Some kids with brain and nerve problems and serious COVID-19 leave hospital with new health issues

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-06-11 01:00

Australia; VIC; QLD

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Kids who are hospitalised with COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) - a rare complication of COVID-19 - who also have neurological (brain and nerve) problems may be more likely to leave hospital with new issues, according to Aussie and international researchers. The team looked at 3,568 patients under 18 who were hospitalised with serious COVID-19 or MIS-C and noted severe neurological problems, including brain damage, seizures, or delirium, were common, and were associated with new issues when kids left hospital. The team says young people with COVID-19-related hospitalisations with these issues should be evaluated for new health problems before discharge, as they might require additional treatments such as physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Queensland, The University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI)

Funder: This study was supported, in part, by an Investing in Clinical Neurocritical Care Research grant from the Neurocritical Care Society (Dr Fink).

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