SARS-CoV-2 infection associated severe dilated cardiomyopathy in a 4-week-old infant

Mohammad Baidoun1, Mohamed Elgendy1, Dana Al-Maajali2

  • 1Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, United States.

Idcases
|June 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

A rare COVID-19 complication, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), affects multiple organs. This review details a COVID-19 positive infant with severe heart dysfunction but no MIS-C.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a serious, albeit rare, post-COVID-19 condition.
  • MIS-C involves inflammation across multiple organ systems, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain.
  • Early recognition and management are crucial for favorable outcomes.

Observation:

  • This review presents a case of a 4-week-old infant diagnosed with severe isolated systolic dysfunction.
  • The infant tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19).
  • The infant did not exhibit symptoms consistent with MIS-C.

Findings:

  • The case highlights that COVID-19 can cause severe cardiac complications in infants.
  • Isolated systolic dysfunction can occur in neonates following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Absence of typical MIS-C criteria does not exclude significant COVID-19-related morbidity.

Implications:

  • This case broadens the understanding of potential cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 in neonates.
  • It underscores the need for vigilant cardiac monitoring in infants with COVID-19, even without MIS-C.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the pathophysiology of COVID-19-induced cardiac dysfunction in this age group.

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