- A 9-year-old child died last week from a pathology close to Kawasaki syndrome.
- This child contracted this disease after developing an asymptomatic form of coronavirus.
- Doctors first believed in scarlet fever, before the child's condition deteriorated.
It is the first case in France, and only the second case in Europe. Last week, in Marseille, a 9-year-old child died of a disease similar to Kawasaki syndrome, after having developed an asymptomatic form of coronavirus. 20 Minutes takes stock as many gray areas surround this tragic death.
What happened ?
On May 2, a 9-year-old boy was admitted to the pediatric emergencies of the Marseille North Hospital, according to the account by Professor Fabrice Michel, head of the pediatric anesthesia resuscitation service of the Assistance-Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP -HM). "He presented a clinical picture comparable to that of scarlet fever," said the doctor. Received by an experienced senior pediatrician, treatment corresponding to this clinical picture was prescribed. The child is then allowed to return to his home, the doctors believing that he "showed no sign of seriousness. "
However, on the same day, May 2, at night, this child suffered from severe discomfort at home. He is then rushed by the SAMU to the pediatric resuscitation department of Timone to undergo a series of treatments. "Quite quickly", according to Professor Fabrice Michel, during this second admission, the doctors understood that he had not, in reality, contracted scarlet fever. They indeed make the link between the symptoms of their young patient and Kawasaki disease, without being sure of it. "The child presented signs that could resemble Kawasaki disease," says Professor Fabrice Michel. A few days after his second admission, on May 8 precisely, the boy died of a heart attack causing brain damage. What to wonder about the relevance of the return home of this child? "It is difficult to repeat the facts," said Professor Fabrice Michel, when asked about this subject.
What is Kawasaki disease?
Kawasaki disease is a childhood pathology still little known to doctors. The main symptoms are "a high fever, usually lasting several days, very tired, a rash and digestive signs like abdominal pain," according to Professor Caroline Ovaert, head of the pediatric and congenital cardiology department at the AP-HM.
Fatal cases are very rare: it is even the first in France, and the second only in Europe. The disease remains uncommon in France for the moment, with 135 cases. The majority of them are located in the Paris region. The AP-HM also treats 5 children with these diseases. "Isolated cases," said Professor Fabrice Michel, who recalls that this disease is not contagious. "We had a peak case three to four weeks ago, after the Covid-19 peak," says Caroline Ovaert. But we have been going downhill for the past few weeks. However, France identifies ten additional cases this Friday, according to the latest statistics. Among the cases recorded in France, a third was between five and nine years old, a little more than a quarter between 10 and 14 years old and about as much between one and four years old, according to Public Health France.
What connection with the coronavirus?
More than half of Kawasaki's cases in France tested positive for Covid-19, and "the link to the virus was probable" in 12% of young patients because they had been in contact with a positive subject or had had a scanner that mentioned Covid-19. This is the case for this little Marseillais, who tested positive for the serological coronavirus test. This suggests, according to Professor Fabrice Michel, that he "very probably developed an asymptomatic form, or very little symptomatic" before his death.
"These results are very much in favor of a link between infection with SARS-CoV-2 and this pathology", judge Public Health France. The health agency estimates that in affected children, this disease occurs "within an average time (…) of four weeks after infection" by the coronavirus. In other words, Kawasaki disease would be a reaction to the coronavirus developed by some children, several weeks after contamination. A link that remains to be confirmed and supported by scientific research.
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- Child
- Coronavirus
- Marseille