Alert! Omicron increases the risk of heart attack in children: Report

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• Apr 19, 2022 | Dhupali Das

According to the findings, the Omicron variation is more likely to induce Upper Airway Infection (UAI) in younger children.

Digital Desk: According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Colorado, Northwestern University, and Stony Brook University in the United States, the coronavirus variant Omicron is more likely than other variants to cause upper airway infection (UAI) in children, putting them at risk of heart attack and other severe issues.

The study was conducted by analyzing data from the National Covid Cohort Collaborative on 18,849 children under the age of 19 who were hospitalized with Covid-19. Last week, the study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

According to the findings, the Omicron variation is more likely to induce Upper Airway Infection (UAI) in younger children. The analysis found that Omicron caused UAI in younger children, with the average age of hospitalized children dropping from around four years and five months before Omicron to roughly two years and one month after Omicron.

The investigation was carried out to see if cases of UAI among children rose when Omicron became the main SARS-CoV-2 variant in the United States.

According to the researchers, the proportion of children having a paediatric complex chronic disease did not differ considerably between the pre-Omicron and Omicron periods.

Altogether, 21.1 per cent of children hospitalized with Covid-19 and UAI developed serious sickness that necessitated intubation, which involves inserting a tube into the lungs to assist with breathing.

"Children suffering from severe UAI are at risk of cardiac arrest due to sudden onset upper airway blockage. They may require therapy commonly found in intensive care units, such as nebulized racemic epinephrine, helium-oxygen mixes, and intubation," the study's authors made the observation.

Nebulised racemic epinephrine is typically reserved for hospitalized patients experiencing moderate-to-severe respiratory distress.

"While the rate of SARS-CoV-2 paediatric UAI is not very high, knowing this new clinical profile and the risk for acute upper airway blockage may guide therapeutic decision-making," they said. 

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain became prevalent in the United States on December 25, 2021.

According to the researchers, the highly transmissible variation causes less severe sickness than the Delta variant. According to the researcher, this could be because Omicron replicates less efficiently in lung cells and more efficiently in conducting airways.

The researcher assumed that this analysis has certain limitations, including that children who are still hospitalized are not included in the study, and the frequency of serious sickness reported during the Omicron period may be underestimated.