Scientists have found that 44% of children hospitalised due to the deadly virus are now suffering from brain problems.
Headaches and changes in mental conditions among children are known as severe encephalopathy.
Headache and mental problems have increased among the children who were hospitalised due to Covid-19, claims a new study. Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine of America conducted a brief study and included 1,493 children under the age of 18, who were hospitalised between January 2020 and April 2021 due to the novel coronavirus infection.
With the help of 30 paediatric critical care centres around the world, symptoms of headaches and mental problems among children have been examined. The average age of these children was 8 years. At least 47% of these children were girls.
Scientists have found that 44% of children hospitalised due to the deadly virus are now suffering from brain problems.
Headaches and changes in mental conditions among children are known as severe encephalopathy. About 44% of children included in the research were diagnosed with at least one neurological symptom. Headache and acute encephalopathy were most common in 21% of children and altered mental status in 16% of children.
The paediatricians associated with GCS-Neuro COVID were also included in this research on Covid-19 infection. GCS-NeuroCovid is a multi-central organisation that is working to understand the impacts of coronavirus on the brain and neuro system.
Dr Ericka Fink, a paediatric scientist at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and lead author of this study said, “SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect paediatric patients in different ways. Not just that, problems of inflammation, known as MIS-C, can also be reported among these children infected with Covid in earlier days.”
