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Neurorehabilitation of a Pediatric Patient with Viral Encephalitis Caused by COVID-19: A Case Report

Received: 29 November 2023    Accepted: 13 December 2023    Published: 26 December 2023
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Abstract

Viral encephalitis affects brain function and can lead to various symptoms, including headaches, fever, behavioral changes, and seizures. It may even result in long-term neurological damage or other severe consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 can infect the brain and cause neurological damage, although the likelihood of this occurring is relatively rare. This case report discusses the treatment and recovery of a pediatric patient with viral encephalitis caused by COVID-19. A 3-year-old boy developed severe symptoms, including high fever, altered consciousness, and seizures. The child was diagnosed with viral encephalitis after testing positive for the coronavirus in a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. He underwent brain MRI, Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and electroencephalography (EEG) examinations, revealing certain neurological damage. During the rehabilitation therapy that included motor training, speech therapy, and sensory integration training, we found that this damage manifested as significant neurological impairments, including difficulties with sensory integration, speech, and cognitive abilities. Following the completion of these rehabilitation exercises, the child's neurological functions and social abilities improved. Therefore, in children post-COVID-19 infection, vigilance for potential impacts on the nervous system is necessary, and early intervention with rehabilitation treatment is required.

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18
Page(s) 235-240
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

COVID-19, Viral Encephalitis, Neurological Complications, Pediatric Neurorehabilitation

References
[1] Wang D, Hu B, Hu C, et al. Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020 Mar 17; 323(11): 1061-1069. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.1585.
[2] Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15; 395(10223): 497-506. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5.
[3] Helms J, Kremer S, Merdji H, et al. Neurologic Features in Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jun 4; 382(23): 2268-2270. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2008597.
[4] A. Venkatesan, Tunkel AR, Bloch KC, et al. Case definitions, diagnostic algorithms, and priorities in encephalitis: consensus statement of the international encephalitis consortium. Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Oct; 57(8): 1114-28. doi: 10.1093/cid/cit458.
[5] Suzuki R, Yamasoba D, Kimura I, Wang L, et al. Attenuated fusogenicity and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Nature. 2022 Mar; 603(7902): 700-705. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04462-1.
[6] He Y, Zhang F, Liu Y, et al. Clinical Characteristics of Mild Patients with Breakthrough Infection of Omicron Variant in China after Relaxing the Dynamic Zero COVID-19 Policy. Vaccines. 2023 May 10; 11(5): 968. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11050968.
[7] Geng H. Study on the Effect of SIT Therapy Based on Ayres Sensory Integration Theory on Children Aged 3-6 with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Tianjin University of Sport, 2023. doi: 10.27364/d.cnki.gttyy.2023.000288.
[8] Kat S, Xu L, Guo Y, et al. Reliability and Validity of the Simplified Chinese Version of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist in Chinese Autism Population. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Oct 14; 11: 545445. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.545445.
[9] Panda PK, Sharawat IK, Panda P, et al. Neurological Complications of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Trop Pediatr. 2021 Jul 2; 67(3): fmaa070. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmaa070.
[10] Johansson A, Mohamed MS, Moulin TC, Schiöth HB. Neurological manifestations of COVID-19: A comprehensive literature review and discussion of mechanisms. J Neuroimmunol. 2021 Sep 15; 358: 577658. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2021.577658.
[11] Cecchetti G, Agosta F, Canu E, et al. Cognitive, EEG, and MRI features of COVID-19 survivors: a 10-month study. J Neurol. 2022 Jul; 269(7): 3400-3412. doi: 10.1007/s00415-022-11047-5.
[12] Rapalino O, Weerasekera A, Moum SJ, et al. Brain MR Spectroscopic Findings in 3 Consecutive Patients with COVID-19: Preliminary Observations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2021 Jan; 42(1): 37-41. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A6877.
[13] Islam MA, Cavestro C, Alam SS, et al. Encephalitis in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Evidence-Based Analysis. Cells. 2022 Aug 18; 11(16): 2575. doi: 10.3390/cells11162575.
[14] Christie S, Chan V, Mollayeva T, Colantonio A. Systematic review of rehabilitation intervention outcomes of adult and paediatric patients with infectious encephalitis. BMJ Open. 2018 May 14; 8(5): e015928. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-015928.
[15] Mary P. Neuro-Rehabilitation Program Treatment: Principles and Process. In Successful Private Practice in Neuropsychology and Neuro-Rehabilitation: A Scientist-Practitioner Model. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Academic Press; 2015, pp. 129-165.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Chen, K., Chen, Z., Zhong, L., Cao, Y., Wang, G. (2023). Neurorehabilitation of a Pediatric Patient with Viral Encephalitis Caused by COVID-19: A Case Report. American Journal of Pediatrics, 9(4), 235-240. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18

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    ACS Style

    Chen, K.; Chen, Z.; Zhong, L.; Cao, Y.; Wang, G. Neurorehabilitation of a Pediatric Patient with Viral Encephalitis Caused by COVID-19: A Case Report. Am. J. Pediatr. 2023, 9(4), 235-240. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18

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    AMA Style

    Chen K, Chen Z, Zhong L, Cao Y, Wang G. Neurorehabilitation of a Pediatric Patient with Viral Encephalitis Caused by COVID-19: A Case Report. Am J Pediatr. 2023;9(4):235-240. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18,
      author = {Ke-yi Chen and Zhuo-ming Chen and Li-min Zhong and Yi-qi Cao and Gang Wang},
      title = {Neurorehabilitation of a Pediatric Patient with Viral Encephalitis Caused by COVID-19: A Case Report},
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {9},
      number = {4},
      pages = {235-240},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20230904.18},
      abstract = {Viral encephalitis affects brain function and can lead to various symptoms, including headaches, fever, behavioral changes, and seizures. It may even result in long-term neurological damage or other severe consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 can infect the brain and cause neurological damage, although the likelihood of this occurring is relatively rare. This case report discusses the treatment and recovery of a pediatric patient with viral encephalitis caused by COVID-19. A 3-year-old boy developed severe symptoms, including high fever, altered consciousness, and seizures. The child was diagnosed with viral encephalitis after testing positive for the coronavirus in a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. He underwent brain MRI, Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and electroencephalography (EEG) examinations, revealing certain neurological damage. During the rehabilitation therapy that included motor training, speech therapy, and sensory integration training, we found that this damage manifested as significant neurological impairments, including difficulties with sensory integration, speech, and cognitive abilities. Following the completion of these rehabilitation exercises, the child's neurological functions and social abilities improved. Therefore, in children post-COVID-19 infection, vigilance for potential impacts on the nervous system is necessary, and early intervention with rehabilitation treatment is required.
    },
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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    AU  - Ke-yi Chen
    AU  - Zhuo-ming Chen
    AU  - Li-min Zhong
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18
    T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
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    SN  - 2472-0909
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20230904.18
    AB  - Viral encephalitis affects brain function and can lead to various symptoms, including headaches, fever, behavioral changes, and seizures. It may even result in long-term neurological damage or other severe consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 can infect the brain and cause neurological damage, although the likelihood of this occurring is relatively rare. This case report discusses the treatment and recovery of a pediatric patient with viral encephalitis caused by COVID-19. A 3-year-old boy developed severe symptoms, including high fever, altered consciousness, and seizures. The child was diagnosed with viral encephalitis after testing positive for the coronavirus in a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. He underwent brain MRI, Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and electroencephalography (EEG) examinations, revealing certain neurological damage. During the rehabilitation therapy that included motor training, speech therapy, and sensory integration training, we found that this damage manifested as significant neurological impairments, including difficulties with sensory integration, speech, and cognitive abilities. Following the completion of these rehabilitation exercises, the child's neurological functions and social abilities improved. Therefore, in children post-COVID-19 infection, vigilance for potential impacts on the nervous system is necessary, and early intervention with rehabilitation treatment is required.
    
    VL  - 9
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    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

  • Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

  • Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

  • Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

  • Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

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