Seizure Incidence among Children Hospitalized with COVID-19 during the Omicron Wave

Abstract

Purpose Since late 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide. Some children with COVID-19 present with seizures; in particular, studies have reported an increase in seizure episodes during the Omicron wave of the pandemic. This study was performed to describe the clinical characteristics of seizures among children hospitalized with COVID-19 before and during the Omicron wave. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on all pediatric admissions for COVID-19 at Hospital Tunku Azizah from June 2021 to May 2022. Results During this period, 1,586 children were admitted with COVID-19, of whom 111 (7.0%) experienced seizures. Patients with seizures were more likely to have a history of seizure (odds ratio [OR], 71.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 23.7 to 215.2; P<0.001) and prior antiseizure medication use (OR, 55.1; 95% CI, 6.1 to 497.4; P<0.001). Most seizures (55.0%) occurred on the first day of illness, with 86.5% lasting less than 5 minutes. None of the children required intubation or admission to the pediatric intensive care unit, and all were discharged without complications. Between June 2021 and January 2022, the seizure rate varied from 1.3% to 3.4%; however, it increased to 18% in April 2022, coinciding with the period of Omicron variant predominance in Malaysia. Children admitted during the Omicron wave had significantly higher odds of experiencing seizures (OR, 7.89; 95% CI, 2.07 to 13.07; P<0.001) than children hospitalized prior to this wave. Conclusion In conclusion, the study revealed a marked increase in seizures associated with pediatric COVID-19 cases during the Omicron wave.

Keywords

• covid-19
• pediatrics
• seizures, febrile
• sars-cov-2 variants
• prevalence