There is so much we don't know about the virus - and here's another reason to be cautious

[Anonymous]

New syndrome in kids may be linked to covid:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html?type=styln-live-updates&label=new%20york%20&index=2&action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#link-1aca38d0

"Fifteen children, many of whom had the coronavirus, have recently been hospitalized in New York City with a mysterious syndrome that doctors do not yet fully understand but that has also been reported in several European countries, health officials announced on Monday night.

Many of the children, ages 2 to 15, have shown symptoms associated with toxic shock or Kawasaki disease, a rare illness in children that involves inflammation of the blood vessels, including coronary arteries, the city’s health department said..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New syndrome in kids may be linked to covid:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html?type=styln-live-updates&label=new%20york%20&index=2&action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#link-1aca38d0

"Fifteen children, many of whom had the coronavirus, have recently been hospitalized in New York City with a mysterious syndrome that doctors do not yet fully understand but that has also been reported in several European countries, health officials announced on Monday night.

Many of the children, ages 2 to 15, have shown symptoms associated with toxic shock or Kawasaki disease, a rare illness in children that involves inflammation of the blood vessels, including coronary arteries, the city’s health department said..."

Yes, I am a pediatrician, and there is a lot of discussion about this behind the scenes.

[Anonymous]

Okay, so what should we do? Very concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New syndrome in kids may be linked to covid:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york-update.html?type=styln-live-updates&label=new%20york%20&index=2&action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#link-1aca38d0

"Fifteen children, many of whom had the coronavirus, have recently been hospitalized in New York City with a mysterious syndrome that doctors do not yet fully understand but that has also been reported in several European countries, health officials announced on Monday night.

Many of the children, ages 2 to 15, have shown symptoms associated with toxic shock or Kawasaki disease, a rare illness in children that involves inflammation of the blood vessels, including coronary arteries, the city’s health department said..."

Yes, I am a pediatrician, and there is a lot of discussion about this behind the scenes.

Can you tell us more?

[Anonymous]

15 children. 15. Cautious yes, but this number is not significant at all.

[Anonymous]

It’s 15 kids and they didn’t link all of them to COVID.

Can we calm down until we know more?

[Anonymous]

No, it's not just 15 kids. That's just NYC. It's showing up all over the country, as well as in Europe. It also has a long subacute phase (up to 6 weeks) and is a presentation that may be particularly hard to pick up as a diagnosis, especially given that parents are reluctant to bring children in for evaluation unless symptoms are serious.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/children-covid-19-experiencing-symptoms-similar-kawasaki-disease/story?id=70393379

In less than 24 hours, Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., admitted several children with COVID-19 who are also experiencing a constellation of symptoms that resemble "Kawasaki disease," a rare inflammatory syndrome typically affecting children under the age of 5.

On Wednesday, a representative from Children's National Hospital said the children exhibited “Kawasaki-like characteristics," joining a growing number of hospitals in the U.S. and U.K. that have reported similar cases. The representative has since confirmed that one of these children was officially diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Symptoms of the disease include fever, rash, eye irritation, swollen lymph nodes and/or swelling of the hands and feet.

The disease- has been linked to COVID-19 in some children, but the exact cause remains a medical mystery.

These American cases are raising new concerns of a new global pattern emerging of critically ill children with COVID-19.

About 20-25% of kids with untreated Kawasaki-like syndromes will have serious cardiac outcomes, such as childhood heart attacks. But if treated, the outcomes are really good. Treatment involves aspirin and IV blood products.

This is not a cause for panic. It's good reason to maintain social distancing for children, minimize exposures, and be cautious about assuming the virus is not a problem for kids and that children's outcomes don't need to be factored into plans for phased reopenings.

[Anonymous]

And please don't recite "just 15 kids" because your Google search stopped with one article specific to New York City.

That's misleading and irresponsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15 children. 15. Cautious yes, but this number is not significant at all.

That's without tracking, just hospitals voluntarily reporting something strange is happening with kids.

[Anonymous]

My friend's kid has Kawasaki and it's awful for them so this is very concerning for us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend's kid has Kawasaki and it's awful for them so this is very concerning for us

It’s extremely treatable if you catch it early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And please don't recite "just 15 kids" because your Google search stopped with one article specific to New York City.

That's misleading and irresponsible.

NY state has 300k+ confirmed cases. We can deduce from that fact that this isnt that prevalent given that only theyve found this in only 15 kids.

[Anonymous]

Kawasaki disease is VERY treatable if caught early.

Please keep this in perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please don't recite "just 15 kids" because your Google search stopped with one article specific to New York City.

That's misleading and irresponsible.

NY state has 300k+ confirmed cases. We can deduce from that fact that this isnt that prevalent given that only theyve found this in only 15 kids.

1. How many of those 300k+ confirmed cases are in children? You have the utterly wrong denominator -- adults don't get Kawasaki Syndrome.
2. As I have mentioned previously, typical Kawasaki is hard enough to recognize, and "atypical Kawasaki" presentations are much moreso.
3. There's a long subacute phase (up to 6 weeks), and an unknown latent period after whatever triggered it.
4. Most parents are only bringing children in when symptoms are severe for anything, right now.

That doesn't mean there is definitely a wave of very sick children just waiting to crest.

It absolutely, positively, undeniably means that minimizing this and not acknowledging a real and serious potential problem is noting but ignorance or malice.

[Anonymous]

It is very treatable, and usually people who had it lead normal lives afterward.

If it's not caught early enough to go through proper treatment, that is a real problem.

It's hard to diagnose, especially in the current environment, and pediatricians should be getting prepared. They are.

Discussions of the effects of COVID-19 on kids should no longer be automatically dismissive of significant outcomes, and our lack of knowledge in how this is going to paly out should be taken into account for making decisions about phased openings.