Neurologic Care of COVID-19 in Children

Abstract

Most children with SARS-CoV-2 infection have relatively mild clinical symptoms without fever or pneumonia, although severe cases with multiple-organ failure have been reported. Neurological symptoms, which have been mainly reported in adults, are very rare in children. This article will review 2 different aspects of neurological involvement related to this infection in children. In the first part, we will review the neurological abnormalities reported in children caused by this viral infection. Adults frequently report muscle pain, headache, anosmia, dysgeusia, and occasionally more severe central or peripheral nervous system damage. Neurological involvement seems infrequent in children, although some cases have been reported. In the second part, we will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the healthcare system of some countries, causing collateral damage to general pediatric care and in particular to those children affected with chronic diseases, mainly neurological conditions, including autism, intellectual disability, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), neuromuscular disorders, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy, and patients needing neurosurgical procedures.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; behavior; child abuse; epilepsy; neurocognitive; seizures; stress.