Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) pediatric study protocol: Rationale, objectives and design

  • RECOVER-Pediatric Consortium
  • New York University
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Columbia University
  • Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN
  • Avera Health
  • University of California at San Francisco
  • Lamar University
  • Public Health Research Institute, New York
  • University of California at San Diego
  • Harvard University
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
  • University of Southern California
  • Boston Children's Hospital
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  • University of Utah
  • Children's Hospital Los Angeles
  • Rady Children's Hospital
  • Northeastern University
  • Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
  • Medical University of South Carolina
  • Laureate Institute for Brain Research
  • SRI International
  • Hawai'i Pacific Health
  • Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
  • Washington University St. Louis
  • Yale University
  • University of Oklahoma
  • Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
  • Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: The prevalence, pathophysiology, and long-term outcomes of COVID-19 (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 [PASC] or "Long COVID") in children and young adults remain unknown. Studies must address the urgent need to define PASC, its mechanisms, and potential treatment targets in children and young adults.

OBSERVATIONS: We describe the protocol for the Pediatric Observational Cohort Study of the NIH's REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. RECOVER-Pediatrics is an observational meta-cohort study of caregiver-child pairs (birth through 17 years) and young adults (18 through 25 years), recruited from more than 100 sites across the US. This report focuses on two of four cohorts that comprise RECOVER-Pediatrics: 1) a de novo RECOVER prospective cohort of children and young adults with and without previous or current infection; and 2) an extant cohort derived from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n = 10,000). The de novo cohort incorporates three tiers of data collection: 1) remote baseline assessments (Tier 1, n = 6000); 2) longitudinal follow-up for up to 4 years (Tier 2, n = 6000); and 3) a subset of participants, primarily the most severely affected by PASC, who will undergo deep phenotyping to explore PASC pathophysiology (Tier 3, n = 600). Youth enrolled in the ABCD study participate in Tier 1. The pediatric protocol was developed as a collaborative partnership of investigators, patients, researchers, clinicians, community partners, and federal partners, intentionally promoting inclusivity and diversity. The protocol is adaptive to facilitate responses to emerging science.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: RECOVER-Pediatrics seeks to characterize the clinical course, underlying mechanisms, and long-term effects of PASC from birth through 25 years old. RECOVER-Pediatrics is designed to elucidate the epidemiology, four-year clinical course, and sociodemographic correlates of pediatric PASC. The data and biosamples will allow examination of mechanistic hypotheses and biomarkers, thus providing insights into potential therapeutic interventions.

CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT05172011.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0285635
Pages (from-to)e0285635
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume19
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • COVID-19/epidemiology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  • Prospective Studies
  • Research Design
  • SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification
  • Young Adult

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) pediatric study protocol: Rationale, objectives and design'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this