Signs of hepatitis in children

A series of cases of severe acute hepatitis occurring in previously healthy children has recently emerged in many countries. The number of cases and countries where the disease is detected is increasing. There have been cases of liver transplants and also deaths. So what are the signs of hepatitis in children?

On 15 April 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology occurring in 74 children across the UK. According to the most recent announcement of the World Health Organization on May 3, 2022 and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 6, 2022, the number of suspected cases is currently Currently, there are more than 300 children, recorded in at least 23 countries in Europe, America, Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.
This mysterious hepatitis are cases of acute hepatitis reported in previously healthy children between the ages of 1 month and 16 years. According to a report by the US CDC on May 6, 2022, 9 cases of the disease in the state of Alabama (USA) were children ≤ 6 years old.
Symptoms of hepatitis in children include:
Symptoms at the onset such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting. Then the typical manifestations of the full-blown phase include: Very high liver enzyme levels, yellow eyes and skin. Most cases do not have a fever. Most of the cases were fully recovered, about 10% required a liver transplant and 9 children died (of which 3 died in Indonesia).

Hepatitis is a condition in which liver cells become inflamed and destroyed. The liver is the place where many important processes take place in the body such as the synthesis of essential proteins, detoxification, etc. Therefore, liver damage can have serious consequences, even possible. endanger life.
Hepatitis can be caused by a viral infection (this is called viral hepatitis), alcoholic hepatitis, hepatitis caused by drugs or other chemicals, it can also be caused by some metabolic disorders, immune system disorders
Hepatitis is divided into 2 types:
Acute hepatitis is when the disease occurs within 6 months. Chronic hepatitis is when the disease lasts more than 6 months. The main viruses known to cause acute viral hepatitis in humans include hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses. Most cases of acute hepatitis are caused by these five viruses. The disease resolves spontaneously within weeks to months, with only a small percentage (<1%) progressing to fatal fulminant hepatitis.
Some patients with hepatitis B and C can develop chronic hepatitis B and C (the disease lasts almost a lifetime). Currently, viral hepatitis A, B and D can be effectively prevented with vaccines.
According to a report by the World Health Organization on April 23, 2022, out of a total of 169 cases of mysterious hepatitis in children, only 20 cases were found to be infected with COVID-19 (of which 19 were co-infected). infection with COVID-19 and Adenovirus), which suggests that this mysterious hepatitis has little to do with COVID-19 infection.
Another doubt, this mysterious hepatitis was caused by COVID-19 vaccination but this has been ruled out because of the children with the disease, the number of children who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 is small , because most children with the disease are under 5 years of age and are not eligible for this vaccine.
Adenovirus is being linked to hepatitis in children this time. However, more research and evaluation is still needed to determine what is the exact cause of this mysterious acute hepatitis in children.

Clinical manifestations of mysterious hepatitis are generally similar to acute viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E such as fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting within the first 3 to 10 days; then symptoms of yellow eyes, yellow skin, dark urine may appear, at this time the child usually does not have a fever. Most children with acute hepatitis will recover completely on their own.
Before the current situation, parents need to know the signs of hepatitis in children and take their children to a specialized medical facility for examination as soon as they have suspicious symptoms, especially when showing yellow eyes and skin. , dark urine appears.
Effective prevention measures for children now include:
Wearing masks; Respiratory hygiene; Wash your hands often with soap or an antiseptic solution, especially before eating, before touching your eyes, nose and mouth, after going to the toilet; Eat cooked and drink boiling; Avoid contact with sick people. The risk of mysterious hepatitis in children entering Vietnam is very high, but the frequency of children with hepatitis in our country recently has not increased abnormally and there have been no recorded cases of adenovirus. Therefore, parents should monitor the disease situation and information from the Ministry of Health, but should not be too confused and worried.