Kawasaki disease warning – parent explains three signs of coronavirus-linked infection

Coronavirus tends to affect more adults than children, although it’s still unclear how younger people can transmit the infection. Doctors have warned that some children have developed a rare infection, that’s similar to Kawasaki disease, with symptoms that may be difficult to spot.

The new illness is seemingly connected to the novel coronavirus, although it mainly affects children.

The condition, which has been dubbed Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS), is remarkably similar to Kawasaki disease.

But, Kawasaki disease has previously been limited to children under five years old, while some patients up to 16 years old have reported PMIS.

One man has explained the symptoms of PMIS in his step-daughter, after she was admitted into intensive care at Leeds hospital.

Piers Roberts’ five-year-old step-daughter, Scarlett, was recovering from the coronavirus, when she became ill.

She was later diagnosed with PMIS after being rushed to hospital, Piers told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Piers explained that she had simply complained of stomach pain and nausea.

He admitted that most parents would have heard similar complaints throughout a child’s lifetime, so it can be difficult to identify when the child may have PMIS.

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“I cannot comment on what parents should be looking out for because I do not understand the disease process,” he told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.

When asked which symptoms Scarlett had displayed, he said: “A temperature, nausea, and a stomach ache…

“Something that most people with a five-year old will see quite often.”

Piers explained that Scarlett is now on the mend, and has made remarkable improvements since just a few days ago.

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ITV’s resident doctor, Dr Hilary Jones, explained the full signs and symptoms of PMIS that parents should be looking out for.

But, again, he admitted that it can be difficult to distinguish between a common complaint and something serious.

“What we’re seeing now is a different sort of syndrome,” he said.

“It’s similar to Kawasaki disease, and it’s thought to be a delayed immune reaction to COVID-19. The children who’ve had this won’t necessarily test positive for COVID-19. Some do, but those that don’t often have COVID-19 antibodies.

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“[Symptoms include] a fever or rash, sometimes tummy pain and diarrhoea, peeling skin, low blood pressure, swollen glands.

“These are symptoms that aren’t easy to distinguish from normal infectious diseases that can cause those kinds of symptoms in children.

“But it’s good to have a degree of suspicion that your child might have this syndrome which we’re calling paediatric multi system inflammatory disease, or PMIS.”

Speak to a doctor straight away if you’re worried that your child may have PMIS.

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