May 06, 2025
Kick-off of PEDNET-LC
A paediatric network for the care and research of post-acute consequences of COVID-19, similar post-acute infection and vaccination syndromes as well as myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children and adolescents is being set up under the acronym ‘PEDNET-LC’.
The official kick-off for PEDNET took place in the capital on 6 May. Our director, Prof. Dr. Martin Sedlmayr, attended the event together with colleagues from the Clinic and Polyclinic for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine and the BioBank Dresden at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.
The aim of the nationwide PEDNET-LC project is to improve Long COVID (LC)-related care for young people affected by the disease, including seriously ill, homebound or bedridden children and adolescents, as well as research and health literacy, in order to identify those affected at an early stage and enable them to participate in education and cost assessment in the best possible way.
In order to achieve this, 20 specialised, interdisciplinary and multi-professional care centres are to be set up in 15 federal states, including Saxony, which will organise care in their respective federal states and at the same time work closely together.
They are to establish a joint infrastructure for communication and research, conduct target group-specific clinical studies and evaluation studies, analyse linked register and health insurance data and develop age-appropriate and gender-sensitive guidelines and care guidelines.
In addition, PEDNET-LC has set itself the goal of implementing disease pattern-related interventions in the school sector alongside the diagnostic-therapeutic focus and sharing best-practice approaches across the board.
At the same time, each centre must work closely with parents, patient representatives, socio-paediatric centres, registered doctors, therapists, social and palliative care teams, health insurance companies, politicians and public institutions - such as schools and day-care centres.
PEDNET -LC is one of four future joint projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), all of which are concerned with the long-term consequences and downstream clinical pictures of COVID-19 and will be funded with almost 45 million euros over a funding period from 1 December 2024 - 31 December 2028.
Click here for the project page and further project-specific information.
