By Robert Preidt and Ernie Mundell
HealthDay reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) – On very rare occasions, children infected with the new coronavirus can develop a serious illness known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). Research has shown that these young patients often develop neurological symptoms as well as breathing problems that they may face.
These neurological symptoms occurred in half of children hospitalized with MIS-C, British researchers say.
“With this new inflammatory syndrome that develops after children become infected with the coronavirus, we are still learning how the syndrome affects children and what to look out for,” said study author Dr. Omar Abdel-Mannan from University College London. His team will share the new findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual virtual meeting this month.
“We found that many children developed neurological symptoms that affected both the central and peripheral nervous systems,” the researcher said in a press release from the academy.
MIS-C is a rare disease that typically occurs in children who have previously been infected with COVID-19. It usually starts about a month after someone signs COVID-19.
The condition is characterized by an influx of inflammation that affects the functioning of organs and systems throughout the body. While the exact cause is unknown, MIS-C appears to be ingrained in the body’s immune system, which is overreacting to the COVID-19 virus. Many children who receive MIS-C will have to be hospitalized, but treatment options are usually successful and most children will recover. However, scientists and doctors are still studying the possible long-term effects.
In the new study, Abdel-Mannan’s group analyzed the medical records of 46 COVID-19 patients under the age of 18 (mean age 10), with MIS-C admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London between April and September last year.
Of these children, 24 showed emerging neurological symptoms or signs when they were hospitalized. Twenty-four had headaches, 14 had encephalopathy (inflammation of the brain sometimes caused by infection), six had voice disorders or hoarseness, six had hallucinations, five had impaired coordination (ataxia), three had peripheral nerve problems, and one had seizures.
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The children with neurological symptoms were more likely to have a MIS-C severe enough to require a ventilator and medication to stabilize their blood flow, compared to children without such symptoms, the researchers said.
“Children who develop this condition should definitely be evaluated for neurological symptoms and longer-term cognitive outcomes,” believes Abdel-Mannan. He added that “more studies are needed, involving more children and subsequent children, to see how this condition changes over time and whether there are longer-term neurocognitive effects.”
An expert in the US said the new findings provide valuable insight into a still mysterious disease.
“This study provides an important piece of the MIS-C puzzle,” said Dr. Michael Grosso, Chief Physician and Chair of Pediatrics at Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital in Huntington, NY
“Multisystem inflammatory syndrome appears to overlap with a well-known childhood condition known as Kawasaki disease, but it also differs in many ways and appears to vary in how it is presented depending on the age of the child,” he said. “The authors’ finding that central nervous system involvement is common in MIS-C will likely be of great help in alerting clinicians to look for these problems.”
But Grosso added that this research is still in its infancy.
“What we know so far about COVID and MIS-C in children is probably only a tiny fraction of what remains to be learned,” he said.
Since the new results were presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is more concerned with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
SOURCES: Michael Grosso, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chairman, Pediatrics, Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital, Huntington, NY; American Academy of Neurology, press release April 13, 2021
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