Neurologic Involvement in Children and Adolescents Hospitalized in the United States for COVID-19 or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome

Abstract

Coronaviruses primarily cause respiratory disease; however, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and newly identified SARS-CoV-2 have been associated with a range of disorders of the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS).^1-9 Early reports from Wuhan, China, described a spectrum of neurologic conditions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 36% of 214 adults hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).¹⁰ Reported neurologic and psychiatric symptoms in adult patients with COVID-19 include anosmia/ageusia,^11,12 headaches,¹³ dizziness/ataxia,¹⁰ psychosis, dementia, depression, anxiety, and mania.¹⁴ Quiz Ref ID Reported severe neurologic involvement in adult patients with COVID-19 includes acute encephalopathy or encephalitis,^15-18 acute necrotizing encephalopathy,^19,20 epilepsy/seizures,^21,22 acute transverse myelitis,^23-25 Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS),^26,27 posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome,²⁸ and acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.^14,29-34