Acute encephalopathy in a 6-year-old child with concurrent COVID-19 infection: a case report from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

COVID-19 is a global health crisis that has impacted the world with heavy economic and social losses. In the early days of the pandemic, pediatric COVID-19 was well-known for its low infectivity and mortality rates as well as its benign clinical outcomes. Herein, we report the case of a 6-year-old girl with COVID-19-associated encephalopathy without respiratory symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first child reported from Saudi Arabia with COVID-19-induced encephalopathy. A 6-year-old patient with COVID-19 was presented to the Abha Maternity and Child Hospital in southeastern Saudi Arabia. Routine clinical and laboratory examinations revealed normal findings. Despite the absence of COVID-19 respiratory manifestations, the patient manifested COVID-19-related encephalopathy. The patient responded well to pulse steroid, favipiravir, and symptomatic seizure therapies. The patient recovered completely without any neurologic morbidities. A COVID-19-related encephalopathy was observed for the first time in Saudi Arabia among pediatric patients. Clinicians should be alert to potential neurologic complications associated with COVID-19. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children presenting with acute encephalopathy, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms. To avoid long-term neurologic sequelae, prompt seizure and immunosuppressive therapies are essential.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Encephalopathy; Status epilepticus.