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CORONAVIRUS – Omicron continues on its way. This variant of Covid-19which has become the majority for several months in the count of contamination continues to develop, which does not prevent the government from loosening the sanitary measures. If we know that it is transmitted particularly among children who represent the least vaccinated population, the variant might also promote a new complication with a singular name: croup.
This is indeed what an American study published in the journal Pediatrics on March 8th. “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,” says Ryan Brewster, a Boston physician and first author of the study. ‘study.
What is croup?
Particularly targeting young children, croup is a serious form of laryngitis stemming from a viral infection such as a cold or Covid-19. If this umpteenth infectious risk is potentially dangerous, there is however nothing to panic.
Also called laryngo-tracheo-bronchitis, croup is a condition that occurs almost exclusively in children aged 6 months to 6 years. It is observed only exceptionally in adolescents and adults.
Its appearance is noted by swelling in the larynx, which leads to wheezing and a loud, strident cough. In the most severe cases, the inflammation leads to breathing difficulties and may require hospitalization. But the US study cited above found only four children with croup required intensive care over the past two years; all survived.
80% of cases declared during the Omicron wave
In order to discover the correlation link between Omicron and croup, the researchers analyzed the treatments between March 1, 2020 and January 15, 2022 of children infected with the Covid-19 and who had symptoms of croup in Boston Children’s Hospital. The study thus identifies 75 cases, the majority of which are boys under two years of age. Within this sample, it was observed that 80% of cases occurred during the vague Omicron.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
To understand the impact of the variant on croup, one hypothesis comes from the fact that Omicron primarily attacks the upper respiratory tract. However, these are narrower in children than in adults. This would therefore explain why this variant touches them more. Indeed, children have so far been rather spared from the other variants of Covid-19, which affect the lower respiratory parts.
Nevertheless, this study deserves to be measured and needs to be verified by others. It only represents a small sample, in a single American city. As the researchers explain, this “potentially limits its generalizability.”
See also at HuffPost: Variant Deltacron, multiple mutations… when to worry?
