Project Ask the Doctor From the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation: Even Mild Forms of COVID-19 in Children Can Cause Complications Over Time

In the framework of its project Ask the Doctor, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation continues to inform viewers about the prevention and treatment of the coronavirus. Experts going on live broadcasts are the country’s leading trusted healthcare professionals who answer questions from the audience and talk about the latest discoveries and trends in the fight against the pandemic. The guest of the 44th release of the program was a Board Certified paediatrician Hanna Gorban.
The expert explained why children contract the coronavirus more often now.  

‘First, doctors began to actively diagnose the disease, and not only with the help of PCR tests, but also with rapid antigen tests.

Symptoms in children are often in a very mild form, such as a runny nose, and therefore parents do not even turn to doctors. When quicker and more accessible diagnostics appeared, then parents became more willing to turn to doctors. A significant explanatory effort has been made because even mild forms of COVID-19 can cause complications,’ said Hanna Gorban.
The doctor also talked about the consequences of mild or asymptomatic forms of the coronavirus for children’s health.

‘When a child shows changed testing results, it may indicate a multisystem syndrome. That is why the consequences can sometimes be much more complicated than the disease itself. This period usually begins two weeks after conditional recovery and can come by surprise at any time. There is an attack on large systems in the body and this process is almost impossible not to notice. It is crucial to correctly recognize and interpret it,’ explains the expert.

Hanna Gorban also explained how parents can protect their children from COVID-19 infection. She recommended following the basic hygiene rules, that is to wash your hands and wear a facemask. And, if it is possible, to get children vaccinated, and not only against COVID-19, but also against other diseases.

During the lifespan of the project Ask the Doctor, its coverage on the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s digital platforms amounted to 16 million viewers. Earlier, the experts of the program’s life broadcasts were such experts as Borys Todurov, a famous cardiac surgeon; Kateryna Amosova, a cardiologist, an associate member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, a member of the European Society of Cardiology; Oleh Chaban, a psychiatrist, a Doctor of Medical Sciences, a professor; Serhiy Dubrov, the President of the Association of Anaesthesiologists of Ukraine, and other experts.

Recordings of the program’s broadcasts featuring experienced healthcare practitioners are available for watching on the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s page in Facebook and on its YouTube account.