Coronavirus: doctors in Europe and US alerted about rare syndrome in children, possibly linked to Covid-19
- Health officials study cases of a coronavirus-related syndrome emerging in children
- Cases were reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease
Doctors in Europe and the United States have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.
Earlier this week, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with “a multisystem inflammatory state requiring intensive care” across the country. The group said there was “growing concern” that either a Covid-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.
“We already know that a very small number of children can become severely ill with Covid-19 but this is very rare,” said Dr Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He said the syndrome was likely caused by an overreaction of the body’s immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus.
The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children tested positive for Covid-19, so scientists are unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the new coronavirus or by something else. Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain and NHS England said it was urgently investigating the reports.
Viner said that although doctors were considering other potential causes for the syndrome, including other viruses or new medications, “the working hypothesis is that it’s Covid-19 related.”
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Spain’s Association of Paediatrics recently made a similar warning, telling doctors that in recent weeks, there had been a number of school-age children suffering from “an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms” that could lead within hours to shock, low blood pressure and heart problems.
In Italy, Dr Angelo Ravelli of Gaslini Hospital and a member of the Italian Paediatricians’ Society, sent a note to 10,000 colleagues raising his concerns. He and his team reported an unusual increase in the number of patients with Kawasaki disease in regions of Italy hit hard by the pandemic, noting some children had Covid-19 or had contacts with confirmed virus cases.
“These children do not respond to traditional treatment,” he said, adding that some were given a high dose of steroids. Those who developed toxic shock syndrome needed help breathing and were admitted to intensive care units, Ravelli said.
In the United States, three children infected with the coronavirus were being treated for a rare inflammatory syndrome that appears similar to one that has raised concerns by doctors in Britain, Italy and Spain, a specialist treating the patients said.
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All three – who range in age from 6 months to 8 years – have undergone treatment at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York, and all had fever and inflammation of the heart and the gut.
“Right now, we’re at the very beginning of trying to understand what that represents,” Columbia’s Dr Mark Gorelik said.
Gorelik, a paediatric rheumatologist and immunologist, said he was called in to consult on the cases to evaluate whether the children have Kawasaki disease.
Kawasaki symptoms include a high temperature that lasts for 5 days or more, a rash and swollen glands in the neck.
To date, children have been among the least affected group by the coronavirus. Data from more than 75,000 cases in China showed they comprised 2.4 per cent of all cases and mostly suffered only mild symptoms.
The World Health Organisation said it was attempting to gather more information on any new, coronavirus-related syndrome in children from its global network of doctors but had not received any official reports about it.
Associated Press and Reuters
