No proof Covid-19, Kawasaki disease are linked, says cardiologist

Families wait to enter a children's hospital in Beijing on March 31, 2020. Having treated many children with Kawasaki disease, cardiologist Huo Yong believes the disease and Covid-19 have very different pathogenesis, and it is highly unlikely they are connected. - AFP

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): There is no clinical evidence linking Covid-19 and Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that mostly affects children below age 5 by causing inflammation in their blood vessels and may damage the heart in serious cases, a senior cardiologist said.

Medical workers should also be mindful of Covid-19 patients with cardiovascular diseases, as data from China shows they have a relatively high chance of deteriorating into severe cases, Huo Yong, a noted cardiologist at Peking University First Hospital, said.