As Kawasaki syndrome: Covid-19 could trigger in children, a novel inflammation

Worldwide, there are reports of serious infections in children in connection with a Corona virus infection.

Now, a study from Bergamo, the centre of the pandemic in Italy, the most characteristic features of the rare inflammatory disease, which is similar to the so-called Kawasaki syndrome lights.

As the Doctors report in the journal ‘The Lancet’, could this be actually Covid-19 – the doctors emphasize, however, that only a small proportion of younger patients is affected.

In General, a Corona-infection in children is mild. However, in a few cases, the disease can seem to lead to symptoms reminiscent of the Kawasaki syndrome, a rare children’s disease.

This syndrome leads to an Overreaction of the immune system that is thought to be caused by bacteria or viruses.

The Coronavirus can cause such an Overreaction, is to adults already known. A direct connection between Kawasaki and Covid-19 has not been assigned yet.

However, there are now reports from several countries about children, in which inflamed blood vessels, skin rashes and fever – symptoms that resemble a Kawasaki disease at least.

A study from Italy shows clustering of Kawasaki symptoms

Doctors from the “Papa Giovanni XXIII”hospital of Bergamo now have the cases of children between the age of 18. February and the 20. April, such a disease characteristics showed, with Kawasaki cases in the Region in the five years prior to the beginning of the pandemic compared.

Overall, there were therefore between February 2015 and mid-February of this year, 19 cases of Kawasaki.

In the two months since then, 10 children with Kawasaki-like symptoms were treated, what would correspond to the study’s authors, according to a 30-fold increase with the physicians themselves point out that it is difficult to draw on the basis of such low Numbers of valid conclusions.

Eight of the ten children after the age of 18. February were taken to the hospital, were tested in an anti-body test positive for Sars-CoV-2.

All the children in the study survived, but those who ill during the pandemic, showed more severe symptoms than those from the previous five years. So it was in six of the children to heart complications, five signs of a toxic shock syndrome.

In addition, more had to be steroid-treated than in the group prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Another difference: The children, the diseased, during the Corona-shaft, were on average older than those in which previously, Kawasaki was diagnosed.

Because of these differences, the authors argue, to classify the inflammation of the disease as a “Kawasaki-like syndrome”.

In fact, the Italian study show, as well as a similar summary from the UK have different histories, which correspond only to a part of a typical Kawasaki syndrome, often a so-called atypical Kawasaki syndrome constituted, emphasises Johannes Hübner, Deputy head of the children’s hospital at the University of Munich, in an independent arrangement.

“An atypical Kawasaki syndrome shows some very nonspecific symptoms that we observe in the case of many viral infections, such as fever and a rash.”

In addition, the connection with Covid-19 is secured in the case of some of the reported cases, unclear or not.

“We have heard of no such clusters of cases,” summarizes Hübner, who is also Chairman of the German society for paediatric infectiology (DGPI).

The DGPI was to establish a reporting system for suspected cases and will monitor the Situation closely. “At the Moment the Situation in Germany is certainly not alarming,” said the doctor.

Children affected is relatively rare from the Coronavirus

Also, Russell Viner, President of the British Royal College of Pediatrics and child health, reassured: “Although the article suggests a possible re-occurring inflammatory syndrome in connection with Covid-19, it is important – both for parents and for health professionals to emphasize again that children are affected only minimally by the Sars-CoV-2 infection.”

The understanding of the phenomenon in children could, however, provide important information on immune responses to Sars-CoV-2, which could be for adults and children, as Viner.

“In particular, if it is an antibody-mediated phenomenon, this may have an impact on vaccine studies and does not explain why some children develop difficult to Covid-19, while the majority affected or asymptomatic is.”

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)

*The post “How to Kawasaki syndrome: Covid-19 could be published in children, a novel inflammation” is the cause of FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.