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CHICAGO: US health officials have sent out a nationwide alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of paediatric hepatitis, possibly linked with a cold virus, as part of a wider probe into unexplained cases of severe liver inflammation in children. The warning follows investigations in the US and Europe of clusters of hepatitis in kids children.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working with counterparts in Europe to understand the cause of the infections. A virus known as adenovirus has been confirmed in several of the European cases, but not all. Over 130 cases have been identified, with the majority in the UK, which has reported 108 cases since January. Other countries including US, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have also reported cases. In some instances, cases were so severe that kids required liver transplants. Mild paediatric hepatitis is not unheard of, but the cases first raised the alarm in Scotland, on April 6, because children were very sick.
The other concern was that the cases were not linked to the typical viruses usually linked to the condition – hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. “This is a low number of cases, but they are children, that is the main concern, and the other thing is the severity,” said Maria Buti, chair of the European Association of the Study of the Liver’s public health committe. The leading theory is viral infection, probably with an adenovirus – a common family of viruses that can cause the common cold, among other conditions. One kind of adenovirus commonly causes acute gastroenteritis, and there have been reports of it causing hepatitis in immunocompromised kids, but never previously in healthy kids.
The US alert suggests doctors conduct adenovirus testing in young patients with symptoms of the disease, which include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-coloured stools, joint pain, and jaundice.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working with counterparts in Europe to understand the cause of the infections. A virus known as adenovirus has been confirmed in several of the European cases, but not all. Over 130 cases have been identified, with the majority in the UK, which has reported 108 cases since January. Other countries including US, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have also reported cases. In some instances, cases were so severe that kids required liver transplants. Mild paediatric hepatitis is not unheard of, but the cases first raised the alarm in Scotland, on April 6, because children were very sick.
The other concern was that the cases were not linked to the typical viruses usually linked to the condition – hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. “This is a low number of cases, but they are children, that is the main concern, and the other thing is the severity,” said Maria Buti, chair of the European Association of the Study of the Liver’s public health committe. The leading theory is viral infection, probably with an adenovirus – a common family of viruses that can cause the common cold, among other conditions. One kind of adenovirus commonly causes acute gastroenteritis, and there have been reports of it causing hepatitis in immunocompromised kids, but never previously in healthy kids.
The US alert suggests doctors conduct adenovirus testing in young patients with symptoms of the disease, which include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-coloured stools, joint pain, and jaundice.
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