Rajkot: Infant with swollen kidney slays Covid-19

RAJKOT: A 27-day-old girl has staged a miraculous recovery from Covid-19 infection despite kidney complications, high D-dimer levels and surprisingly elevated sugar level that was as high as 657.
The health woes of the infant, now named Lakshmi, started right from her birth in Surendranagar Civil Hospital on May 10. Doctors said she did cry when born, a condition called birth asphyxia, indicating that she did not receive enough oxygen.If babies don’t cry at birth, chances of swelling in the brain increase.
After being treated and discharged, her parents again brought her to the hospital after a few days as she had fever, urine problem and swelling on the body. After doctors detected inflammation in the kidney, she was immediately referred to Rajkot Civil Hospital on May 18 with slim chances of survival.
As the infant continued to face breathing problems, a Covid-19 test was done which turned out to be positive. The D-dimer level crossed 1,000 and sugar level was 657, much to the surprise of the doctors who then shifted her to high-flow nasal cannula.
Talking to TOI, Dr Chetan Bhalgamiya, paediatrician at the Rajkot Civil Hospital, said, “The inflammation in the kidney was a big risk. She was unable to breastfeed properly due to infection.”
Doctors said neither of her parents were infected with Covid-19, so it was surprising how the infant got infected. “We verified the family history, but none of the members had Covid. One possibility is that some asymptomatic person might have come in child’s contact and infected her.” Dr. Bhalgamiya added.
Lakshmi is the first child of Ashok and Kajal Tharecha who farm labourers in their native Rajgadh village of Dhrangadhra taluka in Surendranagar.
Hospital officials said they have treated 191 paediatric patients (aged 1 day to 12 years) since March 2020, but this was the first case where the infant was suffering from dangerously impaired kidney function as well as coronavirus infection.
According to doctors, after a few days she was shifted to HFNC and given insulin which helped in controlling her sugar level. The treatment worked and her sodium levels too normalized. “The swelling on kidney also reduced significantly and she was passing urine normally. Lakshmi was discharged after nine days of treatment on Monday.