BENGALURU: In yet another discovery about the way in which Covid-19 affects children, doctors in Bengaluru are finding that they sometimes develop certain symptoms nearly a month after they recover from the disease.
The case of a 9-year-old child brought to Aster CMI Hospital with multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS) on Tuesday, 45 days after recovering from Covid-19 took doctors by surprise.
“We are seeing children come down with MIS, atypical Kawasaki Disease, or toxic shock syndrome, around 30-45 days after getting Covid. MIS is an intense inflammatory reaction to the virus. However, we still don’t know why the symptoms appear 30-45 after they recover from Covid-19,” said Dr Srikanta J T, paediatric pulmonology consultant at Aster Hospital.
Similarly, doctors at Columbia Asia Referral Hospital in Yeshwantpur came across a 12-year-old boy with severe abdominal pain, high fever, high inflammatory markers, chest pain and cardiac changes.
Doctors suspected the symptoms were related to a Covid-19 infection even though like many children, the boy did not display symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2. An RT-PCR test confirmed their suspicions, and doctors started him on steroids and immunoglobulins, and a week later, he recovered.
“Warning signs that parents must watch out for include high fever, flushed faces, red eyes and lips, swollen hands and feet, tummy issues, abdominal pain, vomiting, breathing difficulty. Children can go into a state of shock which means low blood pressure, problems in blood circulation, and cold hands and feet,” said Dr Supraja Chandrashekhar, paediatric intensivist consultant at Columbia Asia.
The number of cases overall is on the rise and warrants caution, said Dr Jagdish Chinnappa, paediatric consultant at Manipal Hospitals.
“Although post-recovery cases (of such illness) are rare in children, the number will rise as children go outdoors and interact with people. Some children, especially adolescents, may develop respiratory problems and fatigue after recovery. Although MIS is seen only in a small percentage of children, it can affect many parts of the body including the heart and lungs,” he said.