Cases of hepatitis in children 10 years with no apparent viral cause raised the alarms of the health authorities worldwide. Since January of this year, 190 minors have been studied in 12 countries for presenting serious health conditions due to this condition.
The hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver. It can be due to non-infectious causes such as alcohol consumption, obesity, autoimmune diseases and drug use.
but usually occurs due to a viral infection and it is hepatitis A, B, C, D and E that are mainly responsible for the inflammation of liver cells. What is unusual is that none of the recorded cases in children have these characteristics.
It also causes concern that cases of childhood hepatitis affect even children under five years of age and that in some cases a transplant is required, authorities and specialists point out.
warning signs
The UK Department of Health, country in which the first cases of childhood hepatitis were reported, warned regarding the symptom that the patients have presented.
Among them stands out the jaundice, which is the yellow coloration mainly in the skin and in the eyes. The condition also includes dark urine, pale stools, itchy skin, muscle pain, fever, malaise, tiredness, loss of appetite, and stomach pain.
The report of the institution details that the cases are even more predominant in children under five years of age who, initially, presented symptoms of gastroenteritis, such as diarrhea or nausea, followed by the onset of jaundice.
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How were cases of hepatitis detected in children?
At the beginning of April, doctors from public health agencies in the United Kingdom announced that they were investigating, since January, 74 cases of hepatitis in children under 10 years of age who did not have the presence of the usual viruses that cause it.
So far it is said that the adenovirus might cause the disease. These are a family of viruses that generally cause mild, quick-recovery illnesses without complications; Although they do not usually cause hepatitisthe rare possibility is not ruled out.
highlights the idea of serotypes 40/41 of the F species of adenovirus, since it has been present in multiple cases analyzed. It is one of the main causes of pediatric gastroenteritis, although it rarely causes serious illness or hospitalization.
Nor is the combination of adenoviruses with environmental factors or other infections, such as covid-19, left out. But it was denied that the cause is a possible consequence of the coronavirus vaccination scheme.
Cases of childhood hepatitis have advanced across Europe in countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Norway and Spain. At least nine cases have been identified in the United States. suspects.
Of the children who presented hepatitis, 17 required liver transplant and one diedaccording to reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) taken up by Archyde.com.
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