Toepfner, Nicole, Brinkmann, Folke, Augustin, Silvia et al. · European journal of pediatrics · 2024 · DOI
This review looked at what we know about Long COVID in children and teenagers after COVID-19 infection. Most young people recover within a few months, but some experience long-lasting symptoms like fatigue, difficulty with exercise, and anxiety that can last over a year and affect daily life. The review found that a small number of these children meet the criteria for ME/CFS, but currently there are no blood tests or scans to confirm Long COVID, making it difficult to diagnose.
This review is significant for ME/CFS patients because it formally recognizes that pediatric Long COVID can progress to ME/CFS and acknowledges the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges these patients face. It highlights that current healthcare systems are inadequately equipped to manage these conditions and calls for expanded research and adapted clinical structures—directly relevant to improving care for young ME/CFS patients.
This review does not establish the precise prevalence of ME/CFS in pediatric Long COVID populations, nor does it prove causative mechanisms of PASC. It also does not demonstrate the efficacy of specific treatments, as therapeutic recommendations remain based on symptom palliation and self-management rather than evidence-based interventions with proven biological targets.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Toepfner, Nicole, Brinkmann, Folke, Augustin, Silvia, Stojanov, Silvia, & Behrends, Uta (2024). Long COVID in pediatrics-epidemiology, diagnosis, and management.. European journal of pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-023-05360-y
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-toepfner-2024-long-covid,
author = {Toepfner, Nicole and Brinkmann, Folke and Augustin, Silvia and Stojanov, Silvia and Behrends, Uta},
title = {Long COVID in pediatrics-epidemiology, diagnosis, and management.},
journal = {European journal of pediatrics},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1007/s00431-023-05360-y},
note = {PubMed: 38279014},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/toepfner-2024-long-covid},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/toepfner-2024-long-covid
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