Houston – Teenagers between 14 years old and 18 years old are being hospitalized with MIS-C most at TCH. More than half require intensive care, and many need oxygen therapy.
Another cause of concern is on the rise for parents as doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital are closely monitoring post-COVID issues.
According to Dr. Kristen Sexon, the hospital system’s long COVID clinic helps children that are still dealing with symptoms more than a month after being infected. “All of our clinics are full. We’re booking into probably further in the future than we would like to be,” said Sexon, a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Along with that, there are more than 25 kids who have been hospitalized in the last couple of weeks with MIS-C or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.
“It’s something to be wary of and pay attention to, particularly if your child experiences fever, belly pain, or nausea two to six weeks after a COVID infection,” Sexon said.
According to DSHS, there are already 201 confirmed cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. MIS-C is a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19.
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The condition causes different body parts to become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. The cause of MIS-C has not been determined. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19.
While the cause of MIS-C has not been identified, the best way to protect your children against the condition is to take precautions to prevent anyone in your household from getting COVID-19.
MIS-C at a glance:
- Age range: 7 months-18 years old (median: 8 years old)
- Sex: 129 Male (64%), 72 Female (36%)
- Race/Ethnicity: 100 Hispanic (50%), 53 Black (26%), 31 White (15%), 6 Asian (3%), 11 Unknown (6%)
- Onset date range (fever): 4/22/20 – 6/23/21
- Hospital and ICU admission: 201 Hospitalized (100%), 135 ICU admission (67%)
- Outcome: 178 Discharged (89%), 1 Died (<1%), 22 Unknown/Lost to Follow-Up (11%)