SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Increased Risk for Pediatric Stroke.
Pediatr Neurol 2022;
142:89-94. [PMID:
36418211 PMCID:
PMC9675636 DOI:
10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2022.10.003]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
There is an increased risk of stroke in adults with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) infection, but whether there is a similar association with stroke in children is unclear. Our objective was to determine whether there is a correlation between COVID-19 infection, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and pediatric ischemic stroke.
METHODS
This was a retrospective, population-based cohort analysis between March 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, conducted at a children's hospital. Pediatric patients with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke were identified using ICD-10 diagnoses of ischemic stroke, cerebrovascular accident, or cerebral infarction.
RESULTS
We identified 16 patients, seven male and nine female, with ischemic stroke. Ages were 8 months to 17 years (median 11.5 years). More Asian (6%) and black (13%) patients had strokes compared with population prevalence (2% each, respectively). No patients had active COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 antibodies were identified in five of 11 patients tested (45%), of whom three were diagnosed with MIS-C. 82% of the strokes occurred between February and May 2021. The peak incidence was in February 2021, which was two months after peak incidence of pediatric cases of COVID-19 and one month after the peak of MIS-C cases.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that prior COVID-19 infection, but not acute infection, is correlated with a risk for stroke in the pediatric population. The risk for stroke appears to be distinct from the risk for MIS-C.
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