Mum warns parents to check for THIS hepatitis symptom after daughter rushed to hospital
Claire McAteer
Netmums contributorMum-of-one Chloe spoke about the 'terrifying' experience after daughter Madison was diagnosed with the virus.
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A mum has urged others to be aware of the signs of hepatitis, after her little girl was rushed to hospital with the condition.
Chloe Benham, from North Lanarkshire, took four-year-old Madison to her GP at Clyde View Medical Practice after her dad noticed the unusual colour of her urine.
Chloe was left stunned when her daughter was diagnosed with the serious virus, and feared she may even need a liver transplant.
Chloe, 24, said:
‘It came as a shock. We knew absolutely nothing about hepatitis.
'It was so unexpected, so I felt really stressed and confused as to how she had contracted it. We had taken her to the GP because her dad noticed her urine was brown and we knew something must have been wrong.
She had been sick on and off for the last few weeks, but apart from that she was her usual happy self.’
After an abnormal urine sample and bloods to check her liver function, Madison was sent to Wishaw General Hospital where doctors confirmed the diagnosis on May 19.
During a five-day stay in hospital doctors battled to lower Madison's dangerously high liver enzyme levels.
The youngster suffered jaundice - yellowing of the eyes - and had to have daily blood tests to monitor her liver's function.
Chloe told Netmums that Madison is now back at home, and ‘is doing good at the moment’.
She added:
‘She is still being monitored every second day, and has an appointment with the Children’s hospital for a follow up.'
The mum admitted she is worried about any long-term damage and said:
‘It was absolutely terrifying. Doctors said that she is over the worst but I can't help but worry.
'I now know if hepatitis goes undetected it can cause liver failure, so we were worried she would need a transplant.'
And she had a message for other parents:
‘I want to make parents aware of the symptoms of hepatitis, so they can get their kids checked before it progresses. For Madison, it was brown urine and jaundice.'
It comes as the unusual outbreak of the liver inflammatory disease is affecting children in the UK.
In their latest briefing on the sudden rise of cases of hepatitis in children, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that a further 34 kids have been diagnosed with the illness, bringing the official number of UK cases to 197.
However, it was confirmed that there's been a rise in cases among the under-fives in particular, with the majority of kids contracting the disease aged four and under.
The possible causes were still being investigated but adenovirus was the most frequently detected virus in samples tested.
The World Health Organisation said that at least one child death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children, but gave no details of the death and did not say where it occurred.
There have been no deaths from the virus in the UK.
The advice to parents is to continue normal hygiene measures, including making sure children wash their hands properly. This will help to reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus.
Paediatric doctor, Dr Shruti Nathwani, shared a reel on her Instagram, @thechildrensmedic to reassure parents.
‘As worrying as this is for all parents, please remember the likelihood of your child developing hepatitis is extremely low,’ Dr Shruti wrote in the caption.
Alongside the reel, Dr Shruti wrote:
Of the cases to date, 11 have received a liver transplant. No cases resident in the UK have died.
Amongst 197 UK cases, 170 have been tested for adenovirus of which 116 had adenovirus detected.
There is no evidence of any link to the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
The cases are predominantly in children under 5 years old who showed initial symptoms of gastroenteritis illness (diarrhoea and nausea) followed by the onset of jaundice.
Jaundice and vomiting are the most common symptoms experienced by the children affected. For jaundice, look for a yellow tinge in the whites of the eyes.
Other symptoms include:
* dark urine
* pale, grey-coloured faeces (poo)
* itchy skin
* muscle and joint pain
* a high temperature
* feeling unusually tired all the time
* loss of appetite
* tummy pain
Dr Shruti advised people to contact their doctor if concerned.
Are you worried about the spike in cases of hepatitis, or worried about any other childhood illnesses? Chat all things child health in our forum below.
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