symptoms of new conditions after a prior history of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. The objective of the present study was to identify the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and potential associated factors of long COVID in children treated during the pandemic in a primary care unit.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from January to December 2022. Children under 18 years of age and their parents were included in the study if they had been treated at the Mexican Social Security Institute. Two distinct manifestations of long COVID were considered: (a) \u201cpersistence\u201d, defined as continuous symptoms beginning in the acute phase and lasting for more than 3 months; and (b) \u201cpost-COVID conditions\u201d, defined as new or recurrent symptoms lasting for more than 3 months, appearing after the acute episode, and not associated with any active disease or infectious condition. An exploratory binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify associated factors, using an odds ratio (OR) as the measure of association.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The study included 349 children and adolescents. The prevalence of long COVID was 11.8% (\n                      <jats:sub>95%<\/jats:sub>\n                      CI 7.8%\u201317.5%). For \u201cpersistence\u201d, the most frequent symptoms were cough (50%) and rhinorrhea (15.4%); for \u201cpost-COVID conditions\u201d, the most common symptoms were myalgia (33.3%), asthenia and irritability (26.7% each), and constipation (20%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the associated factors for individuals aged over 8 years were a history of reinfection (OR 9.7,\n                      <jats:sub>95%<\/jats:sub>\n                      CI 1.6\u201358) and BMI at the time of the survey (OR 1.1,\n                      <jats:sub>95%<\/jats:sub>\n                      CI 1.0\u20131.2), while for those aged under 8 years, the associated factor was male sex (OR 4.7,\n                      <jats:sub>95%<\/jats:sub>\n                      CI 1.3\u201317.3). It is important to emphasize that these results are the product of an exploratory analysis and aim to create and test new hypotheses.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>For healthcare professionals, it is crucial to consider the possibility of long COVID, as this study indicated that approximately 12% of children and adolescents may be affected. Further research is necessary to better understand and manage long COVID in pediatric populations and to investigate the association between reinfections and their increased prevalence.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1691052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T05:37:21Z","timestamp":1781588241000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["SARS-CoV-2 reinfection: a possible contributing factor to long COVID in children and adolescents"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Rosela Lucero","family":"Chipol-Ceja","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Family Medicine Unit No. 34, Mexican Institute of Social Security","place":["Catemaco, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaime","family":"Morales-Romero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health, Universidad Veracruzana","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlos Alonso","family":"Rivero-L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Postgraduate Studies Family Medicine Subdivision, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico","place":["Mexico City, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda del Sagario","family":"P\u00e9rez-Callejas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Academic Secretary, Universidad Veracruzana","place":["Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Geovani","family":"L\u00f3pez-Ortiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Postgraduate Studies Family Medicine Subdivision, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico","place":["Mexico City, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luis","family":"Del Carpio-Orantes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicios de Salud de Veracruz","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia Iveth","family":"Spinoso-Torres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Family Medicine Unit No. 36, Mexican Institute of Social Security","place":["Cardel, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Santiago","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez-Peria\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Bioanalysis, Universidad Veracruzana","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda de Jes\u00fas","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Cordoba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Universidad An\u00e1huac Veracruz","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liliana","family":"Ovando-Diego","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Universidad An\u00e1huac Veracruz","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]},{"name":"Family Medicine Unit No. 66, Mexican Institute of Social Security","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jorge Iv\u00e1n","family":"Zurutuza-Lorm\u00e9ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicios de Salud de Veracruz","place":["Xalapa, Mexico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","year":""},{"key":"B2","year":""},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"501","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medj.2021.03.003","article-title":"Defining long COVID: going back to the start","volume":"2","author":"Alwan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1242","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.26587","article-title":"Long COVID and chronic COVID syndromes","volume":"93","author":"Halpin","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Med Virol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"m4938","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.m4938","article-title":"NICE Guideline on long COVID","volume":"371","author":"Sivan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Br Med J"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"ofad233","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofad233","article-title":"Systematic review of the prevalence of long COVID","volume":"10","author":"Woodrow","year":"2023","journal-title":"Open Forum Infect Dis"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.17226\/27768","volume-title":"A Long COVID Definition: A Chronic, Systemic Disease State with Profound Consequences","author":"Fineberg","year":"2024"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3995","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-022-04600-x","article-title":"Prevalence and clinical presentation of long COVID in children: a systematic review","volume":"181","author":"Pellegrino","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eur J Pediatr"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14020378","article-title":"Long COVID in children and adolescents: mechanisms, symptoms, and long-term impact on health-A comprehensive review","volume":"14","author":"Basaca","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2921","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-84140-6","article-title":"Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population-based pediatric cohort","volume":"15","author":"Hoppner","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e40","DOI":"10.3928\/19382359-20241106-01","article-title":"The triad of COVID-19 in children: acute COVID-19, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, and long COVID-part II","volume":"54","author":"Gupte","year":"2025","journal-title":"Pediatr Ann"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14020506","article-title":"Post COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms in otorhinolaryngology-A narrative review","volume":"14","author":"Guntinas-Lichius","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e70007","DOI":"10.1002\/jdn.70007","article-title":"Are neurocognitive deficits associated with gastrointestinal symptoms in children due to COVID-19?","volume":"85","author":"Megari","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Dev Neurosci"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-024-05919-3","article-title":"Post-coronavirus disease 2019-associated symptoms among children and adolescents in the SARS-CoV-2 omicron era","volume":"184","author":"Schlegtendal","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eur J Pediatr"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"471","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2024.6206","article-title":"Long COVID prevalence and associated activity limitation in US children","volume":"179","author":"Ford","year":"2025","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1581","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jiaf030","article-title":"The current and future burden of long COVID in the United States (U.S.)","volume":"231","author":"Bartsch","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Infect Dis"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1174","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2024.12747","article-title":"Characterizing long COVID in children and adolescents","volume":"332","author":"Gross","year":"2024","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1729","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19274-3","article-title":"Prevalence of post-COVID conditions among Mexican COVID-19 survivors: a nationwide cross-sectional study","volume":"24","author":"Ramirez-Toscano","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1292629","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2023.1292629","article-title":"Three years of COVID-19 in children that attend the Mexican social security institute\u2019s 1,350 child day-care centers, 2020\u20132023","volume":"11","author":"Martinez-Valdez","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Pediatr"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"680","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aprim.2020.02.011","article-title":"Association of family typology and dysfunction in families with adolescents from a Mexican population","volume":"52","author":"Ordonez Azuara","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aten Primaria"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.17533\/udea.rfnsp.e340517","article-title":"Apoyo social y tipolog\u00eda familiar en mujeres diagnosticadas con VIH","volume":"39","author":"Polo Payares","year":"2021","journal-title":"Revista Facultad Nacional de Salud P\u00fablica"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"495","DOI":"10.1007\/s12519-021-00457-6","article-title":"Long COVID in children and adolescents","volume":"17","author":"Asadi-Pooya","year":"2021","journal-title":"World J Pediatr"},{"key":"B23","first-page":"125","article-title":"Encuesta nacional de salud y nutrici\u00f3n 2020 sobre COVID-19","author":"Shamah-Levy","year":"2021","journal-title":"Resultados Nacionales"},{"key":"B24","year":""},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.37.2101028","article-title":"Seroconversion rate and socio-economic and ethnic risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in children in a population-based cohort, Germany, June 2020 to February 2021","volume":"27","author":"Brinkmann","year":"2022","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2924","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12082924","article-title":"Impact of age and sex interaction on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: an Italian cohort study on adults and children","volume":"12","author":"Puntoni","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9950","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-13495-5","article-title":"Long-COVID in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analyses","volume":"12","author":"Lopez-Leon","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102962","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2024.102962","article-title":"Real-world effectiveness and causal mediation study of BNT162b2 on long COVID risks in children and adolescents","volume":"79","author":"Wu","year":"2025","journal-title":"eClinicalMed"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.35366\/102187","article-title":"Vacunaci\u00f3n contra COVID-19 en ni\u00f1os","volume":"88","author":"Arag\u00f3n-Nogales","year":"2021","journal-title":"Revista Mexicana de Pediatr\u00eda"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3390\/covid5010011","article-title":"Mortality of post-COVID-19 condition: 2025 update","volume":"5","author":"Lippi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Covid"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1111\/roiw.12687","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 on education in Latin America: long-run implications for poverty and inequality","volume":"71","author":"Bracco","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rev Income Wealth"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2817","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-52925-4","article-title":"Association of vaccine status, reinfections, and risk factors with long COVID syndrome","volume":"14","author":"Romero-Ibarguengoitia","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.1186\/s12982-025-00787-0","article-title":"Investigating the impact of the number of COVID-19 reinfections, vaccination status, risk factors, and reinfection interval on long COVID symptomatology","volume":"22","author":"Nicolay","year":"2025","journal-title":"Discov Public Health"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Pediatrics"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fped.2026.1691052\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T05:37:22Z","timestamp":1781588242000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fped.2026.1691052\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]]},"references-count":33,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fped.2026.1691052"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fped.2026.1691052","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2360"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2360","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]]},"article-number":"1691052"}}