Lincoln boy likely battling post-COVID symptoms

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Hundreds of thousands of Nebraska families have been impacted by COVID-19, but there’s still several unknowns about the post-COVID effects. A Lincoln family says their six-year-old son is likely battling post-COVID symptoms after getting the virus this year.

Max Peterson was diagnosed with autism at a young age and has grown in his behavioral and developmental health. But, his family noticed his mood has changed in the last few months.

Max’s mom, Cris Petersen, said, “He has angry outbursts now and he’s hitting and he’s screaming and he’s cursing sometimes.”

It’s not only something his family noticed but also his teachers. The family received an email from them that said he’s decreased verbal communication in the last month.

They’ve also noticed he’s pacing in the classroom.

“He just seems to be lost and he’s having a hard time making eye contact which he was doing before,” Petersen said.

Max and Cris were both diagnosed with COVID-19 in January.

Since his mood has changed, the family decided to go to the hospital to see what the issue could be.

Doctors did a sedated MRI and could only come to one conclusion.

Petersen said, “All of the specialists can agree that he is having post-COVID neurological symptoms and we just haven’t been able to pinpoint what it is because it’s so new.”

The CDC said post-COVID conditions include multiorgan system effects which include the neurological system. The Mayo Clinic says the reason doctors are unable to pinpoint specific issues is that there’s a lot of unknowns about long term COVID effects.

Petersen said, ”We know that his behavior has changed and we don’t know why.”

The family fears his condition will continue getting worse not knowing how this will affect his developmental growth.

Petersen said they sent Max’s blood work to the Mayo Clinic hoping to get more answers.

Copyright 2021 KOLN. All rights reserved.