Long-term Neurological Effects of COVID-19 in Children

Abstract

During the pandemic process announced by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, some neurological outcomes were observed in pediatric cases with Severe acute respiratory syndrome- Coronavirus-2 infection. It is thought that this new virus invades the central nervous system by hematogenous route or by retrograde and antegrade transport from the peripheral nerve. In addition, immunological abnormalities that develop in response to infection, inflammatory damage and vascular factors play an important role in the neurological effects of the virus. In order to indicate the longterm conclusions of these effects; subacute Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) syndrome, which includes symptoms and abnormalities occurring 4-12 weeks after acute infection; post-COVID-19 syndrome, which includes symptoms and abnormalities that persist or are present 12 weeks after acute infection and cannot be associated with an alternative diagnosis and post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, which includes both periods, has been described. Non-specific symptoms such as headache and dizziness seen in the acute period; relatively more specific symptoms such as anosmia and agousia, and potentially serious complications such as seizures and stroke are among the neurological effects of COVID-19. In addition, long-term symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty in concentration, loss of appetite, muscle-joint pain, neuro-psychiatric symptoms, memory disorders, difficulty in receptive language and executive functions, migraine-like headache resistant to painkillers, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, hypoxic and anoxic injury, acute critical illness myopathy and neuropathy can be observed.

Keywords

• child
• covid-19
• long term
• neurological effect