Fifteen kids have been hospitalized in New York with a rare condition that could be linked to COVID-19, CBS reported.
Health officials say the illness has features of Kawasaki disease, a serious illness first noted in children with COVID-19 in the UK.
"A pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, recently reported by authorities in the United Kingdom, is also being observed among children and young adults in New York City and elsewhere in the United States," said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner of the New York City Health Department's Division of Disease Control, in a letter to colleagues Monday.
According to him, symptoms vary among the children depending on which organ system is affected, however, 'include features of Kawasaki disease or features of shock.' All of the children experienced a persistent fever, over half of them have a rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea, and less than half experienced respiratory symptoms. He added, however, that 'the full spectrum of disease is not yet known.'
Kawasaki disease is linked to fever, skin rashes, swelling of glands, and it can inflame blood vessels within the heart in severe cases.
New York-based pediatrician Dyan Hes told CBS News last week that she was 'not surprised' by the UK report showing a possible link between COVID-19 and Kawasaki. According to her, children can sometimes develop the disease after a bout with a common cold, which is caused by a different variety of bug in the coronavirus family.
She added that Kawasaki could appear 'weeks to months later' after experiencing some kind of viral infection or 'multiple viral infections.'
According to the New York City Health Department, cases reported in NY involved children who were hospitalized between April 17 and May 1 with 'illnesses compatible with' a form of Kawasaki or shock.
As the health department noted, those who were admitted to pediatric intensive care units required cardiac and/or respiratory support.
None of the children have died.
Four of the 15 children tested positive for COVID-19. Serology testing showed that six patients with negative results had coronavirus antibodies in their blood, suggesting they had been infected earlier.
Regardless of a COVID-19 test result, the health department has urged doctors with patients under 21 and symptoms consistent with Kawasaki to immediately report those suspected cases to the health department. Doctors are instructed to immediately refer such patients to a 'specialist in pediatric infectious disease, rheumatology, and/or critical care.'
Only severe cases may have been recognized so far, the department noted. Daskalakis noted that 'early diagnosis and treatment of patients meeting full or partial criteria for Kawasaki disease is critical to preventing end-organ damage and other long-term complications.'
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