The COPP2 study is a follow-up to the COPP study, which examines the direct complaints in children who end up in hospital with a corona infection. The study examines 120 children who have been hospitalized since February for a corona infection or who have ended up in the outpatient clinic with complaints, in 49 hospitals across the country.
This mainly concerns children between 0 and 2 years old. Brackel: “We are not particularly concerned about corona compared to other cold viruses. Children especially suffer from fever and cold complaints. In addition, they are sometimes short of breath and hospitalization is required. It is usually not the case that they, like adults with severe pneumonia are hospitalized or even end up in the ICU. It is also rare that hospitalization is necessary because of a violent inflammatory reaction of the body. “
In the follow-up examination, the parents fill in a questionnaire between six and twelve months after the hospitalization of their child and a few measurements are taken of the condition of the lungs in the hospital. An exercise test is done in children older than 6 years. And if a child still has a lot of trouble, a CT scan of the lungs can also be made.
Immune response
It is known that adults can also have long-term complaints if they have not been seriously ill and have not ended up in hospital. This study does not include a comparable category of children, ie those who did not end up in hospital. Suzanne Terheggen-Lagro: “We are looking at whether these children can also be researched. Our hypothesis is that the long-term consequences will be very good for them.”
The researchers also want to investigate the immune response in this group of children. Terheggen-Lagro: “Which, how much and for how long do they produce antibodies? And does that differ, for example, from children who have had themselves tested with very mild cold complaints? There is simply a lot that we do not yet know about this virus.”
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