Important Points Regarding the New Pediatric Condition

From a Local pediatrician sent to his patients recently

Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome
But, as you may well have heard, over the last few weeks a new, potentially serious pediatric condition has emerged that caught doctors by surprise. The new formal name of the condition is “Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19.” News reports have mistakenly called it "Kawasaki Disease."

Important Points Regarding the New Pediatric Condition

• It is rare.
• It is most probably an after-effect of the COVID-19 illness.
• It is not contagious and does not spread from person to person.
• Although it is a potentially serious condition, most children who
have had it have done well.

First, it is important to know that this condition is still rare. While many children with this condition have been hospitalized, and some required intensive care, the good news is that, to date, most children have done well.

This mysterious condition has presented with different patterns of illness. The common feature of this condition is a long-lasting high fever in a child
who feels and looks ill.



In addition to the fever, some children have had severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Others have had certain features of Kawasaki disease, which is a rare condition that can cause symptoms such as beet-red, cracked lips, red swollen hands, an intense body rash, and bilateral conjunctivitis without any discharge. Some children have had heart or kidney issues, blood clotting problems, or respiratory symptoms. Others have presented with toxic shock, while some even have had evidence of Cytokine Storm Syndrome. (See the 5/3/20 email for discussion of the Cytokine Storm in COVID-19 illness, an exaggerated immune response that has caused organ damage in adults with COVID-19.)
It is highly suspected that this condition is a late-stage inflammatory response to COVID-19 illness. Many, but not all, children with this condition tested positive for COVID-19. Even in those children who did not test positive, COVID-19 illness is still suspected because the tests themselves have had varied accuracy. One suspected possibility is that the antibodies the affected children are making to the COVID-19 virus are creating an immune reaction in the child's body. Noone knows for sure yet.

However, the good news so far is that, to date, most children with the condition have done well.

As parents, it is important to know that this condition is rare. It is NOT a contagious illness that can be spread from one person to another. It is most likely a late-stage reaction to COVID-19 illness.

It is very important to know that a child with this condition will have had a high fever for many days, and will feel and look sick. However, it should be reassuring to know that pediatricians often see children who have fevers that last for many days who get better fully. As long as the child appears fine, especially on Tylenol and Motrin, that is the most important thing.

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Important Things to Know if Your Child Has a Fever

• Fever is a very common symptom during childhood and is
one of the healthy ways a child's body fights infection.
• Even an extended fever for many days in a child usually
goes away on its own.
• The most important thing to do when your child has a fever
is to look at the whole child:
   #1: Does the child look overall fine to you or does the child
         appear ill to you?
   #2: Does Tylenol or Motrin make the child perk up and make
         him or her look fine to you?
• If the answer to #1 or #2 above is "yes" (which is the most
common situation) you can feel reassured that your child is fine.
• If the answer to #2 is "no," then call your child's doctor.