Coronavirus may be responsible for mysterious outbreak of hepatitis in children, study finds. At least 348 young patients have developed the disease, some have died, and others have required liver transplants.
Scientists are trying to figure out the mysterious outbreak of hepatitis, which has already swept over two dozen countries. At least 348 children became its victims, and these are only those who were diagnosed with the disease. Some of them died, dozens needed liver transplants. And now a study has shown that one of the possible causes of this outbreak is COVID-19.
Many young victims of hepatitis have been found to have an adenovirus that plays a role in the development of liver disease. Adenoviruses are a group of common viruses that infect the lining of the eyes, airways, lungs, intestines, urethra, and nervous system. However, experts argue that this does not fully explain the symptoms, since adenoviruses do not usually cause hepatitis in healthy children. And now there is a theory that the coronavirus is to blame.
According to this hypothesis, COVID-19 can reach the gastrointestinal tract of children, where it comes into contact with the virus, which provokes an excessive immune response. The viral load of covid is very persistent in the gastrointestinal tract, it can cause repeated release of viral proteins throughout the epithelium, which leads to an increase in the activity of the immune system. This is one of the most likely explanations for the mysterious outbreak of hepatitis proposed by scientists from the British University of Exeter. (READ MORE)