The truth about the virus suspected of being behind the mysterious hepatitis

Before the wave of illness Hepatitis The cause is unknown, spreading and discovered in many countries, scientists have put forward many theories about the origin of the disease, in which, adeno is the leading suspect when many patients are positive for this virus.

This made some parents nervous when they first heard the name of the virus.

Adeno has been isolated for almost 70 years

Specialist Doctor II Le Thanh Phuong, Head of Hepatology Department, Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that adenoids are not a new virus, they have appeared for a long time and cause many common diseases.

In 1953, the first strain of adenovirus was isolated from human nasopharynx and amygdala. Because they cause cell degeneration, they are called AD (Adenoid Destruction) viruses.

The adenovirus is the biggest suspected culprit of inflammatory diseases of unknown origin in the US, Europe and many Asian countries.

With the wave of hepatitis of unknown cause spreading and detected in many countries, scientists have put forward many theories about the origin of the disease, in which, adeno is the leading suspect when many patients are positive for less than 1 year. this virus.

This made some parents nervous when they first heard the name of the virus.

Then, similar viruses were isolated from healthy people and sick people with different names such as APC virus (Adeno Pharyngeal Conjunctival), ARD virus (Acute Respiratory Diseases).

In 1956, the name adeno was given to this group of viruses and is used to this day.

Scientific image of adenovirus

Adenovirus belongs to the family Adenoviridae. There are two recognized genera: adenovirus (avian) and Mastadeno virus (human and mammalian). Human adenovirus has 41 different serotypes, many of which can cause disease in humans.

“Adenoid virus disease is not rare, usually everyone experiences at least once in their life symptoms such as diarrhea, flu, rhinitis, pharyngitis and most often conjunctivitis. Disease caused by adenoids is likely to spontaneously occur. cured, no need to treat with drugs”Dr. Phung shared.

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, former Head of the Department of Infection – Neurology, Children’s Hospital 1 (HCMC), also said that adenoviruses are so common that many people do not pay attention to them besides treating doctors.

“Adeno is a virus that is active in the human respiratory system, similar to influenza and RSV.” Dr. Khanh said.

Doctor Le Thanh Phuong also said that although adeno causes many common diseases, hepatitis caused by this virus is very rare. Therefore, with the hypothesis that the culprit behind the mysterious hepatitis is the adeno virus, many people are quite surprised.

“Therefore, some scientists also question the interaction between viruses, for example adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2.“, he added.

How to prevent?

If the cause is in favor of adeno, doctor Le Thanh Phuong said that the way to prevent this virus is similar to the prevention of Covid-19 disease so far.

The first is to limit close contact in an unventilated environment, clean hands, clean contact surfaces and toys, use separate household items for children and wear masks.

“Although adenoids currently appear to be the most probable cause, further investigation will be needed to confirm this and rule out other possible explanations such as a new virus. It is even considered the cause. is not common in all cases”Dr. Phung added.

Therefore, this expert recommends that during the period when many infectious diseases are circulating such as hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever, Covid-19 … parents need to closely monitor the health of young children.

With any unusual manifestations such as high fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, dark yellow urine, gray, pale stools, yellow eyes and skin, itchy skin, muscle and joint pain … parents should take their children to the hospital to be examined and diagnosed by a doctor.

The UK Health Security Agency defines hepatitis as a condition that affects the liver and can be caused by a viral infection. The viruses that commonly cause hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, C, D, E) have not been found in children with recent mysterious hepatitis.

Other possible causes of acute hepatitis, including certain drugs and toxins, are also being studied, however, no link has been found to date.

According to Zing