CDC: Long COVID could lead to other serious health problems in children

(CNN) - A new study finds children battling long COVID have a greater chance of having other serious health issues than those who did not get the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it looked at data from nearly 800,000 kids and adolescents diagnosed with COVID and compared them to 2.5 million kids who were not diagnosed with the coronavirus.

According to the study, kids with long COVID had higher rates of developing other health issues such as myocarditis and kidney failure. They were also more likely to develop diabetes.

The CDC said long COVID is when symptoms last four or more weeks after the initial infection, with the study looking at data from the start of March 2020 to the end of January 2022.

The health agency hopes this research helps doctors and caregivers watch for these serious symptoms and conditions among kids who get sick with COVID.

The agency said caregivers should consider this research when it comes to getting their kids vaccinated.