Symptoms Linger for Some Children After Acute COVID-19, MIS-C

FRIDAY, Aug. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- At least two months after hospitalization with acute COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), more than 25 percent experience persistent symptoms or activity impairment, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Pediatrics.

Aline B. Maddux, M.D., from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study in 25 U.S. pediatric hospitals to examine risk factors for postdischarge sequelae in children and adolescents (aged younger than 21 years) after hospitalization for acute COVID-19 or MIS-C. Two- to four-month survey data were available for 76.8 percent of 155 patients with acute COVID-19 and 78.8 percent of 203 patients with MIS-C.

The researchers found that 11 and 8 percent of patients with acute COVID-19 and MIS-C, respectively, had a readmission. Of those with acute COVID-19, 26.9 percent had persistent symptoms or activity impairment (22.7 and 14.3 percent, respectively), while 30.0 percent of those with MIS-C had persistent symptoms or activity impairment (20.0 and 21.3 percent, respectively). Persistent symptoms and activity impairment were associated with more organ systems involved among patients with acute COVID-19 (adjusted risk ratios, 1.29 and 1.37, respectively). Persistent symptoms occurred more often among patients with MIS-C and preexisting respiratory conditions, while activity impairment was more frequent among those with obesity (adjusted risk ratios, 3.09 and 2.52, respectively). New morbidities were rarely observed (9 and 1 percent among those with COVID-19 and MIS-C, respectively).

"These findings highlight the importance of postdischarge follow-up of these severely ill patients," the authors write.

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