| Version | Summary | Created by | Modification | Content Size | Created at | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vivi Li | -- | 4340 | 2022-11-21 01:32:19 |
Paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PMIS), or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), is a systemic disease involving persistent fever, inflammation and organ dysfunction following exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. This syndrome appears somewhat similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare disease of unknown origin that affects young children, in which blood vessels become inflamed throughout the body. It can also show features of other serious paediatric inflammatory conditions, including toxic shock and macrophage activation syndromes. Older children tend to be affected. The first symptoms may be acute abdominal pain, diarrhoea or vomiting. Low blood pressure is common. Other possible symptoms include conjunctivitis, rashes, enlarged lymph nodes, swollen hands and feet, "strawberry tongue", sore throat, cough, fainting, irritability and confusion. Inflammation of the heart muscle is one of several forms of cardiac involvement. Coronary artery abnormalities (such as dilatation and aneurysms) can occur. A cytokine storm may take place, in which the innate immune system stages an excessive and uncontrolled inflammatory response. For the purposes of diagnosis and official reporting of cases, this emerging condition has been defined in three different ways (using various names), by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although the condition is thought to follow SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, antigen or antibody tests are not always positive. Exclusion of alternative causes, including bacterial and other infections, is essential for differential diagnosis. Some general clinical guidance has been provided by the RCPCH, the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Rheumatology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Limited information exists regarding clinical course of this life-threatening disease, which has occasionally proved fatal. Failure of one or more organs can occur. Early recognition and prompt specialist attention are essential. Supportive care is key. Anti-inflammatory treatments have been used, with good responses being recorded for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), with or without corticosteroids. Oxygen therapy may be needed, and some children require paediatric intensive care. Clusters of new cases have emerged 2–4 weeks after local peaks in viral transmission. It is thought that the disease may be driven by a delayed biological mechanism in certain predisposed children. The condition is considered rare. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has rated risk to children in Europe as being 'low' overall, based on a 'very low' likelihood of a child developing this 'high impact' disease. Initial reports regarded children in various parts of Europe and the U.S., and it is unclear to what extent the condition has gone unrecognized elsewhere.