Objective Mild symptoms are the norm for children with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but data on the Omicron form are few. One of the most frequent neurological symptoms of COVID-19 in children is febrile seizure (FS).

Methods Patients with FS who visited the pediatric fever clinic between December 6 and December 31, 2022, when the Omicron version of SARS-CoV-2 was the predominant strain, were included in this retrospective, single-center analysis.

Results Children who tested positive for COVID-19 had a 5.58% incidence of FSs. Compared to patients without COVID-19, a greater percentage of COVID-19 patients (29.5 vs. 7.5%, p < 0.01) experienced complex FSs. In the COVID-19-positive group, four cases were critically unwell and were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (1.4 vs. 0%, p < 0.01), and the admission proportion was greater (18.9 vs. 1.9%, p < 0.01). The proportion of lactic acid and IL-6 increase was larger in the COVID-19-positive group (33.5 vs. 21.5%, 22.1 vs. 17.8%, p = 0.022, p = 0.006, respectively).

Conclusion Infections with COVID-19 in children have been linked to FSs in the Omicron era. To fully understand the neuropathogenesis of seizures in children with COVID-19, more research is required.

Y.S., S.M., and X.Z. designed the study, participated in its implementation, analyzed, and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. G.S., J.F., X.G., and X.D. collected the data and carried out the initial analyses. G.H., X.Z., and S.Z. reviewed the study results. X.Z. and S.Z. conceptualized and designed the study, coordinated and supervised data collection, and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript and agreed to be responsible for all aspects of the work.

Received: 11 January 2024

Accepted: 09 July 2024

Article published online:
01 August 2024

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