New research this week describes some of the heartbreaking and possibly long-term neurological complications that can occur in children who develop a mysterious covid-19-related condition. They can suffer from everything from headaches to muscle weakness, along with visible signs of brain damage.
The study, published at JAMA Neurology at Wednesday, analyzes the cases of children with mysterious condition, now commonly known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C.
MIS-C is a rare but life-threatening occurrence that arises during or shortly after covid-19-causing coronavirus infection. Their symptoms It can affect the entire body, including fever, skin rashes, breathing problems, and a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) that can deprive the organs of oxygen and lead to death. The syndrome is probably the result of a faulty immune response to the virus, instead of symptoms directly caused by infection.
In this study, the researchers identified 27 children with symptoms consistent with MIS-C. Of these, four also had neurological symptoms. They included headaches, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking. Those four children too he experienced muscle weakness and two had reduced reflexes. In the tests, there was evidence of damage to the corpus callosum of the brain, the region that helps the two sides of the brain communicate with each other. Interestingly, none of the children reported respiratory symptoms, despite all positive tests for the coronavirus or having antibodies against it.
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“Children with covid-19 may present with new neurological symptoms involving both the central and peripheral nervous systems,” the authors wrote. They also cautioned that doctors should consider covid-19 in children with neurological symptoms and damage to the corpus callosum splenium (the thickest part of the brain structure), even if they do not have typical respiratory symptoms.
Most children who get the coronavirus do not develop severe symptoms. and they are less likely to have the kind of flu-like symptoms seen in adults. MIS-C is It is considered rare and treatable through existing anti-inflammatory drugs, especially if detected early. But right now, we have no real idea of how often it happens, why some children develop it, or how to prevent it. Not only do children have to worry about neurological problems related to covid-19, either; some adults have also had similar complications during or after infection. How many survivors will have to live with persistent neurological problems? or other health problems is an unanswered question.
In the study, all four children required intensive care after developing shock and were given mechanical ventilation. Wrow two of the children fully recovered, two still needed the assistance of a wheelchair due to weakness of the lower extremities at the time the study ended.
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