Post-COVID-19 related neurological features in a pediatric population

Background: Since the outbreak of COVID 19, novel coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) has been responsible for a systemic disorder including the nervous system. With the advent of anti-COVID vaccination, pediatric cases consulting for neurological complications are constantly increasing. Objective To establish a cause-effect relation between COVID-19 infection and neurological presentation and identify the wide spectrum of its manifestations. Material and methods We retrospectively collected demographic, anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical data of pediatric cases presenting with neurological manifestations during or after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at child neurology department of Sfax between January 2022 and March 2022. Results Overall, we included 6 males and 2 females. Mean age at onset was 52.87 months (1-156). The mean delay from onset symptom of 30.16 days (0-120). Neurological symptoms occurred meanly 67.87 days (0-395) after onset COVID-19 infection. They mainly included epileptic seizures (4/8), cognitive impairment (3/8) and ataxia (2/8). Intracranial hypertension, meningitis, behavioral changes, pyramidal features, tone abnormalities, torticollis, sensory disturbances and peripheral damage to brachial plexus were noted each in one case only. link between COVID-19 and neurological features was established in only 4 patients. Discussion and conclusion: The present study highlighted that some neurological symptoms were directly linked to COVID infection while others were considered as coincidence due to insufficient proof. The fail to establish such relation is probably due to the delay of patients counselling but also to the frequency of numerous neurological conditions in this age range
Keywords: COVID-19, neurological features, childhood