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Clinical Profile and Immediate Outcome of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with COVID-19: A
Geetanjali Sethy1, Bibhudatta Mishra2, Mukesh Kumar Jain3
1Department of Pediatrics, PRN Medical College, Baripada, Odisha, India.
Insights
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) can cause serious health issues after COVID-19. Early intervention is crucial to prevent high mortality rates in affected pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Children can develop severe multisystem dysfunction following asymptomatic or mild COVID-19.
- Serious manifestations include cardiac, neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and dermatologic issues.
- Numerous cases were observed in Odisha, India, prompting further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) in children.
- To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment response, and outcomes of MIS-C in a specific pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study conducted at three tertiary care centers in Odisha, India.
- Inclusion of children aged 1 month to 18 years diagnosed with MIS-C based on WHO criteria.
- Data analysis using SPSS software.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one children were included; 76.2% were male, and 47.6% were in the 6-10 year age group.
- Common symptoms included fever, abdominal pain, seizures, and hypotension.
- 80.95% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; immunotherapy showed a dramatic response.
- Mortality was 9%, higher than Western literature (1.8%-3%). No coronary abnormalities were noted, with mild cardiac dysfunction in two patients.
Conclusions:
- MIS-C is a significant clinical syndrome following COVID-19 in children.
- Early suspicion and prompt intervention are essential to reduce mortality.
- This study highlights the need for heightened awareness and management strategies for MIS-C in pediatric populations.
Introduction:
Following an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19), otherwise healthy children may develop serious manifestations in the form of cardiac, neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and dermatologic dysfunction. Many such cases were being observed in Odisha, an eastern state of India, and have been reported from different health-care facilities. We related these unexplained serious manifestations to multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) and planned this study.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study was carried out at the following three tertiary care centers: Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar; MKCG Medical College, Berhampur; and Jagannath Hospital, Bhubaneswar. The study population included all children aged from 1 month to 18 years admitted to the hospitals with MIS-C according to the WHO diagnostic criteria. All the data were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results:
A total of 21 children were included in our study. Majority of the cases were male (76.2%), and the predominant age group was 6-10 years (47.6%). Common symptoms and signs in our observation included fever, pain abdomen, seizure, and hypotension. Most of these cases were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus antibody (80.95%). Response to immunotherapy was dramatic. Mortality (9%) of our study was higher than 1.8%-3% from that of Western literature. None of our patients had coronary abnormality, while two patients had mild cardiac dysfunction at discharge comparable to that of other studies.
Conclusion:
MIS-C following exposure to COVID-19 infection in children is a clinical syndrome, which needs early suspicion and appropriate intervention to prevent mortality.
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