Evaluation of Demographic, Clinical, and Electroencephalographic Findings in Pediatric Patients Followed Up for
Nihal Yıldız1, Zeynep Gokce Gayretli Aydin2, Pınar Özkan Kart3
1Pediatric Neurology, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkey.
Insights
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) often causes neurological symptoms. Electroencephalographic abnormalities were found in 28.6% of MIS-C patients, indicating a need for neurological monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a post-COVID-19 condition with diverse symptoms.
- Neurological manifestations are common in MIS-C, necessitating further investigation.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) is crucial for assessing neurological function in affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate electroencephalographic (EEG) findings in children with MIS-C.
- To compare neurological manifestations and EEG results between MIS-C patients and healthy controls.
- To determine the significance of EEG abnormalities in MIS-C and their correlation with neurological deficits.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 70 children diagnosed with MIS-C between March 2020 and 2022.
- Collection of demographic data, clinical complaints, and neurological examination findings.
- Performance of baseline and follow-up electroencephalography (EEG) and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for selected patients.
Main Results:
- Neurological symptoms were present in 72% of MIS-C patients.
- EEG abnormalities, including generalized and focal paroxysmal activity, were detected in 28.6% of patients.
- Abnormal EEG findings correlated with neurological manifestations in 12 out of 20 affected patients, regardless of MRI results.
Conclusions:
- EEG abnormalities are significant in children with MIS-C, even in asymptomatic cases.
- Close neurological monitoring, including EEG, is essential for managing MIS-C patients.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neurophysiological impact of MIS-C.
Abstract:
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been reported to cause many different symptoms. We aimed to evaluate the electroencephalographic findings as well as the neurological manifestations of children, followed up with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in comparison with healthy controls.Children who were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome between March 2020 and 2022 were included. The demographic characteristics of the patients, complaints, electroencephalographic findings, and follow-ups were examined.Seventy patients, with a mean age of 108 (±47.7) months and 44 (62.9%) males, were included in the study. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children was divided into three categories based on severity:mild (n=41; 58.5%), moderate (n=24; 34.2%), and severe (n=5; 7.1%). At least one neurological symptom was present in 51 (72%) of cases. Table 1 lists the admission grievances. Electroencephalographic recordings were made for all patients in terms of sleep and wakefulness. Electroencephalographic abnormalities were detected in 20 (28.6%) patients (n=2 generalized and n=18 focal paroxysmal activity). Six weeks later, patients with abnormal electroencephalographic patterns underwent imaging and a control electroencephalography. Generalized epileptiform activity was detected in two patients on electroencephalography, but the patients had normal cranial magnetic resonance imaging and no neurological deficit was found. Of these 20 patients,12 had neurological manifestations, and 8 were asymptomatic. This study provides an in-depth evaluation of neurological findings in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and includes one of the largest case series on electroencephalographic findings available in the literature. The results highlight the significance of electroencephalographic abnormalities in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in patients, emphasizing the need for close neurological monitoring.
