Encephalitis associated with COVID-19 in a 13-year-old girl: A case report

There are limited reports of neurological symptoms in the pediatric population with COVID-19. We report a 13-year-old girl with three days of illness characterized by headache, non-explosive vomiting, fever, and sudden-onset sensory disorder associated with difficulty in standing and hemiparesis in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nadin Melina Conto-Palomino, María Luz Cabrera-Bueno, Kenneth Grenis Vargas-Ponce, Evelina Andrea Rondón-Abuhadba, Noé Atamari-Anahui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Medwave Estudios Limitada 2020-08-01
Series:Medwave
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.medwave.cl/link.cgi/Medwave/Estudios/Casos/7984.act
Description
Summary:There are limited reports of neurological symptoms in the pediatric population with COVID-19. We report a 13-year-old girl with three days of illness characterized by headache, non-explosive vomiting, fever, and sudden-onset sensory disorder associated with difficulty in standing and hemiparesis in limbs without evidence of meningeal signs. Brain tomography revealed diffuse brain edema, and the cerebrospinal fluid study was consistent with a viral infection. COVID-19 was diagnosed based on serology. The patient had an untoward clinical course despite treatment with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and corticosteroids, dying on the third day of hospitalization. Encephalitis in a patient with COVID-19 is not frequently reported in the pediatric population. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients who arrives at the emergency with a sensory disorder or neurological symptomatology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISSN:0717-6384
0717-6384