Neurological Complications of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
J Trop Pediatr
; 67(3)2021 07 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-756966
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Knowledge about neurological complications of COVID-19 in children is limited due to the paucity of data in the existing literature. Some systematic reviews are available describing overall clinical features of COVID-19 in children and neurological complications of COVID-19 in adults. But to the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has been performed to determine neurological manifestations of COVID-19.METHODS:
Six different electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, medRxiv and bioRxiv) were searched for articles related to COVID-19 and neurological complications in children. Studies/case series reporting neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in patients aged ≤18 years, as well as case reports, as neurological complications appear to be rare. The pooled estimate of various non-specific and specific neurological manifestations was performed using a random effect meta-analysis.RESULTS:
Twenty-one studies/case series and five case reports (3707 patients) fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review, from a total of 460 records. Headache, myalgia and fatigue were predominant non-specific neurological manifestations, presenting altogether in 16.7% cases. Total of 42 children (1%) were found to have been reported with definite neurological complications, more in those suffering from a severe illness (encephalopathy-25, seizure-12, meningeal signs-17). Rare neurological complications were intracranial hemorrhage, cranial nerve palsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome and vision problems. All children with acute symptomatic seizures survived suggesting a favorable short-term prognosis.CONCLUSION:
Neurological complications are rare in children suffering from COVID-19. Still, these children are at risk of developing seizures and encephalopathy, more in those suffering from severe illness.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Brain Diseases
/
COVID-19
/
Nervous System Diseases
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
/
Reviews
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Tropej
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