Doctors in Missouri said a 3-year-old boy suffered a stroke after testing positive for Covid-19, in what they called a possible example of the neurological effects associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
The child, Colt Parris, was recovering on Thursday at the University of Missouri Children’s and Children’s Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, after surgery to treat a brain clot, NBC affiliate KSN-TV reported. He must recover fully, doctors told the agency.
Dr. Camilo Gomez, a neurologist at the hospital, said the doctors were examining the extent of the link between Covid-19 and neurological problems.
“Covid’s diagnosis is important because we think the reason why (patients) with Covid, including the child, have strokes and a variety of other problems is that they are prone to clots,” Gomez told the station.
Researchers, since the beginning of the pandemic, have observed a possible association between the coronavirus and blood clots, including those that affect the patient’s brain.
A study of 214 patients earlier this year in Wuhan, China, found that more than a third had neurological manifestations of the disease, including loss of consciousness and stroke. American doctors also documented and studied blood clots and strokes among patients with Covid-19.
Colt tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies and hours later he lost the ability to move his right arm and leg, his mother, Sara Parris, told KSN-TV. She said she noticed the difference when he grabbed a stuffed animal.
“I went to give him his Boo and I realized that he didn’t use his dominant arm to grab him,” she said. “He reached out to get his rabbit and, again, I knew something else was not right.”
Dr. Paul Carney, a pediatric neurologist, said the boy had a stroke that cut off the blood supply to the left brain.
“There is really no other case like this,” Carney told the station. “If it were anyone over 40 or 60, it would probably have a very different result.”
Colt’s parents told KSN-TV that they hoped their experience would raise awareness about Covid-19.
“Masks and stuff, people need to wear them,” said his father, Tim Parris. “It’s important. If you don’t want your kids to go through this, people need to be more aware.”