New inflammatory disease affecting children suspected of being linked to coronavirus

Nursing staff at Bligny hospital in central France (illustration image). REUTERS / Benoit Tessier

Text by: RFI Follow

Does the new coronavirus cause a serious new inflammatory disease in a small number of children and adolescents? This is the question that preoccupies several countries after the recent appearance of unusual cases, in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Publicity

Read more

The alert first came this weekend from England, with reports from the public health service, NHS England, of several cases of children suffering from a potentially serious new inflammatory disease. In the process, a small number of similar cases were mentioned in France, the United States, Spain or Belgium.

Of all Parisian hospitals, this represents "  about twenty children,  " said Damien Bonnet, head of pediatric cardiology at Necker Hospital for sick children. According to my French colleagues, there are others elsewhere,  " he adds, stressing however that their number in absolute terms "  remains limited  ". The first case was admitted to his hospital "  three weeks ago and has been accelerating for about eight days  ".

A shared observation on the other side of the Atlantic. I saw such patients yesterday and today, and my colleagues have seen them for two or three weeks,  " said AFP Sunil Sood, an infectious disease specialist at Cohen's children hospital in New York.

Not a proven link to the Covid-19

All of the pediatricians and resuscitators [in Europe] are  working together to see whether or not there is a need to make a link with the Covid-19, which I do not yet know when I speak to you  ", declared the French Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, this Wednesday at the National Assembly. This is something that concerns us  ," had assured the day before his British counterpart, Matt Hancock, on LBC radio.

This concern is all the more acute since all studies have so far shown that the severe forms of Covid-19 are extremely rare in the youngest. According to Professor Bonnet, these young patients are “  from 2 to 18 years old  ”. Dr. Sood, instead, mentions adolescents, "  the youngest of whom is 13 years old  ".

Symptoms reminiscent of Kawasaki disease

These children come with digestive, respiratory or infectious symptoms  " accompanied by "  a heart attack  ", explains Professor Bonnet, according to whom "  most of them need to be helped with drugs to support the functioning of the heart  ". The children almost all evolve favorably, even if they are in a resuscitation situation initially,  " insists Professor Bonnet. Likewise, all of the young patients that Dr. Sood was aware of have seen their condition improve, even if they have not all been discharged from hospital yet, and none have died.

Some symptoms suggest toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease. This disease which affects children leads to inflammation of the blood vessels (rashes, lymph nodes, conjunctivitis, heart problems in severe forms ...). But even if there is an overlap of symptoms with the cases currently observed, there are also differences, notes Professor Bonnet. The first of these is the age of the patients: “  Kawasaki disease is primarily a disease of the small child, rather less than 2 years old, even if there are up to 4 or 5 years. There we see all ages.  "

Cases that call out

In all the countries where these cases have been reported, some young patients have tested positive for Covid-19 and others negative. The causal link between the coronavirus and these inflammatory symptoms is therefore not established with certainty. However, the conjunction of the two challenges.

Even though the causes of Kawasaki disease are unknown, it has long been suspected that it could be "  a disproportionate inflammatory reaction to a common viral infection  ," according to Professor Bonnet. "  The new coronavirus may have the same inflammatory response as that caused by other viruses in Kawasaki disease  ," adds Dr. Sood.

In adults, it is believed that severe forms of Covid-19 may be linked to the triggering of an overly strong immune response caused by the disease. In all the countries concerned, specialists call for increased vigilance to better identify the cases of children hospitalized for an atypical inflammatory disease, and determine whether or not the link with Covid-19 is proven.

(With AFP)

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

Explanation:  The origins of the Covid-19

Analyzes:
→  What strategies to face the epidemic ?
→  A vaccine, the only solution to stem the pandemic?
→  What impact on conflict zones?

Practical questions:
→  What is known about the mode of contagion
→  What results for ongoing clinical trials?
→  How to make a mask and use it well

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also the files of RFI Savoirs  on the Covid-19:
•  Birth of a pandemic
•  Everyday life put to the test
•  The history of epidemics
•  Science facing the Covid-19
•  The geopolitical consequences

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Subscribe

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Coronavirus
  • Health and Medicine

On the same subject

Deconfinement in France: how will the color code work by department?