The mystery of children’s hepatitis cases deepens as the CDC probe continues-Consumer Health News

Friday, May 20, 2022 (HealthDay News)-There is growing evidence that certain strains of adenovirus may be involved in the wave of American children with unexplained acute hepatitis. Said a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official on Friday.

“There is accumulating evidence of the role of adenovirus, especially adenovirus 41,” at a media briefing on Friday, Dr. Jay Butler, Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases at the CDC. “I think the exact role it plays is where we really want to focus our research.” Adenovirus is a common virus that can cause everything from colds to bronchitis to conjunctivitis. It is a form. CDC.

Another death in the United States related to childhood hepatitis was reported Thursday, raising the number of deaths nationwide to six, Butler said.

However, researchers are still struggling to determine if the number of cases of childhood hepatitis has really increased in the United States, or if public health officials have only encountered existing patterns revealed by improved detection. increase.

“So far, we have not been able to record an actual increase in the total number of cases of childhood hepatitis,” Butler emphasized.

“For example, we are considering visiting specific emergency departments for childhood hepatitis and liver transplants for children across the country,” Butler added. “Currently, these numbers are stable.”

Earlier this week, the CDC announced that 180 childhood hepatitis cases have been identified in 36 states over the past seven months. This is an increase from the previous number of 71 cases two weeks ago.

However, the CDC emphasizes that many of the newly counted national cases are “retroactive.” In other words, it was a case that was currently counted, but occurred as far back as October 2021.

“as a whole, [only] “7% have passed in the last two weeks,” Butler said. “The majority of those who have returned are fairly early in the study. Graphing cases by the day of onset is relatively flat. “

No deaths were reported from February to this week, officials said. About 9% of cases were severe enough to require a liver transplant.

According to the CDC, many cases of childhood hepatitis are associated with adenovirus type 41, commonly causing diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and even respiratory symptoms in children. Otherwise it has not been previously identified as the cause of hepatitis in healthy children.

According to Butler, genetic sequencing has shown that multiple strains of adenovirus type 41 are involved in hepatitis cases, possibly due to a single newly mutated strain. Seems to be eliminated early.

Butler said CDC researchers also open the possibility that COVID infections contribute to hepatitis cases.

According to Butler, researchers have conducted antibody tests to see if some of the suffering children have been infected with COVID in the past, and a serious condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome as a result of COVID infection. Is determined whether or not the patient has developed the disease.

1 New researchIn Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve Medical School, children previously infected with COVID have, in fact, found that liver function test results are two to three times more likely to be out of normal range. In fact, the test results are more than twice the upper limit for healthy children, suggesting liver dysfunction.

However, it is already known that children with COVID infections may have elevated liver function tests, Butler said.

“It’s one of the hardest things to sort out how much elevated liver function tests are specific to the SARS coronavirus against infection, as opposed to serious illness,” Butler said. “It is not uncommon for liver function tests to rise to some extent and bilirubin to rise. [a marker of liver function] Among seriously ill children in the intensive care unit. “

According to, there are hundreds of other cases of childhood hepatitis reported in countries around the world. World Health Organization.

Dr. Tinatan, an infectious disease physician at Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, said: “No one knows the real cause. What’s even more scary is that these children develop very severe hepatitis.”

Tan recommends that parents carefully watch over children with colds and flu symptoms and take them to the ER if they have jaundice.

“If your child begins to notice that he has severe abdominal pain, his white eyes turn a little yellow, or his skin color turns a little yellow, he should see a doctor right away so that he can have a child. I will be treated for hepatitis. “

Other potential symptoms of hepatitis, according to Butler, include vomiting, dark urine, and light-colored stools.

For more information

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Unexplained childhood hepatitis case..

Source: Media Briefing, May 20, 2022, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases, Ph.D., Jay Butler.