detected one particular adeno-associated virus, called AAV2, in the blood and livers of U.K. children with severe hepatitis. The researchers suggested that some kids may have been co-infected with AAV2 and another virus like adenovirus 41 — a combination that could result in liver failure. The studies also identified a genetic marker that might put children at higher risk of this outcome.
An unexplained case of severe hepatitis in 2021 led to a liver transplant for 3-year-old Quinn Cunha, seen here with her mother, Stefanie.Karpen said that approximately half of the acute hepatitis cases that typically show up to his hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, have no clear origin. Around 10% of those cases progress to severe liver failure and can require a transplant, he estimated.
for hepatitis relative to rates before the Covid pandemic. From October 2021 to March 2022, the U.S. saw an average of 22 monthly hepatitis-related hospitalizations among children under 4, and 12 among children ages 5 to 11. The country recorded similar averages in 2019.Some experts think hepatitis cases may have temporarily spiked once Covid restrictions lifted, because young children subsequently got exposed to viruses that their bodies hadn’t seen before.
Karpen said it's also possible that the recent spike in the U.K. was just part of the “natural history of a disorder that has not been followed with this degree of scrutiny before.”The new theory about pediatric hepatitis hinges on a small sample size: 37 patients across the two preliminary studies. But disease experts said the idea is intriguing.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »
Source: wsfa12news - 🏆 338. / 59 Read more »
Source: Nature - 🏆 64. / 68 Read more »
Source: Jezebel - 🏆 153. / 63 Read more »
Source: WTVYNews4 - 🏆 590. / 51 Read more »
Source: ScaryMommy - 🏆 116. / 63 Read more »