Potential link between coronavirus and inflammatory syndrome in children
Reaction and analysis from Dr. Roberta Debiasi, Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children's National Hospital, on ‘America’s News HQ.’
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At least two children’s hospitals in Texas have recently treated pediatric patients for a mysterious inflammatory syndrome that experts have said is likely related to the novel coronavirus.
Two hospitals in Houston — Texas Children’s and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital — have reported cases of the so-called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), an inflammatory condition that is similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes swelling in arteries throughout the body.
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Fewer than 10 patients are being treated at Texas Children’s, the Houston Chronicle reported. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital told the outlet that the hospital treated “several” pediatric patients for MIS-C in recent weeks. All have since recovered, however. No other details were provided.
More cases of the Kawasaki disease-like inflammatory condition are likely to pop up in children around the country as the virus continues to spread, experts have warned, and the increasing number of cases even prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recently issue an advisory regarding MIS-C. Overall, more than 250 cases of the mysterious illness have been reported across the country.
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, according to health officials.
MIS-C can also cause persistent fever, rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other symptoms such as a red tongue and eyes.
Dr. Jacqueline Szmuszkovicz, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, recently said that children who have a fever that lasts for four or more days should seek medical attention.
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“Certainly, if they see any of the other signs — the rash, the red tongue, red eyes — we encourage them to seek care,” she told The Los Angeles Times.
The news comes after a child in Louisiana died after developing MIS-C, marking the first such death in the state, health officials said this week.