Coronavirus causing deadly new inflammatory fever among children: Study

Coronavirus is ‘manifesting’ as a deadly new inflammatory syndrome in some children, a British study revealed yesterday.  Â

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said last week that he was ‘very worried’ by an NHS alert over a serious autoimmune response. Â

The study into eight cases of children admitted to intensive care with coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome found that all tested positive for virus antibodies – showing they have previously had Covid-19, often without displaying symptoms. Â

Experts said the study, published in The Lancet, supports the view that the virus is the cause.Â

Â
The children, aged four to 14, were all treated in intensive care at Evelina London Children’s Hospital in mid-April. One, a previously healthy 14-year-old boy, died of a stroke after being admitted. Â

Seven of the eight were clinically obese and six were from Bame (black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds. All had ‘unrelenting fever, rash and generalised extremity pain’, vomiting and diarrhoea. Â

A common clinical feature was inflammation of the heart and blood vessels, which caused one child to have a ‘giant coronary aneurysm’ after being discharged. Â

While all tested positive for virus antibodies, nearly all had tested negative for the active virus in swab tests while in hospital.  Â

Scientists said this raised the possibility that the symptoms are part of a delayed immune response to the infection in children. Â

The study, led by consultant paediatrician Dr Shelley Riphagen, said a further 12 children with similar symptoms have since been treated. Dr Jeremy Rossman, a virologist at the University of Kent, said the findings were ‘very concerning’.Â