In recent weeks, hospitals in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Colorado, Nebraska, and New Jersey have reported an increase in cases of MIS-C, a rare inflammatory disease found in children.
The apparent increase in MIS-C cases coincides with a decrease in COVID-19 cases across the country, following a post-holiday wave. But experts interviewed by ABC News explained that there is often a lag (sometimes three to four weeks) between COVID-19 infections and the onset of MIS-C symptoms.
“MIS-C is a post-infectious complication of coronavirus infection, which only manifests itself about four weeks or more after a child has had the initial infection,” said Dr. Audrey John, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital. .
Most children infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Although MIS-C is rare, its effects can be devastating and life-threatening, with some patients experiencing inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
“The increase in MIS-C cases is probably due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, ultimately due to recent holiday hikes such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and the Super Bowl, “said Dr. Todd Ellerin, an ABC News contributor and infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health.
Infectious disease experts said there is no evidence that new variants of COVID-19 are more likely to cause MIS-C, and the most likely explanation for the increase in cases is the increase in total cases. of COVID during the last increase.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 2.8 million cases in the U.S. of COVID-19 have been in children. There have been close to 2,060 cases of MIS-C, to which 30 deaths have been attributed.
Although the CDC said the data for the past six weeks is incomplete, hospitals report a drastic increase in cases: Los Angeles County reported a 35% increase in children with MIS-C during the last two weeks.
“According to reports, MIS-C could present up to 12 weeks after acute COVID-19 infection, even if it is asymptomatic, so we are probably in the middle of the MIS-C wave,” the doctor said. Michael Chang, McGovern’s pediatric infectious disease specialist. Faculty of Medicine at UTHealth in Houston.
Children with MIS-C may develop symptoms such as fever, palpitations, rapid breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, enlarged lymph nodes, or redness and / or swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue, hands, or feet. This makes the diagnosis of MIS-C cases much more difficult as it mimics many common pediatric diseases.
Reflecting racial disparities with COVID-19 infections, MIS-C is most commonly seen among black and Latino children, although a significant amount of work remains to be determined as to race, ethnicity, and gender. underlying socioeconomic status play into the trends of MIS-C cases worldwide. pediatric population. Fortunately, most children with MIS-C respond well to IV fluids, antibiotics, steroids, and / or IVIG therapy and recover completely.
Although experts still do not understand exactly why some children develop MIS-C and others do not, there are likely to be more cases of COVID-19 among children that mean more cases of MIS-C. That’s why health experts and pediatricians are betting on vaccines for children, not just people 16 and older covered by current vaccines.
“Children are our most cherished resource,” said Dr. Tina Cheng, president of the Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “They’re less than 10% of U.S. health care spending, but they’re 100% of our future.”
Raehannah Jamshidi, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric resident at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.