• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) values in a large cross-sectional population of children with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19
  • Contributor: Geis, Tobias; Brandstetter, Susanne; Toncheva, Antoaneta A.; Laub, Otto; Leipold, Georg; Wagner, Ralf; Kabesch, Michael; Kasser, Severin; Kuhle, Jens; Wellmann, Sven; Aichholzer, Bettina; Mair, Georg; Wruk, Michaela; Reischl, Imke; Ambrosch, Andreas; Antos, David; von Koskull, Stephan; Becker, Christian; Beer, Elisabeth; Schirmer, Hubert; Birkinger, Georg; Blueml, Andreas; Buntrock-Döpke, Heike; Castrop, Mona; [...]
  • imprint: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021
  • Published in: Journal of Neurology
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10554-1
  • ISSN: 0340-5354; 1432-1459
  • Keywords: Neurology (clinical) ; Neurology
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) is an established biomarker of neuro-axonal damage in multiple neurological disorders. Raised sNfL levels have been reported in adults infected with pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Levels in children infected with COVID-19 have not as yet been reported.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Objective</jats:title> <jats:p>To evaluate whether sNfL is elevated in children contracting COVID-19.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>Between May 22 and July 22, 2020, a network of outpatient pediatricians in Bavaria, Germany, the Coronavirus antibody screening in children from Bavaria study network (CoKiBa), recruited healthy children into a cross-sectional study from two sources: an ongoing prevention program for 1–14 years, and referrals of 1–17 years consulting a pediatrician for possible infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We determined sNfL levels by single molecule array immunoassay and SARS-CoV-2 antibody status by two independent quantitative methods.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>Of the 2652 included children, 148 (5.6%) were SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 infection. Neurological symptoms—headache, dizziness, muscle aches, or loss of smell and taste—were present in 47/148 cases (31.8%). Mean sNfL levels were 5.5 pg/ml (SD 2.9) in the total cohort, 5.1 (SD 2.1) pg/ml in the children with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and 5.5 (SD 3.0) pg/ml in those without. Multivariate regression analysis revealed age—but neither antibody status, antibody levels, nor clinical severity—as an independent predictor of sNfL. Follow-up of children with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 14) showed no association with sNfL.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title> <jats:p>In this population study, children with asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 showed no neurochemical evidence of neuronal damage.</jats:p> </jats:sec>