Inflamed blood vessels, high fever and rash: both in Europe and in the USA several children have recently become seriously ill with symptoms reminiscent of the so-called Kawasaki syndrome. It is a vascular disease in infants and young children. In mid-May, New York reported about 100 people with symptoms, a nine-year-old boy died in France, and there was also a death in Great Britain.
In Germany, four sick children are currently being treated in Hanover. Overall, the number of cases worldwide is low, but the inflammatory disease is actually considered rare – therefore it is strange that several children in different countries fall ill almost simultaneously.
Does the coronavirus trigger Kawasaki syndrome?
It is also striking that the coronavirus has been detected in some of those affected. So far it is not clear whether the virus is responsible for the inflammation, but experts think this is conceivable. "The virus triggers an inflammatory storm, an overreaction of the immune system," the Geneva cantonal doctor Jacques-André Romand told Tagesspiegel. So far, three children with corresponding symptoms have been treated in Geneva. One of them has since been released, a second is in the hospital's normal ward and the third is in the intensive care unit.
Study suggests connection with the coronavirus
An investigation by researchers from Bergamo, Italy, also suggests that there may be a link between the two diseases. The researchers compared cases of children who showed symptoms of Kawasaki syndrome between February 18 and April 20 of this year with actual Kawasaki cases in the region over the past five years. According to this, a total of ten children with the corresponding symptoms were last treated; 19 children had been diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome in the past five years. According to the doctors, this corresponds to a 30-fold increase.
However, the experts point out that it is not possible to draw valid conclusions from the investigation given the small number of cases. And it is also not yet possible to clearly establish a connection between the coronavirus and Kawasaki syndrome. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) agrees, stressing that that the overall risk of illness is low according to the current status.