children – American ME and CFS Society

Development and Implementation of an Online Patient Education Program for Children and Adolescents With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Their Parents, Siblings, and School Personnel: Protocol for the Prospective BAYNET FOR ME/CFS Study

Abstract:

Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) presents significant challenges for affected children and adolescents, their social environment, and treating physicians, due to its profound impact on quality of life and the lack of causal therapeutic approaches. One crucial aspect of care that has been missing for these patients is comprehensive education for both them and their social circles.

Objective: This study protocol aims to outline the goals, study design, execution, and evaluation of the subproject within the BAYNET FOR ME/CFS project. The focus is on developing online education programs for children and adolescents with ME/CFS, as well as for their parents, siblings, and school staff. These programs are designed to improve independent disease management, increase knowledge, and promote interaction with other affected individuals.

Methods: In phase I, the group-based online education programs were developed by a multidisciplinary team based on the ModuS concept created by the Competence Network for Patient Education (KomPaS). These programs were then piloted and finalized. Phase II involved recruiting participants and implementing the finalized programs. Given the restricted physical and cognitive capacities of the affected individuals, the patient education programs were exclusively designed in a digital format to facilitate participation. In phase III, the programs will be evaluated for acceptance, completeness, and participant satisfaction. The qualitative assessment will focus on individual expectations and benefits derived from the training. Phase IV will further assess the programs in terms of improvements in disease knowledge, health-related quality of life, life satisfaction, and family burden.

Results: The programs were developed, piloted, and finalized during phase I, which ran from December 2022 to May 2023. The pilot phase, from March to May 2023, led to adaptations in the program concept. In total, 8 patients and their parents, 5 siblings, and 59 school staff participated in the piloting. Adjustments were made to the format, content, duration, and schedule to better meet the needs of the affected individuals and their social circles. In phase II, participant recruitment for the patient education program took place from January to July 2023. The study successfully recruited 24 young patients with ME/CFS and their parents, along with 8 siblings and 51 school staff. Two program blocks for patients and parents and 2-3 blocks for siblings and school staff commenced in May 2023 and were completed within the same year. Phase III began after phase II and involves the evaluation of the programs, with the process expected to conclude by the end of 2024. Phase IV, planned for 2025-2026, will involve the rollout of the program to 150 children and their caretakers. This phase will focus on evaluating disease knowledge, health-related quality of life, life satisfaction, and family burden, as well as include longitudinal assessments.

Conclusions: The data aim to support the development of a comprehensive, interprofessional care model for children and adolescents with ME/CFS.

Source: Keicher F, Thomann J, Erlenwein J, Schottdorf M, Reiter NL, Scholz-Schwärzler NP, Vogel B, Warlitz C, Stojanov S, Augustin S, Goldbrunner L, Schanz L, Dodel V, Zipper C, Schiweck N, Jaeschke R, Saramandic M, Wiejaczka K, Eberhartinger M, Dettmer K, Hattesohl DBR, Englbrecht S, Behrends U, Spiegler J. Development and Implementation of an Online Patient Education Program for Children and Adolescents With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Their Parents, Siblings, and School Personnel: Protocol for the Prospective BAYNET FOR ME/CFS Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Nov 21;13:e54679. doi: 10.2196/54679. PMID: 39570662. https://www.researchprotocols.org/2024/1/e54679 (Full text)

Characterizing Long COVID in Children and Adolescents

Key Points:

Question What prolonged symptoms experienced by youth are most associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Findings Among 5367 participants in the RECOVER-Pediatrics cohort study, 14 symptoms in both school-age children (6-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) were more common in those with vs without SARS-CoV-2 infection history, with 4 additional symptoms in school-age children only and 3 in adolescents only. Empirically derived indices for PASC research and associated clustering patterns were developed.

Meaning This study developed research indices for characterizing pediatric PASC. Symptom patterns were similar but distinguishable between school-age children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of characterizing PASC separately in different age groups.

Abstract

Importance Most research to understand postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, has focused on adults, with less known about this complex condition in children. Research is needed to characterize pediatric PASC to enable studies of underlying mechanisms that will guide future treatment.

Objective To identify the most common prolonged symptoms experienced by children (aged 6 to 17 years) after SARS-CoV-2 infection, how these symptoms differ by age (school-age [6-11 years] vs adolescents [12-17 years]), how they cluster into distinct phenotypes, and what symptoms in combination could be used as an empirically derived index to assist researchers to study the likely presence of PASC.

Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter longitudinal observational cohort study with participants recruited from more than 60 US health care and community settings between March 2022 and December 2023, including school-age children and adolescents with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection history.

Exposure SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Outcomes and Measures PASC and 89 prolonged symptoms across 9 symptom domains.

Results A total of 898 school-age children (751 with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection [referred to as infected] and 147 without [referred to as uninfected]; mean age, 8.6 years; 49% female; 11% were Black or African American, 34% were Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, and 60% were White) and 4469 adolescents (3109 infected and 1360 uninfected; mean age, 14.8 years; 48% female; 13% were Black or African American, 21% were Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish, and 73% were White) were included. Median time between first infection and symptom survey was 506 days for school-age children and 556 days for adolescents. In models adjusted for sex and race and ethnicity, 14 symptoms in both school-age children and adolescents were more common in those with SARS-CoV-2 infection history compared with those without infection history, with 4 additional symptoms in school-age children only and 3 in adolescents only. These symptoms affected almost every organ system. Combinations of symptoms most associated with infection history were identified to form a PASC research index for each age group; these indices correlated with poorer overall health and quality of life. The index emphasizes neurocognitive, pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms in school-age children but change or loss in smell or taste, pain, and fatigue/malaise–related symptoms in adolescents. Clustering analyses identified 4 PASC symptom phenotypes in school-age children and 3 in adolescents.

Conclusions and Relevance This study developed research indices for characterizing PASC in children and adolescents. Symptom patterns were similar but distinguishable between the 2 groups, highlighting the importance of characterizing PASC separately for these age ranges.

Management of severe ME/CFS in children and young people in the UK: a British Paediatric Surveillance Unit study

Abstract:

Objective: Severe myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children and young people (CYP) is a little-understood condition which significantly impacts education, development and quality of life. We used data from a population-wide surveillance study to explore the screening investigation, referral and management of suspected cases of paediatric severe ME/CFS.

Methods: A British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) study reported cases of CYP with suspected severe ME/CFS between February 2018 and February 2019. Paediatricians reporting cases to BPSU and allied healthcare professionals in two large specialist paediatric ME/CFS centres were invited to complete questionnaires for CYP meeting the surveillance case definition. The study focused primarily on CYP with confirmed severe ME/CFS and the extent to which their care met NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommendations but also considered separately those with probable or possible severe ME/CFS.

Results: This study includes a total of 92 CYP with suspected severe ME/CFS; 33 meeting criteria for severe ME/CFS and an additional 59 classified as probable or possible severe ME/CFS. For 16 possible cases, incomplete investigation to exclude alternative diagnoses prevented confirmation of a severe ME/CFS diagnosis. Only 21 of 33 (64%) confirmed severe ME/CFS cases had been referred to specialist services. The management provided varied considerably between patients and four received nothing at all. Of the management provided, the most frequent approaches were medication (67%), activity management (61%) and physiotherapy (61%). Domiciliary assessments and support, and social services referrals were received by 12% and 6% of confirmed severe cases. Similar proportions of management approaches were seen in probable/possible severe ME/CFS.

Conclusion: Full investigation is frequently incomplete in CYP with suspected severe ME/CFS and recommendations for referral and management are poorly implemented, in particular the needs of CYP who are unable to leave their home might be poorly met.

Source: Royston AP, Burge S, Idini I, Brigden A, Pike KC. Management of severe ME/CFS in children and young people in the UK: a British Paediatric Surveillance Unit study. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2024 Mar 7;8(1):e002436. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2023-002436. PMID: 38453418. https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/8/1/e002436 (Full text)

Graded exercise therapy compared to activity management for paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: pragmatic randomized controlled trial

Abstract

The MAGENTA pragmatic parallel groups randomized controlled trial compared graded exercise therapy (GET) with activity management (AM) in treating paediatric myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Children aged 8-17 years with mild/moderate ME/CFS and presenting to NHS specialist paediatric services were allocated at random to either individualised flexible treatment focussing on physical activity (GET, 123 participants) or on managing cognitive, school and social activity (AM, 118 participants) delivered by NHS therapists.

The primary outcome was the self-reported short-form 36 physical function subscale (SF-36-PFS) after 6 months, with higher scores indicating better functioning. After 6 months, data were available for 201 (83%) participants who received a mean of 3.9 (GET) or 4.6 (AM) treatment sessions. Comparing participants with measured outcomes in their allocated groups, the mean SF-36-PFS score changed from 54.8 (standard deviation 23.7) to 55.7 (23.3) for GET and from 55.5 (23.1) to 57.7 (26.0) for AM giving an adjusted difference in means of -2.02 (95% confidence interval -7.75, 2.70). One hundred thirty-five participants completed the mean SF-36-PFS at 12 months, and whilst further improvement was observed, the difference between the study groups remained consistent with chance.

The two study groups showed similar changes on most of the secondary outcome measures: Chalder Fatigue, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: Depression, proportion of full-time school attended, a visual analogue pain scale, participant-rated change and accelerometer measured physical activity, whether at the 6-month or 12-month assessment.

There was an isolated finding of some evidence of an improvement in anxiety in those allocated to GET, as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at 6 months, with the 12-month assessment, and the Spence Children’s Anxiety scale being aligned with that finding. There was weak evidence of a greater risk of deterioration with GET (27%) than with AM (17%; p = 0.069).

At conventional UK cost per QALY thresholds, the probability that GET is more cost-effective than AM ranged from 18 to 21%. Whilst completion of the SF-36-PFS, Chalder Fatigue Scale and EQ-5D-Y was good at the 6-month assessment point, it was less satisfactory for other measures, and for all measures at the 12-month assessment.

Conclusion: There was no evidence that GET was more effective or cost-effective than AM in this setting, with very limited improvement in either study group evident by the 6-month or 12-month assessment points.

Trial registration: The study protocol was registered at www.isrctn.com (3rd September 2015; ISRCTN 23962803) before the start of enrolment to the initial feasibility phase.

Source: Gaunt DM, Brigden A, Harris SRS, Hollingworth W, Jago R, Solomon-Moore E, Beasant L, Mills N, Sinai P, Crawley E, Metcalfe C. Graded exercise therapy compared to activity management for paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2024 Mar 2. doi: 10.1007/s00431-024-05458-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38429546. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-024-05458-x (Full text)

A suffering body, hidden away from others: The experience of being long-term bedridden with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood and adolescence

Abstract:

In this article, we present findings from a qualitative study examining how young women experience being long-term bedridden with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), during childhood and adolescence. The aim is to explore how young women who fell ill with ME/CFS during childhood and adolescence look back on their lived experience of being long-term bedridden from the vantage point of being fully or partially recovered.

Informed by a phenomenological theoretical perspective, the researchers applied a narrative methodological approach involving the analysis of interviews with 13 women, aged 16–29 years at the time of the interview. Attention was particularly paid to how participants structured their narratives and to the events (telling moments) they identified as important.

Four major storylines were developed: Ambivalent responses to the presence of others; A body on the edge of life; An eternity in the dark; and Recasting painful memories of being bedridden and alone.

Based on our findings, we argue that the experience of being long-term bedridden with ME/CFS during childhood and adolescence can be understood and communicated as a plot in which individuals find themselves pushed to the extreme limit of suffering and loneliness.

Source: Krabbe, S. H., Bjorbækmo, W. S., Mengshoel, A. M., Sveen, U., & Groven, K. S. (2024). A suffering body, hidden away from others: The experience of being long-term bedridden with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in childhood and adolescence. Nursing Inquiry, e12625. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12625 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nin.12625 (Full text)

New-onset type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents as postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

Abstract:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children and adolescents may increase risk for a variety of post-acute sequelae including new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to estimate the risk of developing new-onset type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

PubMed/MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and EMBASE were systematically searched up to March 20, 2023. A systematic review and subsequent meta-analyses were performed to calculate the pooled effect size, expressed as risk ratio (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of each outcome based on a one-stage approach and the random-effects estimate of the pooled effect sizes of each outcome were generated with the use of the DerSimonian-Laird method. Eight reports from seven studies involving 11 220 530 participants (2 140 897 patients with a history of diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 9 079 633 participants in the respective control groups) were included. The included studies reported data from four U.S. medical claims databases covering more than 503 million patients (IQVIA, HealthVerity, TriNetX, and Cerner Real-World Data), and three national health registries for all children and adolescents in Norway, Scotland, and Denmark.

It was shown that the risk of new-onset T1DM following SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents was 42% (95% CI 13%-77%, p = 0.002) higher compared with non-COVID-19 control groups. The risk of developing new-onset T1DM following SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly higher (67%, 95% CI 32 %-112%, p = 0.0001) in children and adolescents between 0 and 11 years, but not in those between 12 and 17 years (RR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.54-2.23, p = 0.79). We also found that the higher risk for developing new-onset T1DM following SARS-CoV-2 infection only exists in studies from the United States (RR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.37-2.11, p = 0.00001) but not Europe (RR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.67-1.55, p = 0.93). Furthermore, we found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an elevation in the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children and adolescents compared with non-COVID-19 control groups (RR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.07-6.11, p = 0.03).

Our findings mainly obtained from US medical claims databases, suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with higher risk of developing new-onset T1DM and diabetic ketoacidosis in children and adolescents. These findings highlight the need for targeted measures to raise public health practitioners and physician awareness to provide intervention strategies to reduce the risk of developing T1DM in children and adolescents who have had COVID-19.

Source: Rahmati M, Yon DK, Lee SW, Udeh R, McEVoy M, Kim MS, Gyasi RM, Oh H, López Sánchez GF, Jacob L, Li Y, Koyanagi A, Shin JI, Smith L. New-onset type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents as postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Med Virol. 2023 Jun;95(6):e28833. doi: 10.1002/jmv.28833. PMID: 37264687. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.28833

Service users’ and parents/carers’ experiences of a paediatric chronic fatigue service: A service evaluation

Abstract:

Objectives: This service evaluation explored the experiences of families receiving care in a paediatric chronic fatigue service. The evaluation aimed to improve service provision across paediatric chronic fatigue services more widely.

Methods: Children and young people aged 7-18 years (n = 25) and parents/carers (n = 25) completed a postal survey exploring experiences of a paediatric chronic fatigue service. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, and qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Most service usersand parents/carers (88%) agreed that the service met their needs, that they felt supported by staff, and most notably, a large portion (74%) reported the team increased their activity levels. A small number disagreed (7%) with statements relating to positive links with other services, ease of talking to staff and suitability of appointment type. The thematic analysis revealed three themes: help managing chronic fatigue syndrome, experience of professional support and accessibility of service. Families reported benefiting from increased understanding of chronic fatigue syndrome, learning new strategies, the team linking with schools, feeling validated and mental health support. Accessibility was a particular problem including the service location, setup of appointments and difficulty contacting the team.

Discussion: The evaluation presents recommendations for paediatric Chronic Fatigue services to improve service user experiences.

Source: Hartley G, Purrington J. Service users’ and parents/carers’ experiences of a paediatric chronic fatigue service: A service evaluation. Chronic Illn. 2023 May 25:17423953231178185. doi: 10.1177/17423953231178185. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37231733. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37231733/

Prevalence of mental health problems among children with long COVID: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract:

Introduction: The number of children with mental health problems has more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effect of long Covid on children’s mental health is still debatable. Recognising long Covid as a risk factor for mental health problems in children will increase awareness and screening for mental health problems following COVID-19 infection, resulting in earlier intervention and lower morbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the proportion of mental health problems post-COVID-19 infection in children and adolescents, and to compare them with the population with no previous COVID-19 infection.

Methodology: A systematic search was done in seven databases using pre-defined search terms. Cross-sectional, cohort and interventional studies reporting the proportion of mental health problems among children with long COVID in the English language from 2019 to May 2022 were included. Selection of papers, extraction of data and quality assessment were done independently by two reviewers. Studies with satisfactory quality were included in meta-analysis using R and Revman software programmes.

Results: The initial search retrieved 1848 studies. After screening, 13 studies were included in the quality assessments. Meta-analysis showed children who had previous COVID-19 infection had more than two times higher odds of having anxiety or depression, and 14% higher odds of having appetite problems, compared to children with no previous infection. The pooled prevalence of mental health problems among the population were as follows; anxiety: 9%(95% CI:1, 23), depression: 15%(95% CI:0.4, 47), concentration problems: 6%(95% CI: 3, 11), sleep problems: 9%(95% CI:5, 13), mood swings: 13% (95%CI:5, 23) and appetite loss: 5%(95% CI:1, 13). However, studies were heterogenous and lack data from low- and middle-income countries.

Conclusion: Anxiety, depression and appetite problems were significantly increased among post-COVID-19 infected children, compared to those without a previous infection, which may be attributed to long COVID. The findings underscore the importance of screening and early intervention of children post-COVID-19 infection at one month and between three to four months.

Source: Mat Hassan N, Salim HS, Amaran S, Yunus NI, Yusof NA, Daud N, et al. (2023) Prevalence of mental health problems among children with long COVID: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 18(5): e0282538. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282538 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0282538 (Full text)

Fatigue in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study on Fatigue and Chronic Pain

Abstract:

Objective: There are limited data on the prevalence and stability of fatigue in pediatrics, particularly among youth with chronic pain. Little is known about longitudinal effects of fatigue on health outcomes such as sleep quality, psychological distress, Health-Related Quality of Life, and chronic pain.

Methods: A community-based sample of N = 1276 students (9-17 years; 52% female; 30.3% with chronic pain) from 3 schools was screened at 2 measurement points 3 months apart. Prevalence and stability of fatigue were examined. Longitudinal analyses regarding fatigue and health outcomes were run using repeated measures correlations. The impact of change in fatigue on pain progression was analyzed using multilevel linear models.

Results: In the total community sample, 4.4% reported severe fatigue symptoms. The prevalence of severe fatigue was significantly higher in students with chronic pain (11.4%) compared to those without (1.3%). Fatigue symptoms persisted for several months, worsening of symptoms was more common and improvement less common in children with chronic pain. Sleep, psychological distress, and Health-Related Quality of Life were significantly associated with fatigue across both measurement points (rs = |0.16-0.44|), with no significant differences in the strength of correlations between children with and without chronic pain (ps > .05). There was a significant interaction between change in fatigue and courses of pain intensity and functional impairment.

Conclusions: Fatigue is highly prevalent, particularly in youth with chronic pain. The negative association of fatigue with health outcomes, and its impact on the course of pain, require early identification and treatment of those affected to prevent negative long-term consequences.

Source: Sommer A, Grothus S, Claus BB, Stahlschmidt L, Wager J. Fatigue in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study on Fatigue and Chronic Pain. J Pediatr Psychol. 2023 May 10:jsad026. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsad026. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37164626. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37164626/

Long COVID in Children and Youth After Infection or Reinfection with the Omicron Variant: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract:

To describe the prevalence of long COVID in children infected for the first time (n=332) or reinfected (n=243) with Omicron variant SARS-CoV-2, compared with test-negative children (n=311). 12-16% infected with Omicron met the research definition of long COVID at 3 and 6 months after infection, with no evidence of difference between cases of first-positive and reinfection (p_chi-square=0.17).

Source: Pinto Pereira SM, Mensah A, Nugawela MD, Stephenson T, Ladhani SN, Dalrymple E, Dudley J, McOwat K, Simmons R, Heyman I, Segal T, Semple MG, Xu L, Shafran R; CLoCk Consortium. Long COVID in Children and Youth After Infection or Reinfection with the Omicron Variant: A Prospective Observational Study. J Pediatr. 2023 May 10:113463. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113463. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37172813; PMCID: PMC10171900. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10171900/ (Full text)