Parents across the country should be aware of a rare COVID-19 complication in children and young adults called a multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
Although this condition has been observed and reported more frequently in adults, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a significant increase in multisystem inflammatory syndrome among children (MIS-C) as part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, patients with this rare condition first started appearing throughout 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic picked up speed and spread to more and more people, including the young. Doctors noticed the inflammation in internal organs of some pediatric patients after they had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, with the possibility that the condition could be fatal – although most children survive it.
MIS-C is a constellation of inflammatory symptoms that can occur in children — including young children, teens, and young adults — within a few weeks after having COVID-19. MIS-C usually affects multiple organsTrusted Sources in the body, including the skin (resulting in a rash), gastrointestinal system, heart, lungs, eyes, and brain.
Children usually develop MIS-C about 2 to 6 weeks after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. That means that COVID-19 is the main contributing factor to the development of MIS-C.
Children with MIS-C usually are either positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon examination or are positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Some parents are aware that their kids recently had COVID-19 or were exposed to it. Still, some children may not have had symptoms but show recent exposure through antibody testing.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 98% of children with MIS-C had a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2. The 2% who didn’t had previous close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Author Audrey Odom John said:
“We hope the information provided in this research letter will help general pediatricians and emergency department physicians who may wonder if a patient with a fever requires a more extensive examination. Given that some rashes associated with MIS-C are distinctive, we also imagine these images could help many parents who are looking for signs that their child needs prompt evaluation.”
Rashes associated with this coronavirus-related condition rarely occurred on the face. They also rare itch, which makes them different from many childhood rashes.
“Depending on the age of the child, parents may not regularly look at the child’s chest, back or thighs, but this is where the rashes associated with MIS-C tend to appear. Given that MIS-C is still largely a diagnosis of exclusion, parents and health care providers should look for rashes in these locations if the child has a fever that seems suspicious,” John added.
From AWM:
The authors of the study published their findings in the Open Forum Infectious Disease journal on February 16, 2021, which means it is breaking research.
They wrote:
“Rash is a common feature of the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a post-infectious hyperinflammatory disease associated with prior SARS-CoV- 2 infections. Because the differential diagnosis of fever and rash in children is broad, understanding the clinical characteristics of MIS-C may assist with diagnosis. Here we describe the cutaneous findings observed in a series of children with MIS-C-associated rash.”
It has been months since the world first learned about MIS-C, and thankfully these scientists from Philadelphia have given us more information. This can help us keep the children in our life safer than they were before.
Source: AWM
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