What parents should know about mysterious hepatitis in children

Children may have Hepatitis due to various reasons. One of the most common causes is a virus, according to the scientific journal Livescience.

Parents and doctors need to watch out for symptoms of hepatitis in children such as fatigue, diarrhea, yellowing of the skin and eyes SHUTTERSTOCK

However, none of the children with occult hepatitis were positive for the viruses that cause hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E. Most children with this mysterious hepatitis are between 2 and 2 years old. 5 years old.

Experts believe that the causative agent of the mysterious hepatitis in children may be the adenovirus type 41. Evidence is that some pediatric patients have tested positive for this virus.

However, adenovirus type 41 often causes respiratory diseases. The virus almost exclusively infects children with Damaged immune system. Meanwhile, children infected with mysterious hepatitis have healthy immune systems.

Currently, public health experts have not yet determined the cause of the mysterious hepatitis. They also confirmed that there is little chance that this hepatitis is related to Covid-19. The reason is that most children with hepatitis are not infected with Covid-19.

In addition, vaccines Covid-19 also has nothing to do with this hepatitis. The evidence is that in the US, scientists found that none of the children with hepatitis had ever been vaccinated. The reason is that the children are still small, so they are not eligible for vaccination.

Vomiting and diarrhea

What parents need to note is the highlight of mysterious hepatitis It is common for young children to have the first symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. However, these are also two symptoms that appear in many problems health So, even if it is present, it does not mean that the child has hepatitis, explained Dr. Leisha Nolen, an epidemiologist in Wyoming (USA).

Another symptom that parents should not ignore in their children is jaundice or yellowing of the whites of the eyes. This is a typical sign that health is having problems, one of which is liver failure. Parents need to take their children to the doctor right away.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising parents and doctors to watch out for symptoms of hepatitis in children. These symptoms include fever, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools, joint pain, and yellowing of the skin and eyes. Livescience.