Coronavirus Infection in Neonates: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months of Age

  1. Mariam Ayed
  2. Zainab Alsaffar
  3. Zainab Bahzad
  4. Yasmeen Buhamad
  5. Ali Abdulkareem
  6. Alaa AlQattan
  7. Alia Embaireeg
  8. Mais Kartam
  9. Hessa Alkandari

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Abstract

Background. Although most neonates with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection experience only mild disease, its impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes is unknown. This study aimed to assess the 18-month neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants who had SARS-CoV-2 infection as neonates. Methods. The authors conducted a prospective cohort study of neonates diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection from June 2020 to December 2020 through nasopharyngeal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 58 neonates were identified from the Kuwait National COVID-19 Registry and enrolled. Historical controls were selected from the neonatal follow-up registry and matched in a 2 : 1 ratio based on sex and gestational age. When the subjects were 18 months of age, their neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed by two trained assessors using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-3rd Edition (BSID-III). Results. Forty children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection were included in the final analysis. The median age at infection was 18 days (range: 10–26 days). Eighteen (45%) patients were asymptomatic, 15 (37.5%) had a sepsis-like presentation, 5 (12.5%) exhibited respiratory distress, and 2 (5%) had a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)-like presentation. At the 18 months follow-up, only one child showed a severe developmental delay and one child had a language delay. BSID-III outcomes did not differ significantly between the SARS-CoV-2-infected and control groups. Conclusions There was no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with controls, although longer neurodevelopmental follow-up studies are required.

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  1. Version published to 10.1155/2023/6140085
  2. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2022.04.15.22273460: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    EthicsConsent: Verbal informed consent obtained from the child’s parents prior to conducting the study.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    Statistical analysis was performed with Stata/IC 14.2 (StataCorp, College station, Texas, 2015).
    StataCorp
    suggested: (Stata, RRID:SCR_012763)

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    There are several limitations to the current study. First, the control population were a historical cohort, and thus their data may be incomplete. Second, the sample size was relatively small. Third, there were some confounders that we were unable to control for. In conclusion, our study demonstrates no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to a historical control group. However, additional long-term follow-up is required to ensure this remains the case after 18 months. Furthermore, the neurodevelopmental outcomes are likely to be largely normal because most neonates are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms; neonates with severe COVID-19 or neurological involvement are likely to be more at risk of neurodevelopmental impairment.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  3. Version published to 10.1101/2022.04.15.22273460v1 on medRxiv