New Murdoch University and Harvard University study indicates that severe forms of COVID-19 infection in children may increase cardiovascular disease risks

• Research shows severe COVID-19 infections may cause lasting metabolic changes in children that could impact on heart health.
• Study of 147 children from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston USA, showed marked blood metabolic disruptions in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Children with MIS-C (Multiple Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) show particularly concerning metabolic patterns classically associated with increased cardiovascular risks in adults.
• Findings indicate children may not be immune to long-term health consequences of COVID-19 an initially thought and more research is needed to understand if this is a long-term problem.
• Research shows severe COVID-19 infections may cause lasting metabolic changes in children that could impact on heart health.
• Study of 147 children from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston USA, showed marked blood metabolic disruptions in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Children with MIS-C (Multiple Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) show particularly concerning metabolic patterns classically associated with increased cardiovascular risks in adults.
• Findings indicate children may not be immune to long-term health consequences of COVID-19 as initially thought and more research is needed to understand if this is a long-term problem.

Scientists from Harvard University and the Australian National Phenome Centre (Murdoch University) analysed blood samples from 147 children across different COVID-19 conditions and identified significant metabolic disruptions beyond the acute viral infection phase. These alterations affect how the body processes fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) critical to healthy heart structure.

Children are largely thought to be less susceptible to COVID-19's serious lung effects than adults. However, COVID-19 causes heart damage in some adults, and this study shows evidence that children with COVID-19 and MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) showed major shifts in blood metabolic patterns, some of which include shifts in cardiovascular disease risk markers. MIS-C affects multiple organ systems and may cause considerable cardiac damage, including myocardial and vascular changes. Here similarities were found between the molecular signatures of MIS-C and COVID19 in children with the MIS-C patients being more severely affected.

"This research challenges the widespread assumption that children are largely unaffected by COVID-19 based on the relatively mild respiratory effects. However, a minority of children experience a more severe immunologically driven form of the disease (MIS-C) that is associated with longer term GI effects and cardiovascular disease" said lead researcher Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Director of The Australian National Phenome Centre.

“We now need to do more research into the possible longer-term effects of COVID-19 in children” said Professor Julien Wist a study co-author.

With over 750 million cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide (excluding China), and new variants rapidly spreading, understanding both the acute and long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 infections is urgent.

The research https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jproteome.5c00062 was published in Journal of Proteome Research.