COVID-19International News

Post-COVID Syndrome Severely Damages Children’s Heart, Study Shows




Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio believe that the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) or the pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome is linked to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Based on a recent study published by the researchers, MIS-C damages the heart to such an extent that some children will be needing lifelong monitoring and interventions. “With prompt recognition and medical attention, most children will survive but the long-term outcomes from this condition are presently unknown,” the researchers stated in their paper.

“This is a new childhood disease that is believed to be associated with SARS-CoV-2. It can be lethal because it affects multiple organ systems. Whether it be the heart and the lungs, the gastrointestinal system or the neurologic system, it has so many different faces that initially it was challenging for clinicians to understand.”

– Alvaro Moreira, MD, MSc, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

The Study About MIS-C in Relation to COVID-19

The researchers’ study is called the “Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: A systematic review” and was first published in a journal of The Lancet called the EClinicalMedicine on September 4, 2020.

For their study, the research team has reviewed six hundred and sixty-two (662) MIS-C cases reported worldwide between January 1, 2020 and July 25, 2020.

“According to the literature, children did not need to exhibit the classic upper respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 to develop MIS-C, which is frightening. Children might have no symptoms, no one knew they had the disease, and a few weeks later, they may develop this exaggerated inflammation in the body.”

– Alvaro Moreira, MD, MSc, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

The Findings of the Study

Here are some of the findings from the study conducted by the researchers:

  • 71% of the children were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU)
  • 100% had fever, 73.7% had abdominal pain or diarrhea, and 68.3% suffered vomiting
  • 90% had an echocardiogram (EKG) test
    • 54% of the results were abnormal
  • 11 children died

Thus, in their interpretation of their study, the researchers wrote that the Multisystem inflammatory syndrome is a new pediatric disease associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is dangerous and potentially lethal.


The researcher also pointed out that MIS-C surpasses two similar pediatric conditions – the Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome – on the amount of inflammation. Furthermore, most of the 662 children involved in their study suffered cardiac involvement.

Dilation of coronary blood vessels; depressed ejection fraction which indicates a reduced ability for the heart to pump oxygenated blood to the tissues of the body;  and aneurysm of a coronary vessel which is a localized stretching of the blood vessel; are among the damages they have observed.

Moreover, Dr. Moreira stated, “Generally, in both adults and children, we are seeing that patients who are obese will have a worse outcome,”

 

SOURCE

EClinicalMedicine by The Lancet

UT Health San Antonio Newsroom

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