Coimbatore: While many children are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms after contracting COVID-19, a few paediatric Covid cases treated at Coimbatore Government hospital show emergence of a rare yet severe syndrome among children, called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
Coimbatore: While many children are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms after contracting COVID-19, a few paediatric Covid cases treated at Coimbatore Government hospital show emergence of a rare yet severe syndrome among children, called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, a national public health institute in the United States, the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19. It is an illness that causes vital multiorgan dysfunction in children and affects organs including heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract.
As many as 16 children have died due to this syndrome in the United States till September 3, data from CDC says. However, the total cases of MIS-C has surpassed 1,000 in October. Similar cases, have been reported earlier in cities like Mumbai and Chennai too.
While there is no clear data on how this rare yet severe syndrome affects children below 12 years, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is on a war footing to monitor cases of MIS-C associated with Covid-19, to determine risk factors and guide healthcare providers in treating MIS-C patients.
“Multisystem inflammatory syndrome is a new pediatric disease associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A potentially dangerous and fatal condition amid children affected with Covid-19. While early diagnosis can help children recover from MIS-C, the long-term outcomes from this condition are presently unknown”, The Lancet, an International Medical Journal.
While over 25 cases have been reported, so far in Madurai district, a private hospital in Coimbatore says it has seen 30 children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. Close to seven cases have been reported this week, alone in Coimbatore, says Dr. Booma, Chief, Department of Paediatrics at Coimbatore Government Hospital.
She says that all the seven cases reported so far have been between the age group of 1 and 13 years and were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, which costs around 60,000 to 1 lakh supported by advanced intensive care support.
Dr. Booma added that of the seven cases, three were from Tirupur district. “These children had developed antibodies, which means they were infected with COVID."
Paediatricians say that doctors treat such cases with intravenous immunoglobulin, a blood product with antibodies that suppresses the immune response. The drug is also used in the treatment of Kawasaki disease, an inflammatory disease that occurs in Children.
Commenting on the recent death of a child from Tirupur due to MIS-C, Dr. Booma said the child was not able to survive due to late presentation. She further briefed that early presentation is very crucial to save children with MIS-C. Delays will worsen the child's body functioning and reduce the chances of survival, she added.
She noted that five children with MIS-C were discharged earlier this week while one is still under treatment. Dr. Booma also warned that parents should be vigilant of their child's health and immediately visit a doctor, if the child shows symptoms of fever, fatigue, redness of eyes, nausea, diarrhea and severe cold.
While MIS-C among children has come as a big blow to the health care sector, the evidence backing this new syndrome is still unclear, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors suggest that the best way to protect your child is by taking stringent measures to prevent them from contracting COVID-19.