Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025
Intracerebroventricular and Intravascular Injection of Viral Particles and Fluorescent Microbeads into the Neonatal Brain
Published on: July 24, 2016
Coronavirus Infection in Neonates: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months of Age
Mariam Ayed1, Zainab Alsaffar2, Zainab Bahzad2
1Neonatal Department, Maternity Hospital, Kuwait City 900015, Kuwait.
Insights
Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection did not impact 18-month neurodevelopmental outcomes. Infants infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) showed no significant differences compared to uninfected controls.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Infectious diseases
- Neurodevelopmental pediatrics
Background:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in neonates typically results in mild disease.
- The long-term neurodevelopmental effects of neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the 18-month neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants who experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection during the neonatal period.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study enrolled 58 neonates diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Matched historical controls were selected for comparison.
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed at 18 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-3rd Edition (BSID-III).
Main Results:
- Forty children with SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed; 45% were asymptomatic.
- At 18 months, only one child had severe developmental delay and one had language delay.
- No significant differences in BSID-III outcomes were observed between SARS-CoV-2 infected and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection did not lead to significant differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months compared to controls.
- Further long-term follow-up studies are warranted to fully understand the neurodevelopmental impact.
Background:
Although most neonates with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection experience only mild disease, its impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes is unknown. This study aimed to assess the 18-month neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants who had SARS-CoV-2 infection as neonates.
Methods:
The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of neonates diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection from June 2020 to December 2020 through nasopharyngeal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 58 neonates were identified from the Kuwait National COVID-19 Registry and enrolled. Historical controls were selected from the neonatal follow-up registry and matched in a 2 : 1 ratio based on sex and gestational age. When the subjects were 18 months of age, their neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed by two trained assessors using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-3rd Edition (BSID-III).
Results:
Forty children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the final analysis. The median age at infection was 18 days (range: 10-26 days). Eighteen (45%) patients were asymptomatic, 15 (37.5%) had a sepsis-like presentation, 5 (12.5%) exhibited respiratory distress, and 2 (5%) had a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)-like presentation. At the 18 months follow-up, only one child showed a severe developmental delay and one child had a language delay. BSID-III outcomes did not differ significantly between the SARS-CoV-2-infected and control groups.
Conclusions:
There was no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with controls, although longer neurodevelopmental follow-up studies are required.
