Post-Coronavirus in children: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome
Jordan is currently experiencing a fierce wave of coronavirus infections. As in other countries that have experienced this outbreak, symptoms attributed to polyarticular inflammatory syndrome (PID) have begun to appear in children. What is this syndrome? What are its consequences? Several cases have been monitored under our supervision, and several have been hospitalized.
It is a condition that causes inflammation in more than one organ in the body, the most important of which are the digestive system, heart and lungs, kidneys, skin, and even the eyes.
This syndrome is not considered part of childhood COVID-19 infection, as it does not occur during infection with the virus, but rather occurs at least a month after exposure.
Therefore, it is not contagious. Rather, it represents an excessive response from the immune system, which appears to have been stimulated in one way or another by the virus infection, causing it to attack the body’s own cells, leading to inflammation in several organs.
Symptoms of this syndrome:
- Fever for at least 24 hours, and in some cases, for up to 3 days.
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Neck pain
- Red eyes
- Difficulty breathing
- Fatigue and weakness
- Chest pain
- Loss of consciousness
These symptoms (all or some) are usually accompanied by laboratory test results indicating the presence of multiple inflammation and a previous infection with COVID-19.
This syndrome can be fatal if left untreated, but the chances of death are very low if diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.
The difficulty lies in diagnosing the condition, as the symptoms may be similar to those of common viral infections in children. Therefore, diagnosis requires a high degree of awareness from the physician, who can order the necessary tests to arrive at a diagnosis (which include blood tests and heart imaging) and begin treatment in a timely manner.
Treatment involves administering anticoagulant medications, some medications containing antibodies to reduce inflammation, and cortisone to reduce the severity of the immune system’s response.
The duration of medication administration depends on the severity of the infection and the number of organs affected. It may range from 10 days to a month or more.
Dr. Jarir Halazon
Consultant Pediatrician and Neonatologist
Dr. Shiyar Jaber
Specialist in Pediatrics and Neonatology
