Several cases of severe acute hepatitis reported at Toronto SickKids

Severe acute hepatitis cases have been reported at SickKids hospital in Toronto and may be part of a mysterious outbreak that’s affected children in 20 countries.

Seven cases were reported between October 2021 and April 30 of this year, the hospital told CityNews 680 in a statement.

“It remains to be seen whether this number represents an increase in cases of unknown origin compared to similar time periods in previous years or if any of these cases will be confirmed to be caused by a novel clinical entity,” the statement reads.

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RELATED: Public health investigating reports of severe liver disease in Canadian kids

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SickKids said its infectious disease specialists were on the lookout for patients with liver disease symptoms that could include new onset of dark urine, pale stool and/or jaundice, which can turn the whites of eyes a distinctive yellow colour.

They also recommended a lower threshold for referral to specialist care.

Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, has said public health units have been told to watch out for cases of severe liver disease, “we’re aware of the situation that has given rise to concern all over the world.”

Acute Hepatitis cases are on the rise globally

In the U.K., more than 100 cases have been reported over about the same time frame as these cases reported at SickKids.

In the United States, health officials are looking into more than 100 possible cases of the mysterious illness in children, including five deaths, after around two dozen states reported suspected cases after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for doctors to keep an eye out for surprising cases of hepatitis.

There are some theories about a connection to the adenovirus because many of the kids that became sick tested positive, however, doctors have not been able to confirm that.

“In Canada, we’ve contacted our pediatric hospitals — our 17 pediatric centres — to see if we can get a better understanding of what’s going on in Canada,” Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday.

Even before the pandemic, about half of all pediatric hepatitis cases that are severe would have no known cause, Tam added.

“We’re still at the investigation stage of trying to figure out whether any of these cases are indeed linked at all. There’s always been hepatitis and some severe cases of hepatitis in children pre-pandemic and one would expect post-pandemic as well,” she said.

There are dozens of adenoviruses, many of them associated with cold-like symptoms, fever, sore throat and pink eye.

But some versions can trigger other problems, including inflammation in the stomach and intestines. Officials are exploring a link to one particular version that’s normally associated with gut inflammation.

Symptoms of hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, also include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and joint pain.

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With files from The Canadian Press