Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) has affected nearly a dozen children in the state of Washington so far this year, according to several reports.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 11 children in the state have been diagnosed with the rare condition linked to the novel coronavirus, The Seattle Times reported.
“These kids feel awful,” Drs. John McGuire, head of critical care at Seattle Children’s, in an interview with the outlet. ‘They are tired, weak and achy, they have pretty high fever. They feel completely burnt out. ”
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Fortunately, McGuire said, all children have responded well to treatment.
Doctors told Fox News that multisystem inflammatory condition in children appears to be due to a hyper-reactive immune response that has been raised after a child contracted or was exposed to COVID-19.
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Doctors told Fox News that MIS-C appears to be triggered by a hyper-reactive immune response that is triggered after a child is contracted or exposed to COVID-19.
Dr. Roberto Posada, an infection control expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Fox News in a recent interview that MIS-C “occurs several weeks after the child was exposed to someone who had a coronavirus infection. . Typically, the child had no symptoms of COVID -19, but shows antibodies on testing. ”
According to health experts, this often occurs two to four weeks after exposure.
Posada declared MIS-C is a rare condition, but most children recover. “It will usually present with high fever lasting several days, plus one or more of the following: rash, red eyes, chapped or swollen lips, abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea,” explained the pediatrician of infection.
According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, July 29, there are 570 reported cases of MIS-C in the US and 10 children have died. Of the 565 patients who underwent COVID-19 testing, “all had a positive test result by RT-PCR or serology,” the authors of the report stated.
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The children who showed acute symptoms of COVID-19 appeared to have less severe complications of new coronavirus and only a small percentage were affected by MIS-C. The federal health agency said in the report that nearly 36% of MIS-C cases presented with abdominal pain, shock, heart function, and significantly increased inflammatory markers along with positive test results of COVID-19. It also explained that more than 64 percent of MIS-C cases manifest symptoms that overlap with those of acute new coronavirus and features similar to Kawasaki disease.
Of the 570 patients, the CDC said 364 required a stay in the ICU. The average hospital stay was about 6 days.
“Distinguishing MIS-C from other severe infectious and inflammatory conditions poses a challenge to clinicians caring for children and adolescents,” the authors of the CDC report wrote.
As the pandemic continues, health care professionals need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of MIS-C and to report issues to state and local health departments, federal officials said in the report.
