Few children are hospitalized because of Covid-19. But those who are affected are more likely to suffer neurological or brain complications related to the infection.
- The neurological consequences of Covid-19 in children have been little studied.
- Half of the children observed during this study were admitted to intensive care units.
Covid-19 seems to spare the youngest more: fewer children and adolescents develop serious forms of the disease. Scientists are now warning about the possible consequences for the few hospitalized children. In The Lancet Child and Adolescent Healththe British researchers explain that around one in twenty children, among those hospitalized and positive for Covid-19, subsequently develop neurological or cerebral complications.
Complications more common in children
The research team collected data on hospitalizations of children, whose neurological symptoms seemed to be associated with Covid-19, between April 2020 and January 2021. In parallel, all were tested to confirm the infection. In total, out of 1,334 children, 52 had neurological complications, representing a prevalence of 3.8% in this population. However, previous research estimated that it was 0.9% in adults. In children, there are two groups in this study: those who had brain complications related to Covid-19 while showing symptoms of the infection, and those who did not have the symptoms, but who had symptoms. complications. This second group represented about 15% of the children. Among the symptoms identified in these children, the British researchers observed cases of encephalopathy, strokes, behavioral disorders and even hallucinations. Young people who did not have symptoms of Covid-19 suffered from different neurological consequences: prolonged convulsions, Guillain-Barré syndromes or psychoses. These variations in symptoms could be explained by varying immune reactions in different children, according to the researchers.
Unknown long-term consequences
For now, scientists cannot say what the long-term consequences of these sequelae will be. They find that two-thirds of the children observed have fully recovered in the months that followed. However, 33% of them had a longer-term disability. “We need to follow these children to understand the long-term impact“, insists Dr. Rachel Keen, pediatric neurologist. Contaminated or not, children are already suffering from the consequences of the epidemic. “The measures related to COVID-19 are having a profound impact on their health and well-being and, for some, this impact will be felt throughout their lives“, valued the world health organization. Worldwide, 1.6 billion students have had disrupted schooling due to Covid-19.
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