Corona Affects Children’s Nervous System, First Such Case Found In AIIMS

New Delhi : The first case of nerve damage in the brain of an 11-year-old girl due to coronavirus has been reported at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. This has also affected her vision. Doctors of the Children’s Neurology Division are preparing a report on her health. It will be published soon.

The draft report stated, “We have found acute demyelinating syndrome (ADS) in an 11-year-old girl due to a corona infection. This is the first case found in children.”

The nerves are covered with a protective layer, called myelin, that helps to quickly and easily transfer messages from the brain through the body. ADS includes health conditions that damage myelin, brain signals and affect neurological functions such as vision, movement of muscles, senses, bladder and bowel movement, etc.

Dr. Shefali Gulati, Head, Department of Pediatrics, Child Neurology Division of AIIMS, said, “This girl came to us with a lack of vision. ADS seen on MRI, which is a new manifestation. However, we now know that the virus affects the brain and lungs prominently. We have planned to publish the report of the case as we have found that such a condition was caused by Corona.”

The girl was under treatment under the supervision of Dr. Gulati. Her condition improved with immunotherapy and she was discharged from the hospital after about 50 percent of vision was restored.

AIIMS doctors are treating another Corona positive teenager. He had fever and encephalopathy (brain swelling). Doctors are still trying to find out if it was also caused by Corona.

In a review published in Pediatric Neurology, Dr. Gulati stated, “The challenges faced by pediatricians in a developing country are specific. Only a few centers, including our own, run round-the-clock child neurology tele-helpline and tele-counseling services, but the limited availability of video-call and Internet facility in rural households limits their efficient use.”