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Munich (dpa / lby) - A study by the German Heart Center in Munich (DHM) examines children for a congenital metabolic disease, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
Now the participating children between the ages of five and 14 can also be tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, as the DHM announced on Wednesday.
In this way, it can be determined whether a child has been infected with the coronavirus - regardless of whether they have experienced symptoms of the disease or not.
For participation in the study on FH screening (Vroni study), the pediatrician takes blood from the fingertip of the children and tests it for increased LDL cholesterol levels.
In this way, FH can be diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
The same blood sample can now also be used for a test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (CoVAK study).
For children between the ages of five and 14 years, according to the information, there are not yet sufficient data on the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infections, their distribution patterns and any differences in region, age and gender.
The CoVAK study is funded by the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
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In addition to the antibody status, possible consequences of Covid 19 disease should be determined so that they can be treated if necessary.
According to the DHM, children and adolescents can develop a febrile multisystemic inflammation syndrome (PMIS) with involvement of the heart, vessels, lungs, gastrointestinal system and nervous system in rare cases after a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is said to be a congenital disorder of lipid metabolism which, if left untreated, can cause severe cardiovascular diseases at an early age.
Experts assume that there are more than 270,000 carriers of the genetic defect in Germany, of which less than one percent is diagnosed.
The Vroni study is led by the DHM, funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Health and carried out together with the professional association of paediatricians (BVKJ) in Bavaria.
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Website Vroni study German Heart Center
Corona infections in children website