Pune boy survives rare life-threatening post-COVID-19 complication

A sevenyearold boy has survived a rare lifethreatening postCOVID19 complication called hyperinflammatory syndrome with which he was diagnosed at a city hospital doctors said on FridayThe boy son of a Pune Municipal Corporation worker along with his parents and brother had contracted COVID19 three weeks ago but all of them had recovered from the infection Hyperinflammatory syndrome is associated with COVID 19 The lifethreatening illness is characterised by inflammation in the entire body including vital organsCOVID19 pandemic affecting mental health of millions WHOAccording to doctors at a private hospital the boy was admitted to the pediatric ICU on August 10 after complaining of fever pain in abdomen and vomiting for two days Dr Bhakti Sarangi one of the doctors who treated the boy said his condition was critical with high pulse rate 142min high respiratory rate 26min and low blood pressureOur initial diagnosis was hyperinflammatory syndrome a postCOVID19 complication However we also suspected other diseases like dengue septic shock that have similar featuresIndia churning out highest daily COVID19 cases in the worldIn the initial stage of treatment the boy received saline oxygen and various injections to increases pumping of the heart and to normalise blood pressure she said She said since the boys inflammatory markers neutrophils of white blood cells cardiac enzyme and coagulation parameters were elevated he was treated with steroid injection on the second day of admissionAs his breathing deteriorated further he was put on a noninvasive ventilator His CT scan revealed dilated intestines enlarged liver and spleen His hearts left coronary artery was dilated Thus he had heart lungs abdomen and liver injury suggesting multiorgan involvement said Dr Jitendra Oswal another doctor who treated the boyOswal said since the boys symptoms persisted on the third day also he was given immunoglobulin injection But his condition did not improve as an inflammatory substance called interleukin6 IL6 level was extremely high in his blood he saidRespiratory complications haunt COVID19 recovered patients StudyHe said the boy was then given Tocilizumab injection which blocks IL6 receptors and stops inflammation and he responded dramatically with fever and abdominal pain disappearing in 12 hours All his inflammatory markers including IL6 level started showing normalising trend He was discharged after 11 days of stay in the hospital he added Dr Oswal said they are expecting many such cases in coming weeks as COVID19 cases are rapidly risingParents and paediatricians should be aware and watchful of this rare hyperinflammatory syndrome which is a post COVID19 complication Early recognition and treatment can save lives he saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever