Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Control is investigating a group of brain abscesses Rare and serious infections affecting children in and around Las Vegas, Nevada.
Doctors from other parts of the country said they may see cases rise as well. In 2022, the number of pediatric cases will triple in Nevada.
“In my twenty years of experience, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Dr. Taryn Bragg, an assistant professor at the University of Utah, who handled the cases.
And she pointed out that “after March 2022, there was a huge increase in brain abscesses… I was seeing large numbers of cases, and this is not uncommon.”
And in almost every case, the children present with common symptoms, such as earache or sinusitis, along with a headache and a fever, but within about a week, Bragg says, it becomes clear that something more serious is going on.
After a presentation on the Nevada cases at an Epidemic Intelligence Service conference Thursday, doctors from other parts of the country said they were seeing similar increases in brain cysts in children.
Brain abscesses are pockets of pus-filled infection that spread to the brain. It may cause seizures, visual disturbances, or changes in vision, speech, or balance.
The early symptoms are headache and fever that come and go.
Abscesses often require multiple surgeries to treat them. Children may take a few weeks or even months in the hospital to recover after surgery.
Dr. Jessica Penney, in charge of the Epidemiological Intelligence Service at the Centers for Disease Control, tried to find out why the number of cases increased.
Penny noted that between 2015 and 2020, the number of brain cyst cases in Clark County was largely stable at about four cases per year.
In 2020, the number of brain cysts in children decreased, perhaps due to the imposition of social distancing, school closures, and other measures that limit the spread of all types of respiratory infections, not just “Covid-19”.
Once the restrictions were lifted, in 2021, the number of infections rose to normal levels, and increased dramatically in 2022.
She noted that about a third of the brain cysts in the Clark County cohort were caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus intermedius that is usually present harmlessly in the nose and mouth, as our immune system keeps it under control. But when it gets to places it shouldn’t be, like the blood or the brain, it can cause problems.
This can happen after a dentist visit and fix, for example, or when someone has an underlying health condition that weakens their immunity, such as diabetes. However, this was not the case with the children in the Clark County group. “These were healthy children. With no significant medical history that would have made them more susceptible to infection… There was no known immunosuppression or anything like that,” Bragg said.
Dr. Sunil Sood, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Northwell Health, a health system in New York, said the signs of sinusitis in children can be subtle, and parents don’t always know what to look out for. If a child has a cold or a stuffy nose and then wakes up the next day with red and puffy eyes, or a swollen eye closed, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention. They may also complain of headaches, and point to the point above the eyebrow as the site of pain.
new cases
Bragg said she had treated two more children with brain abscesses in 2023. However, the pace of new cases appears to be slowing.
Some of the children I treated required multiple surgeries on the brain, head, and neck to eradicate the disease.
Penny said the CDC continues to monitor the situation closely.
“We will continue to monitor throughout the year, working closely with our community partners, to see what is happening in southern Nevada,” she added.
2023-04-29 07:40:18
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