A New Hepatitis?
Children infected by mysterious hepatic symptoms
A
n unusual, and probably new, form of hepatitis has appeared in a number of countries this year, first being noticed in the UK, but then spreading to Spain and the Netherlands and on to at least 33 other states and territories.
units, with a number needing liver transplants. The most common symptoms of the mysterious hepatitis are vomiting and jaundice: jaundice is a wellknown symptom of serious hepatitis, as damaged livers
Image by James Morrison
Artist’s Impression The first group of active cases were found in March. Unusually, and alarmingly, all of the known cases have been in children. A number have required transfer to specialist children’s liver
can lead to high levels of bilirubin (a yellowy-orange bile pigment) in the body, which turns the skin and the whites of the eyes a yellow colour. At the time of writing, the Royal Australian College
of General Practice (RACGP) had reported that at least five of the infected children have died.
Not A, B, C, D or E
Lab tests on all of those infected have excluded hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D (where applicable, as D only exists in some people living with hepatitis B) and E. Notably, a number of patients (at least 15%) have had severe COVID-19 infections, but given the overall high rate of infection in the UK generally, it is possible that this could well be coincidence instead of cause. Both COVID-19 and the unknown hepatitis being new viruses developing at around the same time may mean they are linked, or it may be a confusing case of bad luck. Importantly, there is no sign of any link to COVID-19 vaccination: indeed, the majority of affected children are under five years old, and so too young to have received any COVID-19 vaccine. One study found that an adenovirus—a type of common virus that typically causes mild cold- or flulike illness—was present in around two-thirds of the infected UK children.
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June 2022 • HEPATITIS SA COMMUNITY NEWS 94
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