UK Doctors: Covid-19 Linked Health Problems ‘May be Emerging in Children’

By Staff, Agencies

An urgent alert has been issued to doctors about a new coronavirus-related condition seen emerging in children.

The warning says there has been an “apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also other regions of the UK” over the last three weeks.

The NHS England alert adds: “There is a growing concern that [a Covid-19-related] inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK, or that there may be another, as yet unidentified, infectious pathogen associated with these cases.”

It is not known how many children have been affected, however, PICS said it was aware of only “a small number of children nationally who appear to fit the clinical picture described in the alert”.

The illness has been seen in children who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as well as those who have not had the disease.

The condition has the characteristics of severe Covid-19 and also shares certain features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease – which causes the blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen – according to the alert.

Abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms “have been a common feature” of the illness, as has cardiac inflammation.
Doctors have been asked to urgently refer any patients showing signs of these.