The Impact of the Omicron Variant in Pediatric COVID-19 Patients with Seizures
Introduction: Late in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been an upsurge in pediatric patients with seizures. This study was conducted to compare the demographic, laboratory, neurodiagnostic, and clinical characteristics of children with seizures infected with COVID-19 during the period when the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) was the predominant VOC with those of children with seizures infected with COVID-19 before the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Methodology: The population of this retrospective observational cohort study consisted of a total of 58 pediatric patients who had seizures and were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 15, 2020, and August 31, 2022.
Results: The median frequency of seizures during the follow-up period was 2 (min. 1, max. 7). Focal seizures were observed in four (7%) patients. There was no significant difference between the Omicron and pre-Omicron VOC groups in the demographic-clinical characteristics and seizure findings (p>0.05). Excluding the patients with known neurological disease, the majority of the patients were under the age of six, and 84% were diagnosed with febrile convulsions. There was no significant difference between the groups in diagnosis types, treatment protocols, and clinical outcomes (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The rise in seizures reported in children infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic’s last stages was linked to the Omicron VOC, which was the prevalent VOC at the time. Nevertheless, our findings indicated that Omicron VOC had similar outcomes to other COVID-19 variants in children with seizures.
Keywords: children, COVID-19, Omicron, SARS-CoV-2, seizures
Running title: Omicron Variant and Pediatric Seizures
