AIIMS reports first case of Covid-19-related brain nerve damage in a child

The New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has reported its first coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-induced brain nerve damage in a girl (11), which has led to her blurred vision.

The doctors in the child neurology division are preparing a report on her health condition that they plan to publish soon.

“We have found Covid-19 infection-induced Acute Demyelinating Syndrome (ADS) in an 11-year-old girl. This is the first case that has been reported in the paediatric age group,” said the draft of the report.

The nerves are covered with a protective layer called myelin that helps messages from the brain move quickly and smoothly through the body.

ADS include health conditions that damage myelin, brain signals and affect a gamut of neurological functions such as vision, muscle movement, senses, bladder and bowel movement etc.

The girl was undergoing treatment under Dr Gulati’s supervision. Her condition improved with immunotherapy, and she was discharged from the hospital after about 50% of her vision was regained.

AIIMS authorities are also treating another Covid-19-positive teenager (13) girl after she had complained of fever and encephalopathy (swelling of brain). She is undergoing treatment and the doctors are still trying to ascertain whether her condition was induced by Covid-19.

Epilepsy, encephalitis, Kawasaki-like disease, Guillain-barre syndrome etc are the other commonplace health complications that children, who tested Covid-19 positive, are known to suffer from. Some of these brain conditions may adversely affect the long-term neurodevelopmental outcome. As a result, these children need a regular follow-up treatment that can be a challenge for a resource-strapped country such as India.

The treatment gap for neurological disorders is going to increase in India in the near future.