Does The Coronavirus Cause Kawasaki Syndrome in Children?
In several European countries and in the USA, children suffer from severe inflammation, which is reminiscent of the Kawasaki syndrome. Is the coronavirus to blame?
Inflamed blood vessels, high fever and skin rash: In Europe as well as in the USA, several children have recently become seriously ill with symptoms reminiscent of the so-called Kawasaki syndrome. This is a vascular disease affecting infants and young children. In mid-May, New York reported about 100 cases with corresponding symptoms, in France a nine-year-old boy died, and there was also a death in Great Britain.
In this country, four sick children are currently being treated in Hannover. Although the overall number of cases worldwide is low, the inflammatory disease is actually considered rare – so it is strange that several children in different countries fall ill almost simultaneously.
It is also noticeable that the corona virus has been detected in some of those affected. It is not yet clear whether the virus is responsible for the inflammation, but experts believe it is conceivable. “The virus triggers an inflammatory storm, an overreaction of the immune system,” said Geneva cantonal doctor Jacques-André Romand to the Tagesspiegel. So far, three children with corresponding symptoms have been treated in Geneva. One of them has now been discharged, a second is in the normal ward of the hospital and the third in the intensive care unit.
A study by researchers from Bergamo in Italy also suggests that there may be a link between the two diseases. The researchers compared cases of children who showed symptoms of Kawasaki syndrome between 18 February and 20 April this year with actual Kawasaki cases in the region over the past five years. According to the latest figures, a total of ten children with symptoms have been treated and 19 children have been diagnosed with Kawasaki’s syndrome in the last five years. According to the medical experts this corresponds to a 30-fold increase.
However, the experts point out that it is not possible to draw valid conclusions from the study with these small numbers of cases. Nor is it yet possible to clearly prove a connection between the coronavirus and the Kawasaki syndrome. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) agrees with this and emphasises that the overall risk of disease is low according to current knowledge.