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Project led by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg funded with one million euros

In October, the four state-owned university children's hospitals in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen and Ulm will launch a pilot project to improve the care of children and adolescents with long COVID. At the same time, it will collect data for further research into the disease using a new Baden-Württemberg-wide patient registry. The project is being made possible by funding from the Ministry of Health amounting to around one million euros. This was announced by Health Minister Manne Lucha on Sunday (October 8) in Stuttgart. The project, led by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, will establish and test a telemedicine-supported, cross-sectoral care structure at the social pediatric centers of the four university children's hospitals.

"The university hospitals are already doing excellent work in research and in the care of patients with Long COVID. I am grateful to them for focusing even more on affected children and adolescents with the research concept that we are now funding," emphasized the Minister. "There are still many unanswered questions about Long COVID and Long COVID-associated ME/CFS, and good care concepts need to be further expanded, especially for children and adolescents. Good services for children and counseling can also help to relieve the burden on parents, who are often very busy," said Lucha.

Although SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents are often mild or even asymptomatic, children and adolescents are also repeatedly affected by Long COVID. The broad spectrum of symptoms ranges from a mild, temporary reduction in performance to the most severe form of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which can lead to bedriddenness and the need for care.

Care structure for affected children is being tested

The four state-owned university children's hospitals in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen and Ulm have developed the model project for the cross-sectoral care of children and adolescents with Long COVID and will implement it jointly under the coordination of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

Among other things, the joint website www.move-covid.de will be set up to improve access to treatment services for those affected and provide further information on the clinical picture. Telemedicine-supported initial consultations and consultations should help to reduce the often stressful journey for patients to the absolute minimum. Diagnosis and treatment are supplemented by advice on self-management. In severe cases, further interdisciplinary support will be provided by a telemedical aftercare program to be developed as part of the project.

"Long COVID in children and adolescents often progresses differently than in adults. There are also major differences in the effects on everyday life. For example, long absences from school can have lifelong consequences. Care must therefore be tailored to the specific needs of children and young people. In addition, there is an urgent need to find out more about the underlying disease mechanisms," explained project leader PD Dr. Roland Elling, senior physician at the Center for Pediatrics - University of Freiburg.

Data register as a building block for further research into the disease

The causes and correlations of Long COVID are still largely unknown. At present, the disease can only be diagnosed by ruling out other causes. Various samples are taken and data collected during patient examinations. As part of the pilot project, this is carried out at all four locations according to defined criteria, e.g. using standardized questionnaires. With the consent of the patients and their parents, the data will be collected in a new patient register to be set up throughout Baden-Württemberg. The register is intended to enable further systematic and targeted research into the clinical picture, for example through special virological, immunological and radiological diagnostics. In this way, the project can contribute to gaining new insights into the development mechanisms of the disease and its treatment.

The project will also provide care for children and adolescents with post-vac syndrome, as these very rare cases can have large overlaps with long COVID.

Background information:

The model project "MOlecular immunological characterization & multimodal-multicentric intersectoral care of Long COVID in childhood and adolescence in Baden-Württemberg" (MOVE-COVID-BW) is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Integration from state funds approved by the Baden-Württemberg state parliament. The funding amounts to around one million euros over a period of 15 months (until December 31, 2024).