Neurologic Manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children: An Iranian Hospital-Based Study Publisher Pubmed



Memar EHE¹ ; Heidari M^{2, 3} ; Ghabeli H² ; Pourbakhtyaran E² ; Haghighi R² ; Hosseiny SMM² ; Mamishi S^{4, 5} ; Mahmoudi S⁵ ; Eshaghi H⁴ ; Tavasoli AR^{2, 3} ; Mohammadi M² ; Badv RS² ; Zamani G² ; Akbari MG⁶ Show All Authors Show Affiliations
Source: Archives of Iranian Medicine Published:2023

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 infection and its neurological manifestations were seen in children although less common than adults. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of different types of neurologic findings of hospitalized children with COVID-19. Methods: This retrospective study was performed on hospitalized pediatric patients aged ≤ 18 years with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 at Children's Medical Center Hospital. Neurological manifestations were defined as the presence of any of the following symptoms: seizure, altered mental status, behavioral/personality change, ataxia, stroke, muscle weakness, smell and taste dysfunctions, and focal neurological disorders. Results: Fifty-four children with COVID-19 were admitted and their mean age was 6.94 ± 4.06 years. Thirty-four of them (63%) were male. The most frequent neurological manifestation was seizure (19 [45%]) followed by muscle weakness (11 [26%]), loss of consciousness (10 [23%]), and focal neurological disorders (10 [23%]). Other neurological manifestations consisted of headache (n = 7), movement disorders (n = 6), behavioral/personality change (n = 5), ataxia (n = 3), and stroke (n = 3). Twenty-nine percent of our patients had leukocytosis. A neutrophil count above 70% was seen in 31% of participants. Among our patients, 81% had a positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: During the current pandemic outbreak, hospitalized children with COVID-19 should be evaluated for neurological signs because it is common among them and should not be under-estimated. © 2023 Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved.