Children With Covid Inflammatory Syndrome May Overcome Their Most Serious Symptoms

A small study found that six months after hospitalization, most children with MIS-C did not have debilitating health issues. But some had lingering muscle weakness and emotional difficulties.

Children who get sick from the rare but serious Covid-related inflammatory syndrome may surmount their most significant symptoms within six months, but they may still have muscle weakness and emotional difficulties at that time, a new small study suggests. Published in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health on Monday, the study appears to be the first detailed look at the health status of children six months after they were hospitalized with the condition, called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. The syndrome typically emerges two weeks to six weeks after a Covid-19 infection that is often quite mild, and it can result in hospitalizations for children with severe symptoms involving the heart and several other organs. A major question has been whether children who survive MIS-C will end up with lasting organ damage or other health problems. The new study, of 46 children under 18 who were admitted to a London hospital for MIS-C (it has a different name and abbreviation, PIMS-TS, in Britain), suggests that many of the most serious problems can resolve with time.