Fever, headache, cough etc. Some of the symptoms of Kovid-19 are now known. However, four years after its arrival in France, the virus has not finished revealing all its secrets. In the United States, a team from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary reported the first pediatric case of bilateral vocal cord paralysis after Covid-19 infection.
Nine days after being diagnosed with Covid-19 infection, a 15-year-old female presented to the emergency department of Massachusetts General Hospital with symptoms of respiratory distress. Examination with an endoscope revealed bilateral vocal cord paralysis. As explained in a press release posted online by the Eurekalert site, the paralysis is probably the effect of a virus as, for the moment, no other cause has been reported. The findings were published Dec. 19 in the journal Pediatrics.
According to researchers, vocal cord paralysis may be a nervous system-related complication of the virus. “Given the frequency of this virus in children, this newly identified potential complication should be considered in any child experiencing breathing, speaking, or swallowing symptoms after a recent diagnosis of Covid-19.“, underlines first author Daniel Renee Leroy, a resident in the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.
Tracheotomy for 13 months
At 13 months, the girl had to undergo a tracheotomy to relieve her breathing problems. “She told me she would not go to the prom instead of a tracheotomy. We decided to intervene so she could graduate high school and go to her prom without a tracheotomy.“, explains Christopher Hartnick, lead author of the study.
Before concluding: “For a young, healthy and dynamic high school student to suddenly lose one of his vital cranial nerves, to the point where he can’t breathe for a long time, is very unusual and requires some analysis. The fact that Covid-19 can actually have long-term neurotrophic effects in children is important for the wider pediatric community to be aware of so that we can better treat our children.“
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