The British public health system warns in recent days of cases of seriously ill children, who could be linked to Covid-19 but whose coronavirus infection has not always been detected, media reports British.
Warning sent by the National Health Service (NHS) warns British doctors against an increase in the number of hospitalizations “of children of all ages with generalized inflammatory conditions requiring intensive care in London and in other parts of the UK “in the past three weeks.
High fever, rash, difficulty breathing
In their press release, notably relayed by the BBC, Doctors say they have taken care of children of various ages, seriously ill, undergoing a generalized “inflammation” accompanied by flu-like symptoms.
These children had characteristics comparable to toxic shock: high fever, low blood pressure, skin rash, and difficulty breathing. Still others had gastric symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea; as well as abnormal blood results.
According to health professionals, these are signs that the body is fighting an infection. But the NHS also mentions symptoms comparable to those of Kawasaki disease: a fever of about five days and swollen glands in the neck.
Not all children tested positive
While some of these children tested positive for Covid-19, not all of them were. It is not yet known to this day whether this inflammatory condition is directly linked to the virus, as is the number of children affected by this reaction. But that number is relatively low, according to the BBC.
The NHS nevertheless said on Sunday that it was “increasingly concerned” that an inflammatory syndrome linked to the coronavirus was emerging in children. But it also does not exclude that it could be another infection, still unidentified.
“We have asked our experts to examine this matter urgently,” said Stephen Powis, the director of the British NHS.
* Urgent alert *
Rising no of cases presenting to #PedsICU with multi-system hyperinflammatory state, overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome & atypical Kawasaki disease, bloods consistent with severe # COVID19 – seen in both #SARS-CoV-2 PCR + ve AND -ve
Please share widely pic.twitter.com/Bj6YHLJ8zi
– PICSUK (@PICSociety) April 26, 2020
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Adolescents and very young children represent only a very small proportion of patients affected by Covid-19. So far, severe cases in the under-20 age group have been marginal and, among the rare lethal cases, some young patients already suffered from comorbidities.
In France, for example, only 1 to 2% of those infected concerned pediatric cases, according to the results of initial work, the conclusions of which were published on the website of the French Pediatric Society.
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