Content related to Returning to Sports After COVID-19: What Parents Should Know

Children who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 need special attention before returning to physical activity.

“With MIS-C, it’s important to test kids six months after their illness because they can have residual heart inflammation,” says Andrew Souza, DO.

Myocarditis after the COVID-19 vaccine is a rare reaction in young people, but most cases have been short-lived, with patients getting better very quickly.

Kawasaki disease, sometimes called Kawasaki syndrome, is a serious inflammation of the blood vessels which affects young children, often under 5 years of age.

Long COVID or “long-haul COVID” can be debilitating for kids and teens—with symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog.

The disease can appear similar to Kawasaki disease, and follows a COVID-19 infection in children.

Unlike COVID-19, there is no simple diagnostic test for long COVID. Doctors instead look at a child’s symptoms, as well as past exposure to the virus.

Learn how to tell the difference between the illnesses, and the most important thing parents can do to keep children safe.