Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41171518›Full record

ArticleInfection2026

Persistent neurological sequelae in children and adolescents after SARS-CoV-2: a scoping review.

Salma Zouari Mallouli, Daniel Munblit, Ekaterina Iakovleva, Andrea Sylvia Winkler, Arianna Fornari, Raimund Helbok, Walter Struhal, Simone Beretta, Wouter De Groote, Chiara Curatoli and 11 more

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Infection, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Salma Zouari MallouliChild Neurology Department at Hedi Chaker, Sfax University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia. mallouli.salma26@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2298-3613
Daniel MunblitDivision of Care in Long Term Conditions, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9652-6856
Ekaterina IakovlevaDepartment of Paediatrics and Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Institute of Child's Health, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3107-5414
Andrea Sylvia WinklerCenter for Global Health, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3131-6983
Arianna FornariPublic Health, and Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4228-5473
Raimund HelbokDepartment of Neurology, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5682-0145
Walter StruhalKarl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7360-7784
Simone BerettaDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo Dei Tintori, Monza, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9417-2748
Wouter De GrooteDepartment of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability and Rehabilitation, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0969-1077
Chiara CuratoliDepartment of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-8951-1504
Martina LanzaPublic Health, and Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5970-2523
Fink ErickaDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-4571
Lucia CrivelliDepartment of Cognitive Neurology, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-9389
Giorgia GiussaniDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2460-3095
Mohammad WasayDepartment of Neurology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4135-2056
Olfa Chakroun WalhaEmergency Department, Habib Bourguiba Sfax University Hospital, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9224-7080
Faiza SafiDepartment of Pediatrics, Hedi Chaker Sfax University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7110-016X
Matilde LeonardiNeurology, Public Health, Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0552-8923
Ricardo AllegriDepartment of Cognitive Neurology, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7166-1234
Alla GuekhtMoscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-5667-9617
Chahnez Charfi TrikiChild Neurology Department at Hedi Chaker, Sfax University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2918-3819

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesFor the past five years, COVID-19 has not only been a priority for health planning but also a hotspot for clinical research. Yet, the weight of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic arises from the critical phase consequences due to the onset of acute disease, associated containment measures, and documented ongoing disabling symptoms. Investigating the global longitudinal effects on children and adolescents will inform future health directives tailored to this population's needs. This review aimed to report the spectrum of persistent neurological sequelae in children and adolescents following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

methodsHence, we conducted a scoping review following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We included the peer-reviewed articles from PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and WHO COVID database to identify relevant literature on long-COVID-19 neurological signs/symptoms among children and adolescents. The search covered the period between September 2020 and September 2024.

resultsThe results of our analysis of 33 studies found long-COVID-19-related neurological signs/symptoms were predominantly: pain and sensory problems (N = 74,612/91,543; 81.5%), followed by sleep disturbances (N = 14,630/91,543; 15.9%), and cognitive difficulties (N = 2274/91,543; 2.4%). The global prevalence of long COVID-19 neurological signs/symptoms was estimated between 0.4% (20/5032; 95% CI = 2.1-3%) and 34% (27/79) based on data obtained through online questionnaire; while it varied between 1.8% (4/215) and 83.14% (74/89; 95%CI =   -  0.12; 0.30) based on patient assessment. Long-COVID-19-related neurological signs/symptoms were more common in the 11-16 age group. Children with immunocompetent profiles were at higher risk of developing long-COVID-19-related neurological signs/symptoms.

conclusionOur results demonstrate a considerable burden of COVID-19-related persistent neurological signs/symptoms in children and adolescents, which should be taken into consideration in healthcare decision-making.

Indexed as

COVID-19Nervous System DiseasesAdolescentChildHumansSARS-CoV-2Long COVID-19Neurological sequelaePediatricSARS-CoV-2 infection

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.