(STUDY FINDS) — WUHAN, China — Just how susceptible children are to the coronavirus pandemic has been widely debated by health officials and politicians. A new study says children who do have COVID-19 may not show the same symptoms an adult does. Researchers say the illness, which has caused respiratory distress in countless patients, tends to show up as stomach trouble in youngsters.
Researchers in China say children suffering from gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, especially if they have a fever too, should be checked for COVID-19. The study adds that these symptoms point to the illness infecting the digestive system first.
“Most children are only mildly affected by COVID-19 and the few severe cases often have underlying health issues,” Dr. Wenbin Li from the Department of Pediatrics at Tongji Hospital said in a statement. “It is easy to miss its diagnosis in the early stage, when a child has non-respiratory symptoms or suffers from another illness.”
