SARS-CoV-2 infections in children: Understanding diverse outcomes

SARS-CoV-2 infections mostly lead to mild or even asymptomatic infections in children, but the reasons for this are not fully understood. More efficient local tissue responses, better thymic function, and crossreactive immunity have all been proposed to explain this. In rare cases of children and young people, but very rarely in adults, post-infectious hyperinflammatory syndromes can develop and be serious. Here, I will discuss our current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and hypothesize that a life history and energy allocation perspective might offer an additional explanation to mild infections, viral dynamics, and the higher incidence of rare multisystem inflammatory syndromes in children and young people.

Automated summary

SARS-CoV-2 infections in children usually result in mild or asymptomatic infections, and the reasons behind this are not fully understood. Possible explanations include more efficient local tissue responses, better thymic function, and crossreactive immunity. Post-infectious hyperinflammatory syndromes are rare in children and young people, but very rarely seen in adults. This article offers an additional explanation to mild infections, viral dynamics, and the higher incidence of rare multisystem inflammatory syndromes in children and young people from a life history and energy allocation perspective.