The battle with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology was unequal for the 12th young patient identified in our country. As announced yesterday by the National Public Health Organization (EODY), a 13-month-old infant ended up on Wednesday morning at a private clinic in Attica, where he had been hospitalized a day earlier by his parents due to high fever and lethargy.
It is the first death of a minor linked to severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in Greece and one of 18 reported worldwide out of a total of 920 cases of the disease. It is a shocking loss, as is any loss at this tender age. The tragic features of this unexpected event are compounded by the fact that it was recorded at a time when there is a clear and steady decline in new cases and a rapid deterioration in the unfortunate infant's health, with doctors unable to do anything to reverse the deterioration in his health.
According to information from protothema.gr, the 13-month-old infant had a very severe clinical picture when he was admitted to the emergency room of the clinic. Apart from the symptom of high fever and lethargy, alarm was raised to the doctors by the paleness of his skin, which is a strong indication of a serious disease in general. From the tests carried out, it was found that the 13-month-old infant had developed liver failure and cerebral oedema. His admission to the Intensive Care Unit was now a one-way street. He remained intubated for several hours and eventually expired, plunging the parents and the doctors who had cared for him into anguish over the fatal outcome.
Given that in a large percentage of children who have been ill with acute hepatitis of unknown cause since the beginning of the year to date, the illness has been linked to adenovirus and coronavirus, both tests for the aforementioned viruses were carried out as part of the urgent screening of the child. Doctors initially detected adenovirus in the child, but on retesting at the EHRC laboratories for adenovirus, it was not detected. Further testing that is expected to take place will look for any other infection that the infant may have had that may have aggravated the condition or a health problem that may not have been apparent and known.
12 cases of acute hepatitis in Greece
To date, 11 other cases have been reported in Greece that meet the criteria of a "probable case" of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). These cases did not require specific treatment, did not present any complications and remain in excellent condition.
According to what has been made known by EODY, these are children aged 14 months, 18 months, 10 years, 5 years, 2 years, 4.5 years, 12 years, 6 years and 5.5 years, in the order listed in the EODY's epidemiological updates. For the last two cases of acute hepatitis no reference is made to the age of the affected children. At least 6 children had to be hospitalized.
It is worth noting that of the 920 similar cases recorded in 33 countries around the world, 45 (5%) required liver transplantation and 18 (2%) ended up.
Vigilance but not panic, pediatricians say
"Acute hepatitis of unknown etiology is a serious but rare disease. Like any disease involving children, it involves vigilance on the part of parents and immediate contact with the paediatrician as soon as they find something worrying. It manifests itself with common symptoms such as fever, tendency to vomit, diarrhea, abdominal pain. An early symptom is that the patient's urine darkens and the stools become discoloured. In this case, the parent should contact the pediatrician, who knows what tests to do on the child and accordingly send him to the hospital if necessary. If of course the child's picture is more severe, the examination by doctors in the hospital is expedited, "says protothema.gr, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Freelance Pediatricians, Mr. Costas Daloukas, calling on parents not to panic but to be alert to what concerns their children.
Source: Proto Thema
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
