Weeks after a corona infection, the inflammatory syndrome “PIMS” developed in some children. Experts still disagree on explanations.
Munich – Children have so far only played a subordinate role in the course of the corona pandemic *. Although this became increasingly larger during the third wave, the risk of children dying from Covid-19 * is negligible. According to the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI), 1,373 children and adolescents with corona were admitted to a clinic by April 21. Five percent of them had to be treated medically in the intensive care unit – eight children have died.
“The risk of dying from Covid * is really very low for children,” said Jörg Dötsch, director of the children’s and youth clinic at Cologne University Hospital, opposite Welt . The virus could of course also be dangerous for children and adolescents, but in the vast majority of cases it went without a serious illness * – most of them would not notice anything.
After corona infection: Scientists ponder “PIMS”
What is causing scientists and doctors much more concern, however, is the severe inflammatory reaction “PIMS” – Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome. This appears sporadically in children, weeks after the actual corona disease *. Some of the adolescents are admitted with a high fever, skin rashes and severe abdominal pain. In addition, the circulation can collapse and the lungs can fail.
According to Reinhard Berner, a pediatrician, 281 cases of the “rare complication” have been reported in German clinics so far – he told Welt . Scientists are still puzzling about what exactly triggers PIMS. Experts would only be able to observe what exactly is happening inside a child’s body. According to Roland Elling, part of the intensive team at the Freiburg Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, and Welt, two explanatory approaches are currently being discussed:
“PIMS” – Two theories in circulation
Firstly, the superantigen hypothesis, which assumes that the spike protein of the coronavirus activates a large number of T cells of the immune system at once in some children. The immune reaction would then “overshoot” and attack the body’s own cells. The theory is questioned because there are several weeks between the corona infection and PIMS.
The autoantibody hypothesis, on the other hand, believes that after infection, with a mild course, B cells would form and release antibodies. These would attack their own structures in the body, which could damage the blood vessels and affect myocardial tissue.
Doctors and nurses can treat “PIMS” well
The good news: Doctors and nurses now know how to handle PIMS cases. Although over 50 percent of all sick people have to go to the intensive care unit, they can be treated effectively there. “The majority of PIMS cases in Germany could be treated well with anti-inflammatory agents,” explains Berner. Accordingly, there have been no deaths yet *. However, consequential damage is expected in around five percent of those affected. (ta) * Merkur.de and tz.de are an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
