Children with Omicron At Higher Risk of Developing Respiratory Infections, Cardiac Arrests

With schools completely operational, and kids sharing space with other schoolchildren and school employees, it is natural for parents to worry about how coronavirus, specifically the Omicron variant, might affect their little ones.

As specified in The HealthSite.com, while some children may experience mild COVID-19 symptoms, others can turn into victims or more severe susceptibilities like upper respiratory infections and cardiac arrest.

Essentially, the world continues reeling under the coronavirus, with the Omicron variant as the leading strain in many countries.

More so, the reigning strain has been unceasingly generating producing subvariants that have turned out to be a cause of concern.

Upper Airway Infections

In research published in the JAMA Pediatrics, young kids with Omicron are at higher risk of Croup, a form of respiratory disease that affects infants and young children and is technically identified as "laryngotracheitis."

This condition occurs because children have smaller, not to mention collapsible airways, making them more vulnerable to upper airway infections, as described in a related Forbes report, like croup. It may result in cardiac death as well, in case of severe infection.

For this study, the study investigators analyzed more than 18,800 children admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19. They discovered that incidences of upper airway infections increased during the Omicron spike.

More than one-fifth of kids with COVID-19 and upper airway infection who were hospitalized were reported to have developed a severe infection in the United States.

Croup

Croup is a type of infection of the upper airway, which, according to the What to Expect website, is marked by a "barking cough and squeaky breathing."

It can hazardously restrict an individual's breathing in severe cases. Symptoms of croup usually get worse at night and may last about three to five days.

Some of the common signs seen in people suffering from croup include fever, hoarse voice, loud barking, which is aggravated by coughing and crying, and noisy or labored breathing.

At Risk of Cardiac Arrest

The study investigators said children who have severe upper airway infection are at risk of cardiac arrest "from rapid-onset upper airway obstruction."

These kids may require treatments commonly offered in intensive care units or ICUs, including frequent administration of nebulized racemic epinephrine, mixtures of helium and oxygen, and intubation.

While the rate of COVID-19 pediatric upper airway infection is not remarkably high, comprehending this new clinical phenotype and the potential for acute upper airway obstruction may help with therapeutic decision-making.

The researchers said that "SARS-CoV-2 can induce severe pediatric disease," including acute COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome.

Even though non-coronaviruses like parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus are the most typical causes of upper airway infection, coronaviruses like type NL63 are often implicated.

A related report on the Omicron variant in children is shown on PBS NewsHour's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.