According to a new study, young children infected with Omicron may report more croup. But what is this affection?
According to a new American study published in the journal Pediatrics, the Omicron variant would cause a new complication in young children: croup. Between March 2020 and January 2022, doctors at the Boston Pediatric Hospital in Massachusetts (United States) analyzed 75 children both positive for Covid and suffering from this condition, mainly boys under 2 years, of which 81% during the Omicron wave. Among the young patients, none died, but 12% had to be hospitalized, almost half of them in intensive care.
“There was a very clear delineation between when Omicron became the dominant variant and when we started to see an increase in the number of patients with croup,” explained Ryan Brewster, one of the study authors. .
Croup, also called laryngo-tracheo-bronchitis, is a condition that usually appears following a viral infection in young children, as reported Futura Health. It is characterized by swelling in the larynx which hinders the passage of air. Wheezing, as well as a “barking” cough, are typical of this condition.