May 12: Children suffering from non-respiratory disease symptoms like diarrhea and fever, or those with a history of exposure to the novel coronavirus, should be suspected of having COVID-19, a new study says.
According to the research, published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, gastrointestinal symptoms first suffered by some children hints at potential infection with SARS-CoV-2 through the digestive tract.
"This case series is the first report to describe the clinical features of COVID-19 with non-respiratory symptoms as the first manifestation in children," the scientists from Tongji Hospital in China wrote in the study.
They explained that the gastrointestinal symptoms could be arising since the type of receptors in lung cells targeted by the virus can also be found in the intestines.
Most children are only mildly affected by COVID-19, and the few severe cases often have underlying health issues, the researchers said.
"It is easy to miss its diagnosis in the early stage, when a child has non-respiratory symptoms, or suffers from another illness," said study co-author Wenbin Li, who works at the Department of Pediatrics, Tongji Hospital.
"Based on our experience of dealing with COVID-19, in regions where this virus is epidemic, children suffering from digestive tract symptoms, especially with fever and/or a history of exposure to this disease, should be suspected of being infected with this virus," Li said.
In the study, the scientists described the clinical features of children admitted to hospital with non-respiratory symptoms, who were subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia and COVID-19.
"These children were seeking medical advice in the emergency department for unrelated problems, for example, one had a kidney stone, another a head trauma," Li said.
The study noted that all the children had pneumonia, which was confirmed by chest X-ray scan before or soon after admission.
These children were then confirmed to have COVID-19.
While their COVID-19 symptoms were initially mild or relatively hidden before their hospital admission, four out of the five cases had digestive tract symptoms as the first manifestation of this disease, the researchers said.
Li hopes that doctors will use the findings to quickly diagnose and isolate patients with similar symptoms, which may aid early treatment and reduce transmission.
According to the researchers, the children's gastrointestinal symptoms, which have also been recorded in adult patients, could be an additional route of infection.
"The gastrointestinal symptoms experienced by these children may be related to the distribution of receptors and the transmission pathway associated with COVID-19 infection in humans," Li explained.
Since the virus infects people via the ACE2 receptor, which can be found in certain cells in the lungs as well as the intestines, COVID-19 might infect patients not only through the respiratory tract in the form of air droplets, but also through the digestive tract by contact or fecal-oral transmission, the study noted.
While COVID-19 tests can occasionally produce false positive readings, Li said all the five children assessed in the study were infected with the disease.
However, he cautioned that more research is needed to confirm their findings.
"We report five cases of COVID-19 in children showing non-respiratory symptoms as the first manifestation after admission to hospital. The incidence and clinical features of similar cases needs further study in more patients," he said.
Comments
Kirann....you mean to say whoever speaks against any religion to be beaten?
Does it apply to people like kalladka and a guy from pumpwell?
@ Kiran
Very Funny comment by brother Kiran....Brother As you said this cleric speaking against Hindus in the Masjid..Brother what about Prabhakar Bhat,Shakshi Maharaj,Thogadia,Muthaliq,Pumpwel,Sathyajeeth Surathkal,all are speaking Publicly against
what your saying by showing Elder women in photo # 5 ?
Karanataka government, now this is the right time for you to ban bajrangdal.....no one should be allowed to take law in their hands....if they got any issues with moulana, complain it to police...not unnecessary beating in the public...we are not living in jungle raj....
Kiran......that means we can beat anyone who speaks against any religion................we have a list of fanatics like Togadia...katiyar...kamalesh...etc
put them behind the bar for lifetime, goonda act should claim on them.
i dont think so that bajrangdal attacked, look at the property damaged,
very worst place in padil area, faizalnagara, veeranagar, nobody likes to purchase property there. worst people leaving there
Whatever these devils agent do .. They will never succeed.. The Zionist with the help of their masters doing hatred job since long time and they are not able to keep the muslims and Islam in the corner.. RSS & BD are jujubi who are following the zionist deceivers...
Muslims are not worried about this attacks. Fear yourself when Cheddis will kill you guys after all this just like Prashanth...
If U did not study ISLAM ... Dont take panga...its a Waste. and YOU are fools who bring their own destruction and becoming scape goat to the cheddi Gandhi killers...
BD members should help many Dalit research scholar instead of creating a menace in the society.
simply blame on bajrangdal, look at the property damaged by PFI people.
Is it not intolerance.
if not then what else is it.
Where is the media, which does not show it to whole India what has been happening, while blaming Aamir and Sharukh.
British rule was much better than the present name-sake independent India
Simply making non sense in the society.
resident of padil : i know this cleric always speaking against hindus in the masjid thats why he is beaten.
dont know why this people are fighting like this.
AB KI BAARRRR MADHI SARKAARR.....
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