Parents are being urged to look for signs of a little known condition affecting some children after Covid.
Medics say some children who have tested positive for coronavirus are presenting with Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome just weeks later.
Experts say the newly diagnosed condition can prove life-threatening if not treated the right way.
Great Ormond Street Hospital say the condition develops weeks after a child has had Covid-19 and report that some can experience inflammation throughout the body.
Treatment includes and strong immunosuppressant drugs to fight it, however not every child will present with these worst-case scenario symptoms.
Experts say while the overwhelming majority of children who test positive for Covid develop either no symptoms or very mild ones, this relatively rare condition has been seen in a handful of children and adolescents.
Doctors say it is likely the result of the immune system overworking and attacking parts of the body that it shouldn't.
The main symptom of PIMS is a high temperature that lasts for a few days and for many children they will recover well at home.
However there can be complications including organ failure which need hospital treatment.
Symptoms to look out for
- A rash
- Tiredness and weakness
- Tummy pain or cramps
- Red and cracked lips
- Swollen hands and feet
- Peeling skin on your hands and feet
- Headache
- Red eyes
- Muscle aches and pains
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Swollen neck glands
- Unexplained irritability
The condition is treated by attempting to 'turn off' the immune system to stop inflammation and then resetting it using a combination of drugs such as anti-clotting agents and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
The condition recently affected Cooper Hayton, an 11-year-old boy from Cumbria, who thankfully made a full recovery.
Mum Pippa urged other parents to "Trust your instincts if something is wrong with your child.", adding: "I know we were the lucky ones. I wouldn't want any child or parent to go through what we went through."
Thankfully the condition remains extremely rare.
Great Ormond Street said: "Learning about PIMS, improving the way we care for young people with PIMS, and sharing knowledge is a priority at GOSH. This goes hand-in-hand with research, and whenever possible we aim to include patients with PIMS in our research studies."
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