A Study Led By The Murdoch Children's Institute (MCRI) And The University Of Melbourne, Published Today (May 2, 2022) In The Journal Nature Communications, Identified The Disease Mechanism Of Covid-19 Children, Who Developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome And Inflammation In Different Parts Of The Body, Including The Heart, Lungs And Brain, And Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, A Lung Disease**
Conor McCafferty, A Researcher At MCRI And A Doctoral Student At The University Of Melbourne, Said That The Main Causes Of Severe Covid-19 In Children Are Blood Coagulation And How Proteins In The Immune System Respond To The Virus.
Generally Speaking, Children Are Less Sensitive To Covid-19 And Have Mild Symptoms, But The Medical Community Has Not Known What Causes Some People To Suffer From Very Serious Diseases.
"Our Study Is The First To Identify Specific Blood Coagulation And Immune Protein Pathways Affected In Covid-19 Children With Severe Symptoms," He Said.
During The Study, Blood Samples Were Collected From 20 Healthy Children At The Royal Children's Hospital And 33 Sars-cov-2 Infected Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome From Necker Malad Hospital Of The Affiliated Hospital Of The University Of Greater Paris.
Professor Damien Bonnet Of Neker Marad Hospital Of The University Hospital Of Greater Paris Said That Collecting Samples To Further Describe The Mechanism Of These Syndromes And Establish Global Cooperation Are Considered To Be The Key Issues To Improve Treatment And Outcomes.
The Study Found That 85 Proteins Are Specific For Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome And 52 Proteins Are Specific For Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Both Syndromes Are Major Potential Outcomes Of Severe Covid-19. These Findings May Be Due To The Development Of Proteomics, An Experimental Method That Allows Researchers To Simultaneously Investigate Nearly 500 Proteins Circulating In The Blood.
Data Show That 1.7% Of Pediatric Inpatients With Covid-19 Enter The Intensive Care Unit. Covid-19 Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Also Show Clinical Features Similar To Kawasaki Disease And Toxic Shock Syndrome, Such As Fever, Abdominal Pain, Vomiting, Rash And Conjunctivitis, So It Is Difficult To Diagnose Patients Quickly.
Professor Vera Ignjatovic Of MCRI Said That These Results Provide An Understanding Of The Basic Process Of Severe Covid-19 In Children, Which Will Help Develop Diagnostic Tests To Early Identify Children At Risk And Treatment Targets To Improve The Results Of Those Severe Cases. Understanding The Mechanisms Associated With Severe Covid-19 In Children And The Response Of Children's Coagulation And Immune System To The Virus Will Help Diagnose And Detect Acute Covid-19 Cases And Enable The Medical Industry To Develop Targeted Treatments.
Researchers At The Australian Proteome Analysis Institute In Sydney Also Contributed To The Study.