Post-COVID-19 Sequelae in Children.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been implicated in having post-COVID-19 sequelae in both adults and children. There is a lack of good data on the prevalence and risk factors for post-COVID-19 sequelae in children. The authors aimed to review the current literature on post-COVID sequelae. The prevalence of post-COVID sequelae in children is highly variable among studies, with an average of 25%. The sequelae may affect many organ systems, though mood symptoms, fatigue, cough, dyspnea, and sleep problems are common. In many studies, it is difficult to establish a causal association due to the lack of a control group. Furthermore, it is difficult to differentiate whether the neuropsychiatric symptoms in children after COVID-19 are due to infection or a result of lockdowns and social restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Children with COVID-19 should be followed by a multidisciplinary team and screened for symptoms, followed by focused laboratory evaluations as needed. There is no specific treatment for the sequelae. Only symptomatic and supportive treatment is required in most cases. More research is necessary to standardize the definitions of sequelae, establish a causal association, assess various treatment options, and the effects of different virus variants, and finally, see the impact of vaccination on the sequelae.

Post-COVID-19 Immune-Mediated Neurological Complications in Children: An Ambispective Study.

BACKGROUND: The neurological manifestation following a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is varied, and till now, only a few studies have reported the same. METHODS: We used retrospective data from May to July 2021 and prospective study data from August to September 2021, including that from children aged between one month and 18 years who presented to a tertiary care referral center with the neurological manifestation and had a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection or exposure and positive SARS-CoV-2 serology. The neuroradiological manifestations were further categorized as in a predesigned proforma. RESULTS: Case records of the 18 children who fulfilled the criteria were included in the study; among them, seven (38.8%) were male and 11 (61.1%) were female. Predominant presentation in our study group was status epilepticus (six of 18) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (five of 18). Other manifestations included stroke (two of 18), demyelinating syndromes (three of 18), and autoimmune encephalitis (two of 18). Most of the children had favorable outcomes except for one mortality in our cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed complications following SARS-CoV-2 infection are seen in children. A temporal correlation was noted between the COVID-19 infection and the increasing number of neurological cases after the second wave. Steroids could be beneficial while treating such patients, especially in the presence of high inflammatory markers. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 serology during the pandemic can give a clue to the underlying etiology. Further multicentric studies are required to understand the varied neurological manifestations following SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.

Humoral cross-reactivity towards SARS-CoV-2 in young children with acute respiratory infection with low-pathogenicity coronaviruses.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection in children frequently leads to only asymptomatic and mild infections. It has been suggested that frequent infections due to low-pathogenicity coronaviruses in children, impart immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in this age group. Methods: From a prospective birth cohort study prior to the pandemic, we identified children with proven low-pathogenicity coronavirus infections. Convalescent sera from these children were tested for antibodies against respective seasonal coronaviruses (OC43, NL63, and 229E) and SARS-CoV-2 by immunofluorescence and virus microneutralization assay respectively. Results: Forty-two children with proven seasonal coronavirus infection were included. Convalescent sera from these samples demonstrated antibodies against the respective seasonal coronaviruses. Of these, 40 serum samples showed no significant neutralization of SARS-CoV-2, while 2 samples showed inconclusive results. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the antibodies generated in low-pathogenicity coronavirus infections offer no protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in young children.

Epidemiology of Coronavirus Infection in Children and Their Impact on Lung Health: Finding From a Birth Cohort Study.

In this birth cohort, coronavirus acute respiratory infection was detected in 6.5% of the episodes; the commonest strain was OC43, followed by NL63, HKU1, and 229E. Children with coronavirus acute respiratory infection during infancy had significantly decreased forced expiratory volume in 0.5 seconds, forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow at 3 years of age.