Kawasaki Diagnosis ‘Not Yet Clear’

Relatively few cases of confirmed COVID-19 disease have been reported in children during 2020, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in a new statement.

And, as of May 15, 2020, among 345 children with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and complete information about underlying conditions, 23 percent had an underlying condition, with chronic lung disease, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, and immunosuppression most commonly reported.

However, recent reports from Europe and 3 states in America’s northeast have described clusters of children and adolescents requiring admission to intensive care units with a multisystem inflammatory condition, with some features similar to those of Kawasaki disease.

These children have been treated with anti-inflammatory treatment, including parenteral immunoglobulin and steroids.

Case reports and small series have described a presentation of acute illness accompanied by a hyperinflammatory syndrome, leading to multiorgan failure and shock. 

The initial hypotheses are that this syndrome may be related to COVID-19 based on initial laboratory testing. 

The WHO says ‘It is essential to characterize this syndrome and its risk factors, to understand causality, and describe treatment interventions.’ 

‘It is not yet clear the full spectrum of disease, or if the condition has simply not been recognized elsewhere.’

And, the ‘WHO continues to monitor the situation closely for any changes that may affect this scientific brief.’ 

‘Should any factors change, WHO will issue a further update. Otherwise, this document will expire 2 years after the date of publication.’

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kawasaki disease (KD), also known as Kawasaki syndrome, is an acute febrile illness of unknown cause that primarily affects children younger than 5 years of age. 

The clinical signs of KD include fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, and irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat.

KD was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, and the first cases outside of Japan were reported in Hawaii in 1976.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic news published by Coronavirus Today.