THE ESSENTIAL
- The first scientific study conducted on young children has identified 85 proteins linked to severe forms
- This discovery would make it possible to advance in the manufacture of a possible treatment
A first step towards appropriate treatment for children affected by a severe form of Covid-19? According to Nature Communications, several dozen proteins are thought to be responsible for a multisystem inflammatory reaction (PIMS) or acute respiratory distress syndrome – a type of lung disease, in children affected by Covid-19.
A thousand children
Both of these syndromes are major potential consequences of severe COVID-19 infection. In the case of PIMS, which has affected more than a thousand children since the start of the pandemic, according to Public health France, several parts of the body can be inflamed, including the heart, lungs and brain. It is an extremely rare and dangerous reaction that causes affected patients to experience high fever, vomiting and heart disease.
Inflammatory reaction
For this first scientific study carried out on young children, the Australians were led to receive blood samples from French children, complications being rare in the youngest.
Blood samples from 20 healthy children were collected at the Royal Children’s Hospital and samples from 33 children infected with Covid-19 and presenting with multisystem inflammatory syndrome or acute respiratory distress syndrome were collected at the Necker Hospital – Sick children.
In sick children, they revealed the presence of 85 proteins linked to this inflammatory reaction and 52 others linked to respiratory distress syndrome. These blood elements had not been found in healthy children, the study said.
Real progress
While currently these children affected by a multisystemic inflammatory reaction or respiratory distress do not benefit from any targeted treatment, this new discovery is a real breakthrough.
Vera Ignjatovic, a professor at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), said the findings provide insight into the processes behind severe Covid-19 in children, which would help develop diagnostic tests for early identification of children at risk, as well as therapeutic targets to improve the outcome of severe cases.
“Knowing the mechanisms associated with severe Covid-19 in children and how children’s blood clotting and immune systems respond to the virus will help diagnose and detect acute Covid-19 cases and allow us to develop targeted treatment.” , she said.