Should my child go to school with a cold?

Back in April, NHS doctors were told to watch out for rare but dangerous child reactions.

This was triggered by the deaths of eight children in London. They were hospitalized with similar symptoms that initially appeared to be sepsis, including high fever, rash, red eyes, swelling, and general pain. Some of those patients tested positive for Covid-19 and had a conversation in the medical community about whether there was a new inflammatory syndrome among very young patients that could be an extreme reaction to Covid. I urged you.

Some of these cases are likened to a rare inflammatory heart disease called Kawasaki, whose symptoms resemble sepsis and toxic shock.

“To the doctors who care for these children, they look like sepsis,” explained Dr. Patel. “They underwent fever and abnormal blood tests, but further investigation reveals that there are inflammatory components affecting parts of the body-rash, red eyes, or heart. May cause irritation. ”

These symptoms are likened to an excessive immune response known as the “cytokine storm” found in adults with Covid-19. In these cases, it is likely that it is the body’s immune response that is life-threatening, not the virus itself.

Dr. Patel said there are some similarities between these pediatric cases and those observed in many adult cases, but it is certainly premature. “Timing and dynamics are not exactly the same. Therefore, adults have 7 days of Covid symptoms, which can then worsen, when cytokine storms occur.

“This makes the timeline less clear. This could be a similar phenomenon, but at this point it is premature to conclude and few patients have it to reach a firm conclusion. It’s too much. ”

It is important to note that these cases are very rare events.

Is this happening only in the UK?

At the beginning of May, three children in the United States were also being treated for inflammatory symptoms that may be associated with the coronavirus. All three from 6 months to 8 years of age had fever and inflammation of the heart and intestines.

Dr. Patel said a small number of these new cases have also been identified in Europe. “We’ve talked to Italian and Spanish colleagues, and they had very few similar things-a child’s inflammatory presentation. But is it by Covid? It’s not clear yet.

“There’s still a lot to learn, as half of our kids tested negative for Covid in our virus test.”

When should I dial 999?

RCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) recommends going directly to the nearest A & E department or calling 999 if you have children …

• It becomes pale, mottled, and unusually cold to the touch.
• Stop breathing (apnea), have irregular breathing patterns, or growl
• Breathing gets worse and you get agitated and unresponsive.
• The area around the lips will turn blue.
• I have a seizure or a seizure.
• Very distressed (very crying despite distraction), confused, very lethargic (difficult to wake up) or unresponsive.
• It develops a rash that does not go away with pressure (use the “glass test”).
• Especially teenage boys have testicular pain.

How can a child’s mild coronavirus symptoms be treated at home?

If your child is good enough to take care of at home, RCPCH experts recommend that parents treat the fever or pain symptoms associated with Covid-19 with either paracetamol or ibuprofen.

An expert working group of the Human Medical Commission on Coronavirus has insufficient evidence to establish a link between the use of ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the exacerbation of Covid-19. I concluded that there is. Catrin Barker, chairman of the RCPCH Pharmaceuticals Commission and chief pharmacist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, said: If you have a headache, have questions, or have worsening symptoms, you should follow the NHS advice. ”