Neurologic Complications of Flu in Kids May Be Up This Year

This is a MedPage Today story. Public health officials are looking into reports of a small potential uptick in neurologic complications of influenza in children -- particularly a rapidly progressing and dangerous condition called acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). Adrienne Randolph, MD, MSc, of Boston Children's Hospital, said she reported about 12 potential cases of flu-associated ANE to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) in the past few weeks. Randolph's position as the leader of the Pediatric Intensive Care Influenza Network gives her particular insight into what's happening with influenza complications in children across the country. "There's not a study going on to say that these cases are all really acute necrotizing encephalopathy," Randolph told MedPage Today, urging caution about making preliminary conclusions. "That's why I informed the CDC about potential cases across the U.S. that I was made aware of. They can...