Colorado resident, 20, with ‘mild’ coronavirus case later develops rare condition: officials

A 20-year-old Colorado resident who battled the novel coronavirus later developed a rare but serious condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, according to local health officials in the state. 

The resident, of Boulder County, suffered only mild symptoms of COVID-19 and “appeared to have fully recovered,” said county officials in a news release. But three weeks later, the resident fell ill once more — this time with “severe abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, and fever,” all of which are signs of the syndrome. 

Since the pandemic began, there have been various reports of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, but most cases have occurred in children, which is known as MIS-C.

The syndrome is an inflammatory condition that is similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes swelling in arteries throughout the body. Many children with MIS-C — which causes inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs —  have either been infected with the novel coronavirus or had been exposed to someone with a COVID-19 infection, health officials have sad. MIS-C can also cause persistent fever, rashes, vomiting and diarrhea, among other symptoms such as a red tongue and eyes.

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However, earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the condition among adults, drawing on reports of 27 adult patients to describe a new, similar condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A).

“Findings indicate that adult patients of all ages with current or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection can develop a hyperinflammatory syndrome resembling MIS-C,” the authors wrote at the time, adding that measures to limit COVID-19 spread may help prevent MIS-A.

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The Colorado patient required hospitalization and intensive care before they improved and were eventually discharged from the hospital. However, “while most young adults experience mild symptoms from COVID-19,” officials warned, “this case is an example of how the disease can progress and how little is known about the long-term impacts of the illness.”

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“I hope sharing the information about this patient’s experience will help others to better understand how serious COVID-19 can be, even for young people,” said Dr. Heather Pujet, an infectious disease doctor at Boulder Community Health, in a statement. “The patient became extremely ill very quickly with multi-organ system involvement; they fortunately recovered after a period of severe illness. However, this should serve as a warning for the younger people in the community to please not disregard their own personal risks with COVID-19.”

“Much remains unknown about how this condition develops, but it’s related to the body’s attempts to fight an invader,” added Dr. Sam Dominguez, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in a statement. “It’s very important for parents to promptly seek medical care if they notice any of these symptoms.”

Fox News’s Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.