(Reuters) – Nearly 600 children were admitted to U.S. hospitals with a rare inflammatory syndrome linked to the novel coronavirus over four months during the peak of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report on Friday.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) is a rare but serious condition that shares symptoms with toxic shock and Kawasaki disease, including fever, rash, swollen glands and, in severe cases, heart inflammation.
It has been reported in children and adolescent patients approximately two to four weeks after the start of COVID-19.
With emerging COVID-19 cases, there may be an increased incidence of MIS-C, but this may not be immediately apparent due to the delay in the development of symptoms, said the authors of the report, including those of the CDV’s COVID-19 response team.
In May, the CDC published a health opinion detailing how MIS-C manifests in patients, asking clinicians to report suspected U.S. cases to local and state health departments.
As of July 29, state health departments nationwide reported a total of 570 MIS-C patients diagnosed with the disease from March 2 to July 18.
Among the MIS-C cases, all patients tested positive for COVID-19 and 10 died, the CDC said in the report.
The data are consistent with two U.S. studies published in June and several reports on the syndrome among COVID-19 patients in France, Italy, Spain and Britain. [nL4N2E64AX]
The report, the CDC said, highlights the need for greater awareness among health care providers, as patients with MIS-C differentiated from those with acute COVID-19 and other hyperinflammatory conditions are critical for early recognition, early diagnosis and prompt treatment.
(Report by Vishwadha Chander in Bengaluru; Edited by Tom Brown)
