Overview

• A 15-year-old girl's vocal cords were paralyzed due to COVID-19, leading to severe breathing difficulties.
• This is the first reported case of vocal cord paralysis in a teenager due to COVID-19.
• The paralysis was likely caused by the virus's effect on the nervous system, a condition known as post-viral neuropathy.
• Despite attempts at speech therapy, the girl required a tracheostomy, a surgical procedure to create an opening in the windpipe, to breathe.
• The tracheostomy tube remained in place for 15 months, indicating that this type of nerve symptom from COVID might not be temporary.