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Study looks at impact of COVID-19 on immunosuppressed children
Priority study investigating COVID-19 infection in immunosuppressed children
One of the research trials that has been identified as a national priority in the UK, COVID-19 ICC, is now underway at NUH, led by our Nottingham Children's Hospital research team.
The study will initially focus on paediatric and adolescent rheumatology patients and then extend further to all Children's Hospital patients. Clinicians will identify the patients for eligibility and research nurses will then make further contact with the family to explain the study.
Children and young people who have immunosuppression include those with underlying problems such as lupus, arthritis, connective tissue disease and vasculitis, or due to the medications being used to treat them.
Although most of these conditions and drugs have limited effect on viral infections, the effect on the clinical course of COVID-19 infection in immunosuppressed children is - so far - unknown.
Dr Sam Deepak (pictured), Principle Investigator for the COVID-19 ICC study at NUH and a Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Consultant, said that currently researchers did not have COVID-19 specific data for immunosuppressed children.
“Parents and families are anxious to have more information on the detailed risk for their immunosuppressed children,” she said.
Dr Deepak added: “At present, clinicians’ advice to families is that data from China appears to indicate that children are not at risk of severe COVID-19 infection but no detailed datasets are available yet.
“This study is designed to allow the parents of immunosuppressed children, and the children and teenagers themselves, to self-record their experiences of viral respiratory illnesses including COVID-19.”
Since the Easter weekend, research nurses Rachel Wiffen and Lisa Moyes have been contacting patients who are identified as eligible by clinical teams and contacting their parents or guardians - or immunosuppressed patients themselves, if they are aged between 16 and 17. To date 5 patients from Nottingham are taking part in the study.
Parents of immunosuppressed patients or the immunosuppressed patients themselves will be sent a link to the study website.
Once consent is given and baseline information has been collected, they will be sent a weekly questionnaire about their child or young person by the study team at University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust who are sponsoring the study. They will be asked for information including the underlying diagnosis and details of any regular immunosuppressive medication, symptoms, contact with healthcare professionals or service and outcomes, school attendance, and the child/young person’s actual use of and stopping of medication.
The data collected will be analysed and shared by the study team at Southampton with paediatric sub-speciality groups and the NHS England Clinical Reference Group for Paediatric Medicine. Data will be used to further disseminate up-to-date information to all UK paediatric sub-specialists.
Parents will be kept informed with links to the up-to-date national information and advice will be attached to the weekly questionnaire. More information on the study is available at: