Encephalopathy and bilateral thalamic lesions in a child with MIS-C associated with COVID-19
Dori Abel, Min Shen, Zaynah Abid, Claire Hennigan, Alexis Boneparth, Emily Happy Miller, Anne‐Catrin Uhlemann, Danielle McBrian, Kiran T. Thakur, Wendy G. Silver, Jennifer Bain
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, characterized predominantly by respiratory symptoms, has affected a small subset of children. Neurologic manifestations have been described in adults, including encephalitis/meningitis, encephalopathy, strokes, seizures, and anosmia, 1,2 but there are few reports of neurologic manifestations in children with SARS-CoV-2. MIS-C is characterized by a Kawasaki-like illness with persistent fever, elevated inflammatory markers, and multisystem organ involvement. Although altered mental status has been described in the presence of MIS-C, 5 there are rare reports of severe encephalopathy or focal brain lesions in children with MIS-C.