Coronavirus infection in neonates: Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months of age

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.

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“…A preprint has previously been published in medrxiv ( https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.15.22273460v1.full.pdf ) [ 46 ].…”

Section: Disclosurementioning

confidence: 99%

Coronavirus Infection in Neonates: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months of Age

Ayed¹,

Alsaffar

Bahzad

et al. 2023

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiolog

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COVID-19 among infants: key clinical features and remaining controversies

Cimolai

2024

Clin Exp Pediatr

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Infants aged <1 year represent a seemingly more susceptible pediatric subset for infections. Despite this, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has not been proven as more serious in this age group (outside the very early neonatal period) than in others. Indeed, a considerable number of asymptomatic infections have been recorded, and the symptoms and morbidity associated with COVID- 19 differ minimally from those of other respiratory viral infections. Whether due to an abundance of caution or truly reduced susceptibility, infections in infants have not raised the same profile as those in other age groups. In addition to direct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 diagnostic tests, laboratory markers that differentiate COVID-19 from other viral infections lack specificity in infants. Gastrointestinal presentations are common, and the neurological complications of infection mirror those of other respiratory viral infections. There have been relatively few reports of infant deaths. Under appropriate precautions, breastfeeding in the context of maternal infections has been associated with tangible but infrequent complications. Vaccination during pregnancy provides protection against infection in infants, at least in the early months of life. Multi-inflammatory syndrome in children and multi-inflammatory syndrome in neonates are commonly cited as variants of COVID-19; however, their clinical definitions remain controversial. Similarly, reliable definitions of long COVID in the infant group are controversial. This narrative review examines the key clinical and laboratory features of COVID-19 in infants and identifies several areas of science awaiting further clarification.

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Coronavirus infection in neonates: Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months of age

Cited by 2 publications

References 43 publications

Coronavirus Infection in Neonates: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months of Age

Coronavirus Infection in Neonates: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months of Age

COVID-19 among infants: key clinical features and remaining controversies

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