Seizures in Children With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection

Although respiratory symptoms are the most prominent manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and especially the omicron variant, may cause neurological manifestations such as seizures. It remains unclear if specific variants of the virus increase the risk of seizures more than others.

This was a retrospective multicenter study of pediatric (zero to 16 years) patients with COVID-19 who attended five pediatric emergency departments in Madrid, Spain, between March 2020 and July 2022. An analysis of demographics, medical history, and seizure characteristics was conducted. The data obtained were correlated with the incidence of the different strains of SARS-CoV-2 in the Community of Madrid.

A total of 2411 seizures (infectious and noninfectious) were recorded, and 35 of them (1.4%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of those 35 patients, 18 (51.4%) reported a history of previous seizures. The highest percentage of cases occurred when the omicron variant was the most prevalent (28 [80%] vs 7 [20%] before omicron variant). Typical febrile seizures accounted for 52.9% of the cases. No treatment was required in more than half (57.1%) of the cases.

during the emergence of the omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19-associated seizures. These findings highlight the need for SARS-CoV-2 screening in patients with febrile and afebrile seizures, in addition to other microbiological, biochemical, or neuroimaging tests, depending on the patient's age and clinical presentation.