What You Need to Know About the New COVID Complication for Kids
One of the toughest parts about dealing with a never-before-seen virus like COVID-19 is that thereās a lot we still donāt know. Each day doctors, public health officials, and researchers put another piece of this pandemic puzzle in place. Only 1-2% of all COVID patients are kids under 18 years of age. At first, it looked like the diseaseās effect on minors wasā¦pretty minor, while the elderly were hit hardest by the virus. But lately, a scary new COVID complication has cropped up among kids.
Itās called āpaediatric multisystem inflammatory syndromeā and has been found in 100 children in New York State, killing three. Other states in the U.S. have reported this strange new illness, too (including, Louisiana, Mississippi, and California) as well, but fortunately, no deaths have been reported in those states yet.
So, what is this new mystery infectionā¦and how worried should parents be? Letās break down what weāve learned so far.
Paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome is a complication that appears to go hand-in-hand with Sars-CoV-2, thatās the scientific name of the virus that causes COVID-19. This syndrome acts a lot like Kawasaki Disease, another pretty mysterious inflammatory disease that affects 200 to 300Ā Australians each year.
No one really knows what triggers Kawasakiās, but our best guess is that a virus or environmental chemical exposure causes a childās immune system to totally overreact. This leads to massive inflammation with high fever, blood shot eyes (without discharge), strawberry red tongue, swollen lips, swollen hands and feet, joint painsā¦and even inflammation of the heart arteries. Fortunately, doctors have discovered some pretty good treatments that help kids to recover.
This new illnessāpaediatric multisystem inflammatory syndromeāalso causes inflammation of different parts of the body in young children, but it seems to be triggered by a coronavirus infection.
If your child has been exposed to COVID-19, here are the symptoms to be on the look-out for:
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Persistent fever
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Blotchy skin rashes and peeling skin
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Stomach pains
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Tummy trouble, such as diarrhea and vomiting
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High heart rate
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āCOVID toesā (look for red rashes on soles of feet or palms of handsā¦you can see some examples here, but heads up, itās not pretty!)
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Red eyes and heavy eye discharge, similar to pinkeye
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Joint pain
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Low blood pressure
Though treatable, if this syndrome progresses, it can lead to serious complications, including toxic shock syndrome (marked by a dangerous drop in blood pressure, flu-like symptoms, confusion, and a high fever) and heart issues.Ā Ā
If your child comes down with a persistent high fever, rashes, peeling skin on the fingers, or any other symptoms above that have you feeling uneasy, donāt hesitate to call your doctorāespecially if thereās been known exposure to COVID-19. Your provider can help you decide if your tot needs to come in for additional assessment or treatment.
Parenting in a pandemic can definitely prompt a flood of worriesā¦but I hope that knowing the facts can also give you some peace of mind!
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