Digestive issues might be an early sign of COVID-19 in children, according to researchers.
Stomach Ills May Signal COVID-19 in Kids, Study Says
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A cough or other respiratory symptoms aren't the only early signs of COVID-19 in children, according to researchers.
They examined the cases of five children who were admitted to the hospital with digestive tract symptoms and later diagnosed with pneumonia and COVID-19.
Children with sickness and diarrhea who also have a fever or history of exposure to coronavirus should be suspected of having COVID-19, concluded the authors of the study. The findings were published May 12 in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.
"These children were seeking medical advice in the emergency department for unrelated problems, for example, one had a kidney stone, another a head trauma. All had pneumonia confirmed by chest CT scan before or soon after admission and then confirmed to have COVID-19," said study author Dr. Wenbin Li, from the Department of Pediatrics at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China.