Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Sept 11, 2024 1:47:06 GMT
Kawasaki disease cases among children have increased in India after COVID-19 pandemic, reveals Paediatric Cardiologist - Published Sept 8, 2024
by Sushmita Panda
A 2022 study published in the Frontiers in Pediatrics journal revealed that children reported hyperinflammatory shock with clinical features similar to those of Kawasaki disease (KD) after COVID-19 infection in 2020.
COVID-19 affects the human body in multiple ways and researchers are still working on understanding the various aspects of the virus and its infection. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can damage the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. However, it can also cause complications like Kawasaki disease among children.
In a recent interaction with Financial Express.com, Dr Annie Arvind, Consultant, Paediatric Cardiology, Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR), Muddenahalli, Bengaluru revealed that they saw a surge in Kawasaki disease among children after the devastating second wave of COVID-19.
“So Kawasaki disease, has picked up after the covid 19 epidemic. During the second phase of the covid 19, we saw many of the children getting affected. Their heart was getting affected. Those who had the which we call as multi-system inflammatory syndrome…they had problems not only with the heart heart function. So we called it myocarditis. So they had problems with the heart function, and the ventricular dysfunction was there. Plus they were having the involvement of the Coronaries. Their
coronaries were getting targeted, and there were aneurysms in there. So they had to be on a long anticoagulation therapy. This was during the second wave of COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Arvind explained.
The interaction was on the sidelines of the first International Conference On Paediatric Heart Valve Repairs at Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Karnataka. Dr. Arvind specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of simple and complex congenital heart diseases, pediatric arrhythmias as well as acquired cardiovascular conditions in children such as Rheumatic Heart Disease, Kawasaki disease and cardiomyopathies.
She also informed these everyone doesn’t get these complications as there are many factors but most people are genetically susceptible to getting this disease.
Kawasaki disease, also known as Kawasaki syndrome or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is a rare disease that causes fever and inflammation of the blood vessels, mainly in children under 5 years of age. It is one of the most common form of acquired heart disease in children.
“So if they get infected with some viral infections, they may get the involvement of the coronary arteries and not the ones who get infected with that virus. It’s and if you don’t treat Kawasaki disease, 25 percent of them may get complications later on,” she told Financial Express.com.
A 2022 study published in the Frontiers in Pediatrics journal revealed that children reported hyperinflammatory shock with clinical features similar to those of Kawasaki disease (KD) after COVID-19 infection in 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have named this new syndrome a multisystem inflammatory disease in children (MIS-C). According to the study, the clinical manifestations of MIS-C overlap with those of KD, including fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, and mucocutaneous manifestations.
“However, MIS-C is more commonly associated with left ventricular dysfunction (30%–40%) and shock, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and neurological manifestations than KD,” the study found. It also revealed that KD following SARS-CoV-2 infection has clinically different characteristics from conventional KD.
Meanwhile, Dr. Arvind also highlighted that although the global burden of rheumatic heart disease is decreasing, India is still considered an endemic country for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
“So if I go to statistics, it is one to five per 1000 children aged between five to 15 years, they are suffering from the rheumatic heart disease that is the incidence in India as of now. It’s very sad to know that the people who are in their prime and the most important phase of their life because it specifically affects the age of five to 15 years of age. And this is the scenario for rheumatic heart disease, because the people, especially in the rural areas where people don’t have access to healthcare facilities and resources… live in overcrowded places, and because of the poverty…there is economic disparity. So India is still considered endemic for rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease,” she told Financial Express.com.
There are not many cases in the urban areas but we do find such cases in the rural regions and over the period, and these children have recurrent episodes of acute traumatic fever, she highlighted.
“So then this causes a sequelae in the heart, one of the sequelae in the heart, which is the most common, the long-term sequelae of the acute traumatic fever, which is a rheumatic heart disease. So that usually affects people within 20 to 30 years of age,” she added.
Dr. Arvind also emphasised on the need of early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications and deaths.
by Sushmita Panda
A 2022 study published in the Frontiers in Pediatrics journal revealed that children reported hyperinflammatory shock with clinical features similar to those of Kawasaki disease (KD) after COVID-19 infection in 2020.
COVID-19 affects the human body in multiple ways and researchers are still working on understanding the various aspects of the virus and its infection. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can damage the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. However, it can also cause complications like Kawasaki disease among children.
In a recent interaction with Financial Express.com, Dr Annie Arvind, Consultant, Paediatric Cardiology, Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR), Muddenahalli, Bengaluru revealed that they saw a surge in Kawasaki disease among children after the devastating second wave of COVID-19.
“So Kawasaki disease, has picked up after the covid 19 epidemic. During the second phase of the covid 19, we saw many of the children getting affected. Their heart was getting affected. Those who had the which we call as multi-system inflammatory syndrome…they had problems not only with the heart heart function. So we called it myocarditis. So they had problems with the heart function, and the ventricular dysfunction was there. Plus they were having the involvement of the Coronaries. Their
coronaries were getting targeted, and there were aneurysms in there. So they had to be on a long anticoagulation therapy. This was during the second wave of COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Arvind explained.
The interaction was on the sidelines of the first International Conference On Paediatric Heart Valve Repairs at Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, Karnataka. Dr. Arvind specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of simple and complex congenital heart diseases, pediatric arrhythmias as well as acquired cardiovascular conditions in children such as Rheumatic Heart Disease, Kawasaki disease and cardiomyopathies.
She also informed these everyone doesn’t get these complications as there are many factors but most people are genetically susceptible to getting this disease.
Kawasaki disease, also known as Kawasaki syndrome or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is a rare disease that causes fever and inflammation of the blood vessels, mainly in children under 5 years of age. It is one of the most common form of acquired heart disease in children.
“So if they get infected with some viral infections, they may get the involvement of the coronary arteries and not the ones who get infected with that virus. It’s and if you don’t treat Kawasaki disease, 25 percent of them may get complications later on,” she told Financial Express.com.
A 2022 study published in the Frontiers in Pediatrics journal revealed that children reported hyperinflammatory shock with clinical features similar to those of Kawasaki disease (KD) after COVID-19 infection in 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have named this new syndrome a multisystem inflammatory disease in children (MIS-C). According to the study, the clinical manifestations of MIS-C overlap with those of KD, including fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, and mucocutaneous manifestations.
“However, MIS-C is more commonly associated with left ventricular dysfunction (30%–40%) and shock, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and neurological manifestations than KD,” the study found. It also revealed that KD following SARS-CoV-2 infection has clinically different characteristics from conventional KD.
Meanwhile, Dr. Arvind also highlighted that although the global burden of rheumatic heart disease is decreasing, India is still considered an endemic country for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
“So if I go to statistics, it is one to five per 1000 children aged between five to 15 years, they are suffering from the rheumatic heart disease that is the incidence in India as of now. It’s very sad to know that the people who are in their prime and the most important phase of their life because it specifically affects the age of five to 15 years of age. And this is the scenario for rheumatic heart disease, because the people, especially in the rural areas where people don’t have access to healthcare facilities and resources… live in overcrowded places, and because of the poverty…there is economic disparity. So India is still considered endemic for rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease,” she told Financial Express.com.
There are not many cases in the urban areas but we do find such cases in the rural regions and over the period, and these children have recurrent episodes of acute traumatic fever, she highlighted.
“So then this causes a sequelae in the heart, one of the sequelae in the heart, which is the most common, the long-term sequelae of the acute traumatic fever, which is a rheumatic heart disease. So that usually affects people within 20 to 30 years of age,” she added.
Dr. Arvind also emphasised on the need of early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications and deaths.