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
Good to see new names occurring to defame Minorities.. Keep going guys.. I guess many new names are on the way still to mock Minorities.. Good luck.. God Bless you..
Some in this thread are proud of being Hindu Nationalist and people like me are proud being Indian Muslim...
And thats why my country name comes first.....
Nevertheless, the so called fake bajrangis. chaddis etc... can't be called patriots of our country. because they dont beleive in unity and they always want to divide country in the name of religion and no matter how much they try.....they will never be successful
As a Hindu, I am proud of Nikhithraj , who had expressed anger against those who raise anti-national slogans and backstab motherland. Whatever my friend Nikhithraj had said that is 100% correct.
A SIMPLE TRUTH
80% of JNU students are Hindus, that is also from Northern India, where Northern India called as Hub of Hinduism.
How these people can be anti national or committed sedition.
The students and staff both are against the central gov't. They are indeed intelligent students, staff in JNU, unlike some others.
You Bhajees label yourself as the only Patriots and others as anti nationals. If you are a true patriot, be obedient to the National constitution. Even you are not a pure Hindu. You are spoiling the name and image of Hindu culture. Because of your ideology Hinduism is very faster diminishing and other religions like Christianity and Islam is growing at the fastest rate which was never before.
Any way, if not you, at least your offspring are coming out from your clutches and following the right path but not your portrayed Hindu culture. They will be real Hindus. If they are real Hindus, then they will choose what they have to be.
Its nice to see so many Hindu brothers and sisters are gathered in colourful function ...what is the main agenda behind this kind of gathering to prove what ? Provoke one community against another ? .. Its true government should take an proper action against goons who had called anti national slogan .. and its clearly shown who were there behind this drama.
As we all seen SDPI or any of its wing never done something wrong which divide india or effect our Indian democracy and it seems they are the who trying to save indian secularism, but we feel RSS and its wings always tried to divide india by religion or cast and they always raise their saffron flag instead of Tricolour Indian Flag.
People should think about political , religious or any party leaders, they are getting their daily bread from where ? Look at the past history of MP, MLA and other members ..they all given hate speech and recognized by people and later they forget them as well.
here we should use our common sense.. regardless of religion for our daily bread and other things we common man should work hard.. there is no logic behind hate one another ... no single common person will get tax free life, no one will wave up our utility bills or supply daily food ... so we all should stand as Indian to show the power of India ..
Hindu Samavesha - only hate and politics speech????
No any good message from the Hindu religion??
IF RSS AND BD HAS REAL LOVE TO OUR MOTHER LAND INDIA THEY NEED TO RAISE THE NATIONAL FLAG NOT THEIR SAFFRON FLAG ..
Y R U RAISING THE SAFFRON COLOR FLAG PLEASE DONT TEACH US THE TO LOVE THE NATION WE KNOW VERY WELL THAN UU
WE MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS AND OTHER RELIGIONS WE KNOW.. WE LOVE OUR INDIA MORE THAN UUUU ,
YOU ARE ACTING LIKE THAT U R THE ONE RSS AND BD WHO DIRECTLY FIGHT WITH BRITISH AND MADE INDIA INDEPENDENT..
.
U R ANTI NATIONALS ATTACKING CLUB, LADIE, BAR , COLLEGES SCHOOLS, BEEF EATERS, CHURCHES, MOSQUE ..
DID U HEAR TILL NOW THAT CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY ATTACKED THE TEMPLE, BARS, CLUBS? AND BECAUSE OUR RELIGION DOES NOT TEACH US THAT TO ATTACK THE INNOCENT ..
U R THE ONE WHO EDITED THE AUDIO OF JNU TO ANTI SLOGAN NOT US AND IT PROVED......
THIS IS U R ACCHE DIN WHA WHA WHA... U RECIEVED BIHAR RESULT RIGHT WAIT AND SEE IN FUTURE,,
SDPI is a part of BJP, they help gain more seats in recently held election....
oppose modi, oppose BJP, oppose RSS but dont support Pakistanis or who wants to divide India whose slogans are anti national.
anti-national elements who shouted anti-India slogans, should be detained quickly.
Anti-national slogans r not at all good.. But what our govt.is doing? shoot them to kill.
totally wrong statement.
My heart cries after seeing those people who shouted anti national slogans. Shame on you.
who gave rights to univ students to endorse anti India slogans, congress gaining, but still loosing, truth always stand next to BJP
Anti National Slogans are Minor Issues\ - Paid MSMS YET they all are barking endlessly over this issue!! Strange!"
Freedom of speech doesn't mean you raise anti-national slogans.
If anti-national slogans are raised & then they are supported,I think there can be nothing worse than that
I feel angry over anti-national slogans raised in some universities. this people should be in jail for life time.
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