That says Károly Illy, chairman of the Dutch Association for Pediatrics (NVK) to RTL Nieuws. “We have not yet received all the test results, but at this moment we know that at least four children with Kawasaki disease have antibodies against the coronavirus in the blood.”
Warning from British doctors
Kawasaki disease emerged late last month after British child intensivists warned to be alert to children with kawasaki-like symptoms. Several children were admitted to the United Kingdom with similar complaints. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old boy died of the disease.
Earlier this month it appeared that in the past weeks at least 10 Dutch children have been hospitalized with symptoms that were seriously reminiscent of Kawasaki disease. At least two of them ended up in intensive care.
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When these children were admitted to hospital, they were tested to see if they had the coronavirus at the time. Those tests showed that they had no corona at the time.
Antibodies do
However, it was later also investigated whether the children with Kawasaki symptoms might have had coronavirus among the members at an earlier stage. This was done with the help of antibody tests.
At least four children have now been determined to have coronavirus antibodies in their blood, which means they have been infected with the coronavirus. (Text continues below box)
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What is Kawasaki Disease?
Kawasaki disease is characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. The disease takes its name from Tomisaku Kawasaki, a Japanese doctor who first described the disease in 1967.
In the Netherlands, there are about 80 new children every year who experience the disease. Toddlers and preschoolers in particular get Kawasaki disease, but it is unclear how they contract it. Maybe they have a hereditary predisposition, maybe the disease is started by infection with a bacterium or a virus.
In Kawasaki disease, the walls of blood vessels become inflamed. If the blood vessels around the heart become inflamed, it can be dangerous. Kasawaki’s disease is undetectable in blood or urine and cannot be seen in photos. Doctors sum up the symptoms and then conclude whether it concerns Kawasaki. There is no cure for it, doctors treat the symptoms so that the body has a chance to heal itself.
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‘Corona can be a trigger’
Kawasaki disease is known to be triggered by a bacterial or viral infection. “We are currently investigating the exact relationship between corona and Kawasaki disease in the Netherlands,” says pediatric immunologist Taco Kuijpers of UMC Amsterdam to RTL Nieuws. “A virus infection can sometimes trigger Kawasaki disease, it is well known. That the coronavirus is the triggering factor in the current epidemic is therefore also possible.”
Kuipers emphasizes that Kawasaki disease is generally treatable. “Fortunately, it is and remains a rare disease. And fortunately there is good treatment.”
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Call to Dutch pediatricians
The Dutch Association for Pediatrics is now investigating whether there are more Dutch children with symptoms of Kawasaki disease, and whether they are or have been infected with the coronavirus. “We sent all pediatricians in the Netherlands a survey by email, asking them to be alert to kawasaki symptoms in children. We want to know if they see more kawasaki patients than normal and if they have tested positive for corona . “
The results of that study are expected next week. (Text continues below box)
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What are the symptoms of Kawasaki disease?
The first symptoms are:
- Fever that lasts for several days
- Skin rash
- Red eyes without wateriness or crusting
- Red, swollen and chapped lips
- Red “strawberry tongue”
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Red and / or swollen hands and feet
During the first and second week, other symptoms may also come to the fore. For example, the child may suffer from abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. There is also a chance of a temporary arthritis (joint inflammation), which can cause joint pain all over the body. A common sign is peeling skin on the fingertips and toes, which usually occurs about 2 to 3 weeks after the fever develops.
Doctors usually sum up the symptoms and then conclude whether they are Kawasaki.
Source: Amsterdam UMC
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Italian doctors claim evidence
Meanwhile, doctors abroad are also concerned about a possible link between the coronavirus and Kawasaki disease. The Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo is said to have evidence now. Ten children with symptoms of the disease entered each month since the corona wave, compared to one child every three months in the last five years.
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Of ten children treated for the disease between mid-February and mid-April, eight had the coronavirus, The Guardian writes. Doctors believe the two negative cases may be due to erroneous test results.
‘No doubt’
Lorenzo D’Antiga, director of the hospital’s pediatric department, says he sees “clear evidence” of a link between the two conditions. “I hope this knowledge can help doctors around the world understand this unknown coronavirus. I have no doubt that it caused Kawasaki disease.”
In the medical journal The Lancet, the hospital’s experts write that the “strong association” between coronavirus and inflammatory disease should be taken into account by governments when deciding on measures to relax the lung virus.
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