CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Doctors at Medical University of South Carolina are asking parents and healthcare professionals to look for a rare, but life-threatening complication of COVID-19 in children before they get too sick.
Pediatric infectious physician Allison Eckard says the MUSC cared for 16 children with Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C.
“This syndrome, while very rare, is often fatal and very serious for children, and many people have never heard of it,” said Eckard.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced the first death of MIS-C in the state of a 17-year-old teenager on Friday.
That’s when Jillian Hollingsworth, who has three children, recovered from COVID-19 in December, said she first heard about the syndrome.
“All three of my children tested positive and remained completely asymptomatic,” said Hollingsworth. “Of course, when I discovered this, I had to search Google and I had no idea what it was. But it just wasn’t on our radar. “
MIS-C causes inflammation in several organs and symptoms range from fever, abdominal pain, fatigue and more.
“Many of these children had previously gone to various emergency departments and providers with various symptoms in the diagnosis of MIS-C, unfortunately, they were overlooked,” said Eckard.
Eckard said that although the syndrome has been found in just under 1,700 children across the country, she wants parents of children who apparently beat the coronavirus to keep that in mind if their child gets sick again.
“This can be prevented or, at least, if we can raise awareness about it, more people will know about MIS-C before they get sick,” said Eckard.
After news of the first MIS-C-related death in the state, Hollingsworth said he wants to spread the message among parents like her to keep an eye on symptoms and seek treatment sooner.
“It is definitely making me more proactive to seek medical attention where I would not have otherwise,” said Hollingsworth.
Symptoms and more information about MIS-C can be found on the Center for Disease Control website here.
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