Kawasaki Disease: The Mysterious Illness In Children That's Being Linked To Coronavirus
The coronavirus leads to another possible risk which is an inflammatory syndrome that has similar symptoms to Kawasaki disease.
In order to come up with a cure for COVID-19 or any other disease, it is important to understand how the pathogen attacks the human body. Till now, we are aware of the fact that the novel coronavirus enters the body through the respiratory system.
However, it has also been discovered that it causes complications in others parts of the body like the heart and kidneys. It does that after it enters the blood stream.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke about how the coronavirus leads to another possible risk which is an inflammatory syndrome that has similar symptoms to Kawasaki disease.
AFP
The Kawasaki disease is an acute inflammatory illness that affects blood vessels in the body. Children younger than 5 are considered to be most vulnerable to this disease and it is quite prevalent in Asia. The cause is still unknown.
The most dangerous complication that arises due to Kawasaki disease is cardiac aneurysm -- swelling within the coronary arteries causes blockages that lead to heart failure. Symptoms of the disease are fever, bloodshot eyes, red lips and tongue, skin rashes, swelling and redness of the hands, feet and lymph nodes.
The disease was first described in detail by a doctor in Japan named Tomisaki Kawasaki. The country reports 10,000 to 15,000 cases in a year.
Dr Kawasaki was a pediatrician at a Red Cross Hospital and he came across his first case of the disease in 1961 after which he published a report on 50 such cases in 1967.
The first case to be recorded outside Japan was in Hawaii in 1976.
Dr Tomisaku Kawasaki
Earlier this month, a British medical journal called The Lancet studied and published observations of the Kawasaki disease-like syndrome in relation to the novel coronavirus.
The report mentioned that an Italian hospital witnessed an increase in symptoms which resembled the Kawasaki disease in February which made doctors consider the possibility of it having a link with the coronavirus outbreak.
According to the doctors, 'Coronavirus family might represent one of the triggers of Kawasaki disease... being a particularly virulent strain able to elicit a powerful immune response in the host.'
When the immune system is exposed to foreign substances, inflammation is a common response. However, excess of it can severely harm the body.
Doctors also observed that it was quite early to determine that the new syndrome is the Kawasaki disease. They noted that it has affected older children that it usually does and patients showed resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy which is a well-known cure for Kawasaki disease.
Reuters
They also mentioned how the syndrome is still rare and has affected 1 out of 1,000 children who were exposed to the COVID-19 infection.
Some of them are referring to the syndrome as pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19. Dr Vandana Madhavan, medical director of the Mass General Hospital for Children said, "Some children might have a short period of fever and mild symptoms such as a sore throat or rash; others may have more prolonged fevers and/or more severe symptoms affecting their blood pressure or heart."
She added, "There may have been a known recent COVID-19 infection, but in some children, the infection is only confirmed during evaluation of PMIS or never identified. PMIS may occur up to several weeks after the initial infection."
Metro Daily
New York is presently under the procedure of investigating 110 cases of school-going children who are experiencing Kawasaki-like symptoms which could have a link to coronavirus.
The Japanese Society of Kawasaki Disease has claimed not have found any information in Japan or any other countries which show a connection between COVID-19 and Kawasaki disease.
On its own, Kawasaki disease is not considered a fatal illness. Detecting it early with the right treatment normally allows patients to live a normal life.
However, for the new syndrome that is affecting children, pediatricians should be consulted early in the process, especially if the child's fever lasts more than a few days in spite of treatment.
Presently, the inflammatory illness is not a major concern in relation to the novel coronavirus but it is important to note that children are not safe from the infection and can experience other complications as well.
