MIS-C has affected at least 100 children in Greece. More about the symptoms and what to look out for

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) associated with Covid-19 infection has so far been diagnosed in 100 children in Greece, 50 of them officially diagnosed.

Syndrome (MIS-C) due to Covid-19 infection has occurred in at least 100 minors and young people in our country and has led to about 30 people being admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of myocarditis.

This is not the first time we’ve heard of the disease, as for weeks Ms Theodoridou has been warning of its existence, asking parents to vaccinate their children to avoid this health-threatening complication.

The reason for returning to the question is the appearance of the syndrome in a 12-year-old boy who was diagnosed with coronavirus and was urgently taken from the island of Mytilini to the hospital of Athens.

A boy who suffered a pulmonary embolism due to MIS-C syndrome, although he was infected with Covid-19 15 days ago, is now hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Children’s Hospital Ag. Sophia is in critical but stable condition.

Through the registration of dozens of cases in hospitals and the collection of medical data on the syndrome that appeared shortly after the start of the pandemic, in May 2020, Greek experts began to study the syndrome associated with the covid-19 infection, and are constantly looking for answers to the questions “how to make an early diagnosis of MIS- C and prescribe the optimal treatment.”

What is MIS-C Syndrome

It is a clinical syndrome characterized by multiple organ involvement, with respiratory, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular manifestations, circulatory problems, or mucosal involvement. Young patients experience fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, fatigue, etc. This syndrome is a complication and occurs 2-4 weeks after acute covid. The WHO first described the condition in May 2020 and provided a provisional clinical definition.

In general, children remain at low risk of developing severe or critical COVID-19. But, like adults, some of the underlying diseases that children have make them more vulnerable. The most common of these conditions are obesity, chronic lung disease (including asthma), cardiovascular disease, and weak immunity.

In young children as young as seven years old, according to an Italian study of doctors, the symptoms of the new syndrome are more similar to those of Kawasaki. Whereas adolescents and young adults have a more pronounced reaction to the coronavirus. The resulting inflammation can harm their heart and other organs, according to another US study.

MIS-C has been defined by the WHO as a clinical syndrome characterized by multiple organ involvement with respiratory, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular manifestations, haematological, or mucosal lesions.

The first reports of such a syndrome in children appeared in the spring. In young patients, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, fatigue, etc. are noted. In adults, the symptoms are similar, plus in some cases chest pain and palpitations.

The scientists emphasize the need for further research on MIS syndrome in juvenile and adult patients in order to draw conclusions about its causes, as well as its possible long-term consequences. According to Ms. Theodoridou, this syndrome appears two to six weeks after the disease, regardless of whether it is mild or not.

MIS-C syndrome in children is manifested by symptoms such as:

high fever, abdominal pain, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, fatigue.

It is a late manifestation of coronavirus disease, as it occurs 2-4 weeks after an acute infection.

Not all children will have the same symptoms, and doctors may run a number of tests:

Blood tests. Chest radiograph. Ultrasound of the heart. Abdominal ultrasound.

Vaccination is the only solution

The coronavirus vaccine is the only sure way to prevent this life-threatening juvenile syndrome.

“One of the strong arguments in favor of the decision to vaccinate children was precisely this severe condition of the multisystem inflammatory syndrome, in which no body system remains unaffected by inflammation, especially the circulatory system,” repeated yesterday at the weekly vaccination briefing at the Ministry of Health, Emeritus Professor of Children Infectious Diseases of the Medical School of Athens and President of the National Committee for Vaccination Ms. Maria Theodoridou.

Source link