“We are now receiving more of these MIS-C children, but this time, it appears that a larger percentage of them are really seriously ill,” said Dr. Roberta DeBiasi, head of infectious diseases at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC during the first wave At the hospital, about half of the patients needed treatment in the intensive care unit, she said, but now 80 to 90 percent do.
The reasons are not clear. The increase follows the general increase in Covid cases in the United States after the winter holiday, and more cases may simply increase the chances of serious illnesses. So far, there is no evidence that recent variants of the coronavirus are responsible, and experts say it is too early to speculate on the impact of the variants on the syndrome.
The condition remains rare. The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 2,060 cases in 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, including 30 deaths. The average age was 9 years old, but babies from 20 years old have already suffered. The data, which is complete only by mid-December, shows that the rate of cases has been increasing since mid-October.
Although most young people, even those who became seriously ill, survived and went home in relatively healthy conditions, doctors are not sure whether any of them will have persistent heart problems or other problems.
“We really don’t know what will happen in the long run,” said Dr. Jean Ballweg, medical director of pediatric heart transplantation and advanced heart failure at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where from April to October, the hospital treated about two cases per month, about 30% of them in the ICU. This increased to 10 cases in December and 12 in January, with 60% needing ICU care – most requiring ventilators. “Clearly, they seem to be more sick,” she said.