Although children tolerate coronavirus infection more easily than adults, in rare cases, they develop dangerous neurological syndromes, Report informs with reference to an expert review published in The Lancet.
According to the article, young patients, who have recovered from COVID-19, may suffer damage to the brain (up to a stroke), nervous tissue, and spine. The study of 38 children with these symptoms was the largest to date description of the effect of the virus on the children's central nervous system. Scientists were able to identify these manifestations only with the help of MRI.
In many cases, the researchers observed abnormal spinal nerve root tension that was only detectable with MRI, the study said. The children also developed myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord), which in rare cases led to paralysis. Of the 38 examined young patients, four eventually died from CNS pathologies caused by COVID-19. Four children developed thromboischemic disease, and one child developed a stroke with multiple cerebral hemorrhages.