UK doctors warned about worrying new illness

Doctors in the United Kingdom have been told to watch out for a possible new condition that seems only to affect children and that may be linked to the novel coronavirus.

The Paediatric Intensive Care Society first sent the warning to National Health Service doctors working in London on Sunday.

The memo says: "There is growing concern that a (COVID-19) related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK. Over the last three weeks, there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK."

The memo was subsequently made public by The Health Service Journal.

It warns doctors to be aware of a spike in cases similar to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease and which can cause redness of the tongue and a skin rash.

The presumed new condition requires treatment in intensive care because it has the characteristics of a serious COVID-19 infection as well as, sometimes, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.

Toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease cause an inflammatory condition that attacks blood vessels and the heart and causes similar internal swelling, fever, and breathing problems to those seen in COVID-19 patients.

The memo said the first cases appeared in the past three weeks.

The memo calls on doctors to "please refer children presenting with these symptoms as a matter of urgency".

NHS England said it had not made a link between novel coronavirus and Kawasaki disease symptoms in children.

Simon Kenny, the organization's national clinical director for children and young people, said: "Thankfully, Kawasaki-like diseases are very rare, as currently are serious complications in children related to COVID-19, but it is important that clinicians are made aware of any potential emerging links so that they are able to give children and young people the right care fast."

He said parents should call the NHS's 111 help line if they are worried, or call their family doctor or 999 in the case of an emergency.

Elizabeth Whittaker, a pediatrician at St Mary's Hospital in London, wrote on Twitter that medics in other countries have also noted the possible new condition.

"Our Italian and Spanish colleagues also report it," she wrote. "Numbers are small but significant."

Some of the children presenting with the new symptoms have tested positive for COVID-19 while others have had the disease in the past. Others have not had it at all.

Stephen Powis, NHS England's medical director, told the BBC the organization had only recently become aware of the illness.

"It's only in the last few days that we have seen those reports," he said. "We have asked our experts to look into this as a matter of urgency."

NHS England said there looks to have been fewer than 20 such cases in the UK so far.