Neurologic manifestation of Covid-19 pediatric patients admitted at the Philippine Children's Medical Center in the year 2020: a case series

@#<p>Covid-19 which was first documented in the Philippines in January 2020 had spread alarmingly. Severe acute respiratory symptoms were the most common presentation of this novel coronavirus infection. Reports have described neurologic manifestations of this disease involving the central nervous system as well as the peripheral nervous system. However, studies among the pediatric population are limited. In this paper, we present three pediatric patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19, via RT-PCR, presenting with seizures and behavioral changes. Two of these patients have no concomitant respiratory symptoms while the other one had Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia. These patients were managed as cases of acute viral meningoencephalitis and were given supportive care.</p>

Molecular biology of coronaviruses: an overview of virus-host interactions and pathogenesis / Biología molecular de los coronavirus: una visión panorámica de las interacciones virus-hospedero y de la patogénesis

Abstract Coronaviruses (CoV) are enveloped, plus-strand RNA viruses that have the largest known RNA genomes and infect birds and mammals, causing various diseases. Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were first identified in the mid-1960s and have been known to cause enteric or respiratory infections. In the last two decades, three HCoVs have emerged, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which initiated the ongoing pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 causes a respiratory illness that presents as a mild upper respiratory disease but may result in acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi-organ failure and can be fatal, especially when underlying comorbidities are present. Children account for a low percentage of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, with seemingly less severe disease. Most pediatric patients present mild or moderate symptoms or are asymptomatic. However, some cases may be severe. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in pediatric patients must be studied in detail. This review describes general features of the molecular biology of CoVs and virus-host interactions that may be implicated in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.

Resumen Los coronavirus son virus envueltos de ARN de polaridad positiva, con los genomas más grandes que se conocen. Infectan aves y mamíferos, y causan una amplia variedad de enfermedades. Los coronavirus humanos se identificaron a mediados de la década de 1960 y se sabe que causan infecciones entéricas y respiratorias. En las últimas dos décadas han emergido tres coronavirus humanos pandémicos, incluido el coronavirus 2 del síndrome agudo respiratorio grave (SARS-CoV-2) que ha causado la pandemia actual. El SARS-CoV-2 produce enfermedad respiratoria que se presenta con padecimientos moderados de las vías respiratorias altas, pero puede resultar en síndrome respiratorio agudo, falla multiorgánica y muerte, en especial en casos con morbilidad subyacente. Los casos de COVID-19 en niños representan un porcentaje bajo y con síntomas menos graves de la enfermedad. La mayoría de los pacientes pediátricos son asintomáticos o presentan enfermedad leve o moderada; sin embargo, también en niños la enfermedad puede ser grave, por lo que la infección con SARS-CoV-2 y la COVID-19 en pacientes pediátricos deben estudiarse con detalle. En esta revisión se describen las características generales de la biología molecular de los coronavirus y de las interacciones virus-hospedero que se conocen para los coronavirus humanos identificados previamente, y que podrían estar implicados en la patogénesis del SARS-CoV-2.

Aspectos generales de la COVID-19 en pacientes pediátricos / General aspects of COVID-19 in pediatric patients

Introducción: La COVID-19 no presenta distinción de edades, razas y sexo, los niños y jóvenes representan un sector de la población que no escapa a esta realidad. Identificar precozmente la enfermedad favorece a un mejor pronóstico. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica, utilizando las bases de datos (PubMed, SciELO, Ebsco y Clinical Key). Los descriptores utilizados fueron: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, COVID-19 en niños. La búsqueda aportó 77 artículos, de los cuales se descartaron 47 por no cumplir con de los criterios de inclusión. Se tomaron para citar el trabajo 30, el 100 por ciento del año 2020, son citados. Objetivo: Describir aspectos generales de la COVID-19 en pacientes pediátricos. Desarrollo: Para caracterizar la enfermedad existen abundantes artículos científicos a nivel mundial, los pacientes en edades pediátricas son igualmente afectados que el resto de la población. La pertinencia de identificar la enfermedad precozmente, justifica la dispersión existente en la literatura. Conclusiones: A pesar de los avances científicos realizados en múltiples investigaciones, existen todavía elementos de la enfermedad que deben estudiarse a fondo. Aunque generalmente los pacientes pediátricos presentan una mejor evolución probablemente influida por la ausencia de comorbilidades existentes en la población adulta, la COVID-19 tiene similar comportamiento(AU)

Introduction: COVID-19 does not present a distinction of ages, races and sex, children and youth represent a sector of the population that does not escape this reality. Early identification of the disease favors a better prognosis. Objective: To describe general aspects of COVID-19 in pediatric patients. Methods: A bibliographic review was performed, using the databases (PubMed, Scielo, Ebsco and Clinical Key). The search descriptors used were: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, and COVID-19 in children. The search yielded 77 articles, of which 47 were discarded for not meeting the inclusion criteria. 30, 100 percent of the year 2020, were taken to cite the work. The analysis-synthesis, induction-deduction and historical-logical methods were used. Development: to characterize the disease, there are abundant scientific articles worldwide, pediatric patients are equally affected than the rest of the population. The relevance of identifying the disease early, justifies the dispersion existing in the literature. Conclusions: Despite the scientific advances made in multiple investigations, there are still elements of the disease that must be studied in depth. Although pediatric patients generally present a better evolution, probably influenced by the absence of existing comorbidities in the adult population, COVID-19 has similar behavior(AU)