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An 8-year-old girl from Minnesota named Avella Bauer has been in hospital since March after developing a rare illness from COVID-19 infection. Bauer was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) after testing positive for COVID-19.
Her mother, Lani Bauer, said NBC News that she developed a mild fever in early March and, as the fever flared up later in the week and Avella was able to return to school, Lani soon realized that her daughter was not was not acting like herself.
“I got a phone call from her after school telling me that I had to come and pick her up because she was not herself and she was sleeping in one of their small rooms,” said she declared. On Saturday morning, Lani discovered that Avella was unresponsive and rushed her to the hospital. There, providers performed several tests, in which she tested positive for COVID-19 and was also diagnosed with ADEM. She is now paralyzed and has been hospitalized ever since.
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It’s called Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and here’s what you need to know about it.
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ADEM is a condition that causes a brief but widespread attack of inflammation on the brain and spinal cord, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). This attack damages myelin, the protective covering of nerve fibers, and can lead to sudden symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures and coma.
The disorder can cause neurological problems, including:
- Loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Weakness to paralysis
- Difficulty coordinating voluntary muscle movements, such as walking
Video: 8-year-old now paralyzed with rare disorder after COVID diagnosis: What experts say on possible link (health)
8-year-old now paralyzed with rare disorder after COVID diagnosis – what experts say on possible link
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FOLLOWING
ADEM typically follows bacterial or viral infections or, in rare cases, vaccination against measles, mumps or rubella, according to NINDS.
A GoFundMe set up for Avella says she has “significant” damage to the brain and spinal cord. “Usually with ADEM there is about a 70% chance of total recovery,” says the page’s first update. “However, her case is so extreme that its outcome will be unknown for quite a while.”
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The GoFundMe explained that the only antibody that came back positive for an unknown infection before Avella developed ADEM was COVID-19, although he admits that they cannot say with complete certainty that it is what caused it. “What happened was that once the antibody fighting the original infection (COVID was gone, he got confused and attacked his nervous system (brain) – so it is that ADEM happened, “he said.” There is no 100% way to say that COVID was the original infection, but through all the findings it is is what makes the most sense. It probably also played a role in the extreme severity of this one. “
Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University of Buffalo in New York, tells Health that it can be difficult to identify the exact cause of ADEM. “It is certainly possible that this is caused by COVID-19,” he says. “However, it is very difficult to be absolutely certain.”
Other experts agree that while it is possible that the two are related, it is difficult to know for sure. Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, principal investigator at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said Health“ADEM can be caused by various infections such as influenza, hepatitis viruses, other respiratory viruses and bacteria like mycoplasmas,” he says. “I think it’s possible that SARS-CoV2 could cause ADEM, like other respiratory viruses can.” However, continues Dr Adalja, “This appears to be a rare event and not part of the general course or infection to be expected, especially in children who are usually spared the severe consequences of infection.”
William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, recounts Health, “Fortunately, this is a rare event, but it could happen. I don’t think it’s something that people in general need to worry about, but doctors need to know it. ”
And although ADEM is rare, Dr Russo urges parents to be vigilant about COVID-19 and to adhere to all safety precautions, including masking and frequent hand washing. “Parents mainly focus on if children are infected, the likelihood that they are and in the hospital,” he says. “But we don’t know the intermediate and long-term effects of this virus, including possible effects on the heart and other organs. The best strategy is not to get infected.”
Additionally, Lani urges people to get vaccinated and follow other COVID-19 prevention strategies. “If getting the vaccine and wearing your mask is one more step in preventing this from happening to another child, that’s what I want to stress,” she said.
GoFundMe for Avella has raised $ 23,000 so far.
The information in this story is accurate at the time of posting. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it is possible that some data has changed since publication. While Health tries to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed with news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.
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