Two adults die in Denver hospital after showing symptoms of enterovirus

By Staff Writer


  • The patients were admitted to Lutheran Medical Center last month
  • They had breathing difficulties, developed into 'enterovirus symptoms'
  • Doctor claims they are two of 19 similar cases since September 2
  • Urges adults to take caution, 'there's no reason to think you can't get it'


By Mia De Graaf for MailOnline

Updated: 14:51 EST, 3 October 2014

Two adults appear to have died from complications from enterovirus 68, a doctor claims.

The patients were admitted to Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, outside Denver, Colorado, last month with severe breathing difficulties.

But their symptoms soon developed into what medics diagnosed as the enterovirus 68, which has until now been known as an illness affecting children across the United States.


Warning: Dr Phil Emrie warns two of his adult patients at Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, were admitted with breathing difficulties but died after their symptoms appeared to turn into the enterovirus 68

It would be the first known report of an adult death as a result of the disease.

Critical care pulmonologist Dr Phil Emrie says he has treated 19 adults suffering from similar symptoms since September 2.

He told CBS: 'We don’t know for sure that it’s the enterovirus 68, but we do know that it’s consistent with the illness that they’re seeing in children.'

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded around 500 cases of enterovirus in children across 42 states.


Wide-spread: Trischelle Sheller, 48, is one of 19 patients he has treated for what appears to be the illness

Emrie warns it is essential to acknowledge the prospect that all ages can be infected.

'We’re all more concerned about our children and things, but there’s no reason to think adults would not get the virus as well,' he said.

SYMPTOMS OF ENTEROVIRUS

The virus beings like the common cold and may include sneezing, a runny nose and a cough.

This is all that happens for most people who catch an enterovirus, especially adults.

Children, especially with asthma, are more susceptible to catching a more severe form of the illness.

At the beginning it's almost impossible to tell the difference between enterovirus 68 and a common cold.

If a child develops a rash, a fever, or has difficulty breathing, parents should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Enterovirus 68 is one of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses, a group of viruses that cause 10 million to 15 million infections in the United States each year.

U.S. health officials are investigating at least 10 cases of children in Colorado who developed limb weakness or paralysis after testing positive for a respiratory virus, state health officials said on Monday.

Of the 10, four children tested positive for enterovirus 68, a virus that is causing severe respiratory infections in 40 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Of those involved, six have been discharged from the hospital. Nine of the 10 were treated at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of all 10 cases show lesions in the spinal column.

Symptoms range from weakness in arms or legs to total paralysis of a limb, Wolk said.

The CDC said it is focusing its testing efforts on cases in which people develop severe respiratory illness, although it is likely that many more people with milder symptoms are infected with the virus.

- See more at: http://www.coloradonewsday.com/news/....sw4Mo1P8.dpuf