Experts say 'Early detection of COVID-linked disease in Children can reduce morbidity'

According to healthcare professionals, early detection of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome, Coronavirus-linked illness in children, can considerably reduce morbidity. They also caution parents and caregivers not to ignore fever in children. Some children with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 have developed this disease, according to experts. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a dangerous disorder that appears two to four weeks after a new Coronavirus infection, and it has been observed in infants as young as two months old.

COVID-linked disease in children

The government has also warned that though COVID-19 has not yet assumed a major shape among kids, its impact might grow if the virus's behaviour or epidemiology factors alter, and that actions are being taken to bolster preparations in case this happens. 

NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul said at a press conference last week that a national expert panel has been constituted to study COVID-19 infections in children and address the pandemic in a reinvigorated way to boost the Nation's preparation. Early diagnosis of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, according to specialists, can greatly minimize morbidity and the condition can be effectively treated with medicines such as steroids. They also warned parents and caregivers not to dismiss fever in their children, since some children with asymptomatic COVID-19 have gone on to get MIS-C.

Most children infected with COVID-19 have only mild symptoms, according to Anurag Agarwal, Professor of Pediatrics at Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital. However, in children who develop MIS-C, organs and tissues such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin, and eyes become inflamed.

He explained, "Any child presenting with three days of fever with signs of at least two organ involvement, for instance, diarrhea, vomiting, breathlessness, fatigue, rashes, conjunctivitis etc, with the history of COVID infection or contact to COVID patient, should report to a doctor immediately for further evaluation. The disease can present with varying severity from mild forms to life-threatening diseases. The illness, if diagnosed on time, responds to therapy like steroids, IVIG (Intravenous immunoglobulin), low molecular weight heparin, among others, very well."

Agarwal said that though most major Delhi hospitals have reported such cases of various severity, a fatality has been low in such cases so far, with some patients requiring urgent care and monitoring. He added, "At present, social distancing and using masks to avoid Covid infections are the only way of preventing the development of this syndrome."

Early diagnosis of diseases helpful

Manish Mannan, HOD, Paediatrics & Neonatology, Paras Hospitals Gurugram briefed, "If anybody is having high-grade fever, they should consult the pediatrician early, preferably on the first or second day. If we diagnose the disease early and intervene early, the treatment needed is less. And the morbidity is also less. The longer you wait, the greater the morbidity." Mannan also claims that MIS-C has been diagnosed in children who were asymptomatic or with mild COVID-19. He noted, "I have seen so many households wherein the parents have got their tests done, but they left out the child thinking he had mild or no COVID symptoms. The child, however, developed MIS-C in three to four weeks." 

According to the official, parents of two children who were recently admitted to the hospital had no idea when their children were sick. He added, "But they both had significant symptoms of MIS-C and had to be admitted and treated. Most of the cases of MIS-C can lead to hospital admission so parents should immediately get any fever of their child checked. So every fever in today's time should be suspected unless proven otherwise, as prevention is better than cure."

MIS-C is also on the rise among children, according to Sudip Chowdhury, consultant pediatrician, Columbia Asia Hospital, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon. He briefed, "In the last five days, over 100 cases of multi-organ inflammatory syndrome in children were reported in northern India, of which, more than 50 cases were found in the NCR." Younger individuals have been shown to have more severe kinds of sickness than those in the first wave of COVID-19, added Chowdhury.

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