Could the biological co-effects of COVID-19 result in more children producing ADHD symptoms? James Swanson, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, thinks so. Using the 1918 flu pandemic as a reference, Swanson estimated that COVID-19 would produce 5 million individuals with new-onset symptoms related to ADHD.
"I think that severe COVID-19 will probably be related to severe residual sequelae, and that mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 may be associated with less severe residual sequelae, which may resemble ADHD," said Swanson.
In survivors of the 1918 pandemic, brain inflammation or encephalitis sometimes emerged as residual sequelae. “In some adult cases, these symptoms were diagnosed as encephalitis lethargica (EL) and were associated with Parkinson's disease,” Medscape said. But, in children, EL was described as having symptoms similar to the properties of ADHD: lack of concentration, insufficient goal orientation and increased distractibility.
SOURCE: Medscape May 13, 2021