Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 19, 2026 1 hour, 42 minutes ago
Medical News: The COVID-19 pandemic did more than disrupt daily life. It also quietly changed how other common illnesses behave, including seasonal influenza. A new large-scale national study has now revealed that while flu-related deaths and heart complications in children remained stable after COVID-19, the risk of serious breathing problems increased noticeably.
Post pandemic influenza is causing more breathing problems in older children even as death rates remain unchanged
Researchers examined hospital records of children and young adults aged 20 years and below who were admitted for influenza before the pandemic in 2019 and after pandemic restrictions eased in 2022. This
Medical News report highlights findings that are important for parents, doctors, and public health planners alike, especially as flu seasons continue to return with unexpected patterns.
Where The Research Came From
The research team included scientists and clinicians from Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Nepal, Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, the Department of Pediatrics at Family HealthCare Network in Visalia California, Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center, the University of California San Francisco Fresno Regional Campus, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco.
How The Study Was Conducted
The team analyzed data from the United States National Inpatient Sample, the largest publicly available hospital database in the country. They compared nearly 30,000 flu-related hospitalizations in 2019 with almost the same number in 2022. Children with other viral co-infections such as COVID-19 or RSV were excluded to ensure clear and accurate comparisons.
Key Findings on Age and Severity
One of the most striking findings was a shift in the age of hospitalized patients. Before the pandemic, younger children dominated flu admissions. After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, older children and teenagers were hospitalized more often. The median age increased from four years to six years, suggesting that older children may now be more vulnerable to severe flu illness.
Breathing Complications on The Rise
Although overall death rates remained very low and unchanged, cases of respiratory failure increased sharply after the pandemic. In 2022, more than one in five hospitalized children developed serious breathing problems, compared to about one in eight before COVID-19. Even after accounting for factors like obesity, asthma, and diabetes, the risk of respiratory failure was almost twice as high.
Heart Complications Remain Rare
The study also looked closely at heart-related complications such as myocarditis, abnormal heart rhythms, and cardiac arrest. Reassuringly, these serious conditions remained rare and showed no meaningful increase after the pandemic. This indicates that while influenza may now affect breathing more severely, it has not become more dangerous to the heart in children.
/>
Changing Treatment Patterns
Interestingly, despite more children experiencing breathing failure, doctors used invasive mechanical ventilation less often. This suggests a shift toward earlier treatment, better monitoring, or increased reliance on less invasive breathing support methods developed during the COVID-19 era.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that influenza in children has changed in important but subtle ways since the COVID-19 pandemic. While deaths and heart complications remain stable, respiratory illness has become more common and affects older children more frequently. These changes highlight the need for increased vigilance during flu season, updated clinical strategies, and renewed emphasis on vaccination and early care. Understanding these evolving patterns will be critical in protecting children as healthcare systems adapt to a post-pandemic world.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Pediatric Research
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41390-025-04759-7
For the latest on Flu and COVID-19, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/influenza-or-flu
Share
Tweet
Share
