Testing and Treatments in Children with Severe Neurologic Manifestations and Sars-Cov-2 Conditions

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to characterize testing and treatments provided for hospitalized children with and without severe neurologic manifestations with acute SARSCoV- 2 infection or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). METHOD(S) Multinational cross-sectional study of children age < 18 y hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2-related condition between January 2020-July 2021. Admission laboratory, neurologic testing, and treatments related to SARS-CoV-2 conditions were analyzed by severe neurologic manifestation status, a composite of those with univariate logistic regression p< 0.05 for unfavorable outcome (Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category Score 3-6 at hospital discharge). Multivariable logistic regression to identify laboratory values associated with severe neurologic manifestation was performed. RESULT(S) Of 3,556 children, 818 (23%) had severe neurologic manifestation. Children with severe neurologic manifestation were younger (median 5 interquartile range [1-12] vs. 9 [1.1-14] y) and had more MIS-C vs. acute SARSCoV- 2 (35% vs. 22%), pre-existing disease (68% vs. 48%), and death (5% vs. 0.5%), all p< 0.001. Blood fibrinogen was lower in children with (341 [230, 500]) vs. without (410 [274, 537] mg/dl) severe neurologic manifestation, p< 0.001. More children with severe neurologic manifestations had electroencephalography (23% vs. 2.7%), head CT (24% vs. 6%), and brain MRI (16% vs. 4%) performed, p< 0.001, but results were not more frequently abnormal between groups. Cerebrospinal fluid was sampled in 19% vs. 9%, p< 0.001, and intracranial pressure monitors were placed in 5 (1%) vs. 14 (0.5%), p=0.179. Children with severe neurologic manifestation received more steroids (25% vs. 16%) and remdesivir (15% vs. 7%), p< 0.001. After adjustment, higher lymphocytes (odds ratio 1.0003 [95% confidence interval 1.00009, 1.0005]) and lower fibrinogen (0.998 [0.996, 0.999]), p< 0.05, were associated with severe neurologic manifestation status. CONCLUSION(S) Modest laboratory signatures of severe neurologic manifestations in children hospitalized with SARSCoV- 2 related conditions were found. Despite association with worse outcomes, relatively few children received contemporary neurological testing and SARS-CoV-2 related treatments.