COVID-19 link syndrome affecting children

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, but PMIS (also known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C) affects organs and blood vessels.

Unlike COVID-19, PMIS is not known to be contagious.

The symptoms of PMIS are Kawasaki disease, With inflamed blood vessels Toxic shock syndrome..

These symptoms are:

• A fever that continues for more than 5 days and rises
• Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Bloody eyes
• Skin rash
• Change in skin color. This includes pale, mottled, or bluish.
• Illness of eating difficulty or drinking too much
• Dyspnea or rapid breathing
• Chest pain and racing heart
• Confusion, irritability, lethargy

Dr. Roberta DeviasiAn infectious disease manager at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., also explained that the following are also symptoms that require the parents to send a red light:

• Swelling and redness of the limbs
• Redness and cracks on lips and tongue
• Swelling of lymph nodes in the neck

Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of the arteries and can damage the heart. It is usually found in children under the age of five and can be treated if found before it causes long-term effects such as heart problems.

Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of heart disease in children. Kawasaki disease shock syndrome (KDSS) Refers to a sick child who has Low blood pressure, Or low blood pressure.

Bacterial infections cause toxic shock syndrome. They have symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, but the two have different treatments.

Note that PMIS is a post-infection syndrome and therefore not contagious Dr. Charles L. Shrian, Chairman of Pediatrics at Stephen & Alexandra Coen Children’s Medical Center in New York.

It also means that the syndrome develops after COVID-19 has passed.

“There is a strong relationship between PMIS and COVID-19 in terms of timing and geographical relevance.” Dr. Sam Dominguez And Dr. Sean O’LearyA pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Colorado Children’s Hospital told Healthline.

“There is a suggestive relationship between the two, but this is a new and evolving situation and we will continue to monitor and learn more about it,” they said.

The number of children experiencing PMIS with COVID-19 and the fact that many children with PMIS live in areas affected by the new coronavirus are sufficient to convince. did Dr. Lauren Henderson, A rheumatologist at Boston Children’s.

“There is a clear temporal relationship between a child’s PMIS and COVID-19,” she told Healthline.

This new syndrome is occurring at the same time that COVID-19 is widely distributed, and De Biasi agrees that the two are most likely related.

Previously, COVID-19 was thought to affect children as frequently or severely as adults.

“It’s not clear why children aren’t directly affected by COVID-19 compared to adults,” Schleien told Healthline. “It is also unknown why Kawasaki-like syndrome appears after this infection.”

Most children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Dominguez and O’Leary have some children hospitalized and some dying of the virus, which is rare.

Children make up 1.7% Number of COVID-19 cases in the United States.

Ah May 13 Study Published at The Lancet, it shares research in a group of children who have experienced PMIS, the United Kingdom and Italy.

In the US, At least 17 states Washington D.C. reports children with PMIS symptoms. To New York CityFifty-five of the 100 identified were COVID-19 or viral antibody-positive children.

According to De Beashi, most pediatric patients infected with COVID-19 do not develop PMIS. In her hospital, more than 275 symptomatic children who tested positive for COVID-19 were found. Of these, 5 children met the PMIS criteria.

Shared by doctors guidance How to respond to PMIS children. May 14, CDC statement Check the status.

Doctors combine clinical trials and laboratory tests to diagnose PMIS. Radiology-based tests may also be performed.

“It’s difficult to tell if a child has PMIS with fever and rash alone, because many other infections can cause fever and rash,” Henderson said.

Therefore, it is important to see a doctor if your child shows symptoms.

Schleien says PMIS can be treated. Unlike COVID-19, it cannot be treated directly.

Most often, doctors treat PMIS with intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin and aspirin. Say steroids can also be used Dr. Audrey R. Odom John, Head of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department of the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital.

Children with PMIS also usually require support in the intensive care unit and often help maintain blood pressure. “Catching this early may give better results,” said Dominguez and O’Leary.

Many children go home and are healthy after treatment. But overlooked cases are more likely to be long-term problems for children, Schleien adds.

“Often, the fever goes away on the same day as treatment, and cardiac dysfunction usually improves in a few days, and they seem to work very well,” John said.

However, children need to be tracked to assess long-term risk.

Children and young adults are at higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19 than previously thought, and those with underlying health conditions are at even higher risk. Investigation At JAMA Pediatrics.

The study documented severe pediatric COVID-19 patients in North America, but did not specifically address PMIS. It was written before PMIS was explained.

The study tracked 48 children treated with COVID-19 for 3 weeks in March and April. Over 80% of them had underlying health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and immunosuppression.

Forty percent of them depended on technical support due to developmental delays or genetic abnormalities.

Over 20% of children experienced organ failure in more than one organ, and nearly 40% needed ventilator and respiratory tract support.

At the end of the study, about 33 percent of them were still hospitalized with the virus. Two children died.

DeBiasi says researchers may investigate COCID-19 more seriously as to what underlying conditions as well as racial, ethnic, and genetic backgrounds.

“We did further research on various strains of the virus that are widespread in the United States, Europe, and China to see if the virus is significantly altered, and if so, what is the correlation with the type of disease we see. We need to understand if there is, “said De Beashi.

Contact your doctor if your child shows signs of severe COVID-19 or PMIS.

“Parents need to call their doctor, but if the condition seems to be severe, the child should be taken to the emergency department,” DeBiasi advised.

“We don’t want our parents to panic,” he added. “We believe that the vast majority of children are mildly ill with this infection, but parents should trust their instincts. [they] Children feel very ill and they should not delay calling for care, believing that the children will not be very ill from this infection. “

“PMIS is very scary, but we learn more about it every day,” he added. Dr. Steven Howitz, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robertwood Johnson Medical School.

We are currently working with Boston Children’s Hospital and CDC on a national multi-site survey to investigate PMIS.

“The overwhelming majority of patients, even the most ill, are recovering in response to treatment,” he said.