According to a new study, young children with Omicron may report more croup. But what is this affection?
According to a new American study published in the journal PediatricsThe Omicron variant may cause a new complication in young children: croup. Between March 2020 and January 2022, doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts (US) analyzed 75 children with COVID-19 with the condition, most of them boys under two years old, of whom 81% were during the Omicron wave. Of the young patients, none died, but 12% were hospitalized, and nearly half are in intensive care.
“There was a very clear delineation between when Omicron became the dominant variant and when we started seeing an increase in patients with croup,” explained Ryan Brewster, one of the study’s authors.
Croup, also called bronchopneumonia and laryngitis, a condition that usually appears after a viral infection in young children, as noted Futura Health. It is characterized by swelling in the larynx, which obstructs the passage of air. Wheezing, as well as a “barking” cough are typical of this condition.