According to a study published Monday, more than a third of New York children who contracted a disease similar to Kawasaki disease related to the coronavirus were obese or had other underlying medical conditions.
The analysis of the 99 patients with Multiple Symptomatic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was performed by the state Department of Health in concert with the University of Albany and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Of the 99 cases studied, 36 of the patients under the age of 21 had other underlying or pre-existing conditions, and 29 were obese.
Two of the 99 patients died from the disease.
The syndrome has been compared to Kawasaki disease, which can have similar symptoms. The researchers determined that Kawasaki-like symptoms were more common in younger children than adolescents. They concluded that additional research could explore whether post-COVID-19 inflammatory syndrome exists among adults.
Symptoms of the Kawasaki-type condition include: persistent fever, irritability or slowness, abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting, rash, red or pink eyes, enlarged lymph nodes on one side of the neck, chapped red lips or red tongue, and swelling hands and feet.
The report found that many of the patients with inflammatory syndrome also suffered from cardiac distress.
The study also compared racial and ethnic data from the 99 children, which found that African-Americans and Hispanics were disproportionately affected.
Among 78 patients with race data, 37 percent were white, 36 percent Hispanic, 40 percent black, 5 percent Asian, and 18 percent other.
The study authors suggest that the higher incidence of inflammatory syndrome among black and Hispanic children reflects the well-documented higher rates of COVID-19 infection in minority communities.
“This landmark study links COVID-19 and MIS-C and will help healthcare professionals across the country diagnose this condition in their patients,” said state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.
“From the beginning, New York State has led the nation in MIS-C research, and I commend our team of public health scientists for their excellent work in expanding our knowledge and understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.” .
The authors said the study likely underestimated cases of inflammatory syndrome because some children may have had mild cases that did not require hospitalization, as well as medical professionals misdiagnosing a patient’s disease.
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