Rise of acute hepatitis among kids: Find out what is causing it, symptoms to note and all about the role of vaccines

 According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC), nearly 450 children have been affected by mysterious acute hepatitis worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that 21 countries have now reported cases of 'severe hepatitis of unknown origin' among children, who are mostly under the age of 10.

The United Kingdom was the first country to report the liver disease, which has now led to 12 deaths in various parts of the world including Indonesia, Ireland and the US.

India too is grappling with a spike in unexplained hepatitis among children who’ve tested positive for COVID-19.

Is COVID-19 to blame?

Besides the adenovirus 41, scientists continue to investigate COVID-19 as a potential underlying cause of the rise in recent cases of acute hepatitis in children.

An Indian study conducted by a team of researchers from the Bundelkhand Medical College (BMC), Sagar, Madhya Pradesh and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research, Chandigarh found that of 475 children, who tested positive for COVID-19 from April-July in 2021, 37 were diagnosed with COVID Acquired Hepatitis (CAH).

"We observed a peculiar rise in hepatitis cases. Usually, the beginning of monsoon marks a rise in hepatitis cases. Last year (2021) we started to see this in April, or summer, in covid positive children who were part of follow-up. Most of them in fact had recovered from their covid,” said Sumit Rawat, Associate Professor, Microbiology, BMC, and one of the authors of the study.

“Hepatitis A and E are specific to certain villages or regions, B is present through the year and D is usually from a parent or from a blood transfusion. Last year, following the Delta wave we saw these cases from all over the state, defying the usual histories,” he added.

Another recent case study suggested a possible link between liver disease and COVID-19.

The study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition observed a previously healthy three-year-old girl who developed acute liver failure a few weeks after recovering from a mild COVID infection.

Dr. Anna Peters, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the lead author of the study said, ""The patient had liver biopsy findings and blood testing consistent with a type of autoimmune hepatitis which may have been triggered by COVID infection."

"I think it's important for physicians to be aware that this is a rare condition that may happen during or after COVID infection. It's important to check liver tests in patients who aren't improving as expected," she added.


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