Heart complications in children hospitalized with COVID-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) typically resolve within a few months, according to a new analysis published in Pediatrics.
“We’ve learned that COVID causes a spectrum of illness in children,” first author Kanwal M. Farooqi, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said in a statement. “Some are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and a small number of kids who develop MIS-C become critically ill, requiring admission to the ICU. It is a relief that this study shows that most of the severe heart and immunologic manifestations we saw in kids with MIS-C resolved rapidly.”
Farooqi et al. explored data from 45 children hospitalized for MIS-C in the United States. Most of these patients were critically ill when first admitted, the team wrote, and cardiac abnormalities were common. Steroids and respiratory support were provided as needed, but none of the children required an external life-support machine.
“These kids were quite sick, but at our hospital, where we began using steroids and other treatments routinely for MIS-C, most of the patients responded rapidly and were discharged by about five days,” Farooqi explained.
Four months after being hospitalized, most of the children no longer showed any signs of their illness. Follow-up visits have found that children continue to thrive as more time goes on—and they can even return to sports, as long as they have been cleared by a pediatrician.
Click here for the full study in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.