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A Neuropsychiatric Assessment of Children with Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Aim: Concerns have been raised about possible neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19. The objective of this study was to examine the plausibility of long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 by assessing a sample of children after the resolution of the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Method: As pa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Scarselli, Veronica, Calderoni, Dario, Terrinoni, Arianna, Davico, Chiara, Pruccoli, Giulia, Denina, Marco, Carducci, Chiara, Smarrazzo, Andrea, Martucci, Melania, Presicce, Mariaelena, Marcotulli, Daniele, Arletti, Luca, Ferrara, Mauro, Garazzino, Silvia, Mariani, Rosanna, Campana, Andrea, Vitiello, Benedetto
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10298991/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37373611
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm12123917
Descripción
Sumario:Aim: Concerns have been raised about possible neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19. The objective of this study was to examine the plausibility of long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 by assessing a sample of children after the resolution of the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Method: As part of a systematic follow-up assessment of pediatric patients with COVID-19 conducted at two university children’s hospitals, 50 children (56% males) aged 8 to 17 years (median 11.5), 26% with previous multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), without a prior history of neuropsychiatric disorders, received a battery of clinical neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological rating scales that included the Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment (PedMIDAS), Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC-2), Child Depression Inventory (CDI-2), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the NEPSY II (Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition). The assessments were conducted between 1 and 18 months (median 8 months) after the acute infection. Results: The CBCL internalizing symptoms score was in the clinical range for 40% of the participants (vs. a population expected rate of about 10%, p < 0.001). A sleep disturbance was detected in 28%, clinically significant anxiety in 48%, and depressive symptoms in 16%. The NEPSY II scores showed impairment in attention and other executive functions in 52%, and memory deficits in 40% of the children. Conclusions: These data from direct assessment of a sample of children who had SARS-CoV-2 infection show higher than expected rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms, thus supporting the possibility that COVID-19 may have mental health sequelae long after the resolution of the acute infection.