Seizures in hospitalised paediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 and comparison of severity with seizures in hospitalised paediatric patients with other respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based cohort study.
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Anastasopoulou S, Svensson E, Wickström R, Hertting O, Rinder MR, Bennet R, Eriksson M
Arch Dis Child - (-) -
[2023-10-05; online 2023-10-05]
To study seizures in patients hospitalised due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and compare their severity with seizures in patients hospitalised due to other viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Observational population-based cohort study. Northern Stockholm. Patients aged 1 month-18 years hospitalised due to SARS-CoV-2 with and without seizures, and patients of the same age hospitalised due to other viral RTIs with seizures, between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2022. The prevalence of seizures in hospitalised patients due to SARS-CoV-2, the evaluation of assumed predictors of seizures and the comparison of severity markers in patients with SARS-CoV-2 versus other RTIs. 32 of 239 included patients (13.4%) admitted due to SARS-CoV-2 infection had seizures. Central nervous system (CNS) disease and the omicron period had significantly increased OR for seizures (OR: 5.12; CI: 2.06 to 12.72 and OR: 3.01; CI: 1.15 to 7.88, respectively). Seizures in patients with SARS-CoV-2 were more common in children older than 5 years (p=0.001), even in the absence of fever (p=0.007), as compared with other viral RTIs. The duration of hospitalisation was longer in patients with seizures due to other viral RTIs (p=0.023). There was no significant difference regarding severity markers of seizures between the two groups. CNS disease and the omicron period were risk factors for seizures in patients with SARS-CoV-2, who were older than patients with other RTIs. The severity of seizures was comparable between the two groups; hospitalisation was however longer in patients with other RTIs.
PubMed 37798081
DOI 10.1136/archdischild-2023-325974
Crossref 10.1136/archdischild-2023-325974
pii: archdischild-2023-325974