In these days you will have read or heard news that relate Kawasaki syndrome with coronavirus, especially with children. The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) has made available to all parents a note on the cases that are occurring and has called the calm families, while issuing an alert for professionals.
On the other hand, the director of the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies, Fernando Simón, already explained at the press conference that the possible link is not proven between coronavirus and pediatric shock. In the cases that have occurred in Spain and in other countries, this Kawasaki syndrome is seen in some children, some have tested positive for coronavirus and others have not. We expand this information.
What is Kawasaki syndrome?
Kawasaki disease or syndrome is a generalized inflammation of the arteries that occurs in children under the age of five. This is a rare pathology similar to pediatric shock. At this time, what we say has changed, is that it is occurring in children of all ages and more frequently in those boys and girls, affected by COVID-19.
Their symptom They are fever for more than five days, rashes, swollen lymph nodes, red eyes, and swollen lips, throat, and tongue.
The warning that pediatricians and scientists are making is that it has a more serious epidemiology than COVID-19, at the same time cShare symptoms of pediatric shock and Kawasaki disease. However, the World Health Organization has considered anecdotal cases with severe pediatric shocks after contracting COVID-19.
The Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC) reports on its website that Kawasaki disease is one of the main causes of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. The cause of Kawasaki disease is not known, but it is suspected that there may be a genetic component that determines an excessive immune reaction after an infection by an agent, which can be a virus, but it is not clear either. Hence, doctors have hypothesized that this clinical picture is an exaggerated immune response a few weeks after having passed the coronavirus infection.
Kawasaki atopic and coronavirus
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) has called for calm to families. Confirm that primary care pediatricians are already alerted on the chances of infantile shock, which has an unusual clinical picture, but can be effectively acted upon at the first symptoms. Have a well established treatment.
In clinical practice, in the vast majority of cases the coronavirus passes mildly in children. In Spain, as of yesterday, April 29, there were no more than 50 children admitted to the ICU for COVID-19.
These cases of Atopic Kawasaki they are characterized by abdominal pain with diarrhea and / or vomiting, but which in a few hours can lead to shock, with tachycardia and hypotension, even in the absence of fever. Some children may have fever, spots on the skin and red eyes, more specific symptoms of Kawasaki syndrome,
Data in Spain
In the Maternal-Infant Hospital of Sant Joan de Déu, in Barcelona, there have been 9 cases of children with this infant shock in the last month. The usual thing is that an average of 12 cases a year arrive. Of these nine cases, three have tested positive for covid-19. The age of the children is between 3 months and 11 years. In addition, boys are more than girls, since boys are slightly more likely than girls to have Kawasaki disease.
In addition to Spain, the coincidences, the increase in cases and in children who tested positive for COVID-19 have occurred in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Belgium.