NEWS : A study in Madhya Pradesh has revealed 37 (about 8%) of 475 children who tested COVID-19 positive from April to July in 2021 developed COVID-acquired hepatitis

DETAILS

• There is a mysterious spike in unexplained hepatitis in children who have tested positive for the infection
• Research done by team of doctors from the Bundelkhand Medical College (BMC), Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research
• Though sporadic reports from various parts of India have emerged in the past two years, this is the first systematic investigation to quantify the scale of the syndrome in the country
• Ten children had the more serious and rare, but better-documented Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), which is marked by inflammation in multiple organs and can kill three in every 10 diagnosed children
• In CAH, the symptoms include nausea, loss of appetite, weakness, and mild fever.
• Inflammation is not marked, though a high level of liver enzymes, called transaminases, is observed
• All of the other typical causes of hepatitis, such as associated viruses, are absent. All of the 37 children recovered “uneventfully”, meaning that routine treatment for severe hepatitis with corticosteroids, rehydration, fever management and vitamins was sufficient
• Unexplained condition is different from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome

HEPATITIS

• Medical condition in which there occurs inflammation of liver cells and its complications vary with type of infection
• There are 5 types – A, B, C, D and E
• Each type is caused by a different hepatitis virus
• One of the common cause of liver damage
• Hepatitis B and C are the most deadly. These two types are mostly responsible for liver damage.
• Hepatitis viruses B, C and D spread by contact with contaminated blood or body fluids.
• Hepatitis A and E spreads through unsafe food and drink.
• Symptoms include yellowing of the skin and eyes, abdominal pain and swelling, yellow urine, pale or dark stools, chronic fatigue, nausea and loss of appetite.