Mayabeque, Cuba: In recent days, Cuba has registered the highest numbers of patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 in pediatric ages and although generally the highest percentage of children and adolescents evolve favorably, there is a danger of developing some type of sequel that affects his future life.
In this regard, the Head of the National Pediatric Group of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Lissette del Rosario López González, said that through multidisciplinary consultations in Primary and Secondary health care it has been detected that after suffering from COVID-19 it is common to find psychological, cardiovascular, neurological, renal, intestinal and pulmonary affectations.
Among them, the most common are cardiovascular conditions such as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the outer layer that covers the heart), hypertrophy of the ventricles, profuse sweating, high blood pressure and arrhythmias, present even in small children.
In addition, some neurological alterations have been described among them encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) has been seen.
The also specialist in Pediatric Intensive Medicine and Comprehensive General Medicine, pointed out that kidney and intestinal damage has been detected, diarrhea being the most frequent condition, also associated with loss of taste and anorexia (loss of appetite).
She stressed that the virus represents a change in the lives of minors when they are admitted to a hospital and sometimes separated from their families due to their clinical condition.
Some of them later manifest excitability, fear and lack of concentration, affectations from the psychological point of view that, if treated in time, have a satisfactory solution.
Regarding the consultations for the convalescent, López González pointed out that children and adolescents are cared for by doctors in Primary Health Care, who work in a chain with secondary care and with pediatricians and related specialists.
These post-COVID-19 consultations have the objective of investigating, detecting and treating the organic, functional and psychological alterations that the virus causes in both asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients, since the disease is very young and represents a challenge to scientific and medical.
There are studies that show that symptoms can last from six months to more than a year after infection, but that is a topic that is still under investigation.
The head of the National Group of Pediatrics warned that the numbers that are reported every morning are not to be alarmed, but to interpret them, act in relation to them and protect our children and adolescents as much as possible.
Regarding the beginning of the trials Soberana-Pediatría, from the Finlay Vaccine Institute, and Ismaelillo, from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, urged not to lower our guard and maintain discipline, so that the care of children and the achievements of biotechnology go hand in hand.