Acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children. What is the cause?

ABSTRACT

The World Health Organization has issued a report on 228 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children between 1 month and 16 years, 10% of them required liver transplantation and 4 died (3 in Indonesia), another 50 cases are under investigation. The adenovirus type 41 is one of the causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in children, characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and fever, often accompanied by respiratory symptoms. Cases of hepatitis in immunocompromised children have been documented;however, there is no available evidence to indicate that adenovirus type 41 can cause hepatitis in healthy children. Although adenovirus is currently hypothesized as the underlying cause, it does not fully explain the severity of the clinical picture. Given this new situation, we have more questions than answers, the reported cases had no apparent risk factors, most had not received the COVID-19 vaccine. Several hypotheses are being evaluated and it seems that the infectious cause is more solid. The possible role of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children reported with acute hepatitis is analyzed.Copyright © 2022 Comunicaciones Cientificas Mexicanas S.A. de C.V.. All rights reserved.