In a worrisome development, 15 children in New York, some of whom had coronavirus, have recently been hospitalized with a mysterious inflammatory syndrome, with doctors not yet fully aware of the spectrum of the disease.
The New York City Health Department said that children aged 2-15 years had been hospitalized from April 17- May 1 with Kawasaki disease or features of toxic shock.
While the “full spectrum of disease is not yet known,” the department said patients with this syndrome who have been admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) have required cardiac and/or respiratory support.
Of the 15 children, four had tested positive for COVID19. More than half of the reported patients required blood pressure support and five required mechanical ventilation. No fatalities have been reported among these cases, the department said.
A report in The New York Times said that according to the state health commissioner Howard Zucker, officials were investigating the unexplained syndrome. The syndrome has received growing attention in recent weeks as cases began appearing in European countries hit hard by the coronavirus.
“There are some recent rare descriptions of children in some European countries that have had this inflammatory syndrome, which is similar to the Kawasaki syndrome, but it seems to be very rare,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, a World Health Organization scientist, said at a news briefing last week.
What is Kawasaki Disease?
Kawasaki disease is one of the great mysteries in pediatrics. Its symptoms include a fever of at least 101 degrees that lasts for five days or more, a rash and swollen glands in the neck, according to Britain’s National Health Service.
It predominately affects children between the ages of 2 and 6, tends to run during “mini-epidemics,” and is more likely to happen in the winter than the summer.
What Causes Kawasaki
No one knows exactly what causes Kawasaki, but it, too, is from inflamed blood vessels, and often seems to be triggered by viral infections.
First cases with COVID-19 concern appeared in Europe
The condition was first reported by doctors in Britain, Italy and Spain in late April. Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert noting there had been an increase in the number of children with “a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care” across the country.
Complications of Kawasaki
To try to prevent the cardiac complications of Kawasaki—aneurysms and heart attacks—patient are treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and aspirin. Without such treatment, heart disease can affect about 25% of children with Kawasaki.
Most children with COVID-19 have a mild and uncomplicated course. It’s just important to know that these latest peculiar array of symptoms—while unusual— are serious and require medical attention.