COVID-19-Related Multi-systemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Abstract

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a severe complication of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children. This syndrome manifests about a month after the initial viral infection and is characterized by fever, multiorgan dysfunction, and systemic inflammation. This chapter will review the emergence, epidemiology, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, pathophysiology, immunomodulatory treatment, prognosis, outcomes, and prevention of MIS-C. While the pathophysiology of MIS-C remains to be defined, it is a post-infection, hyperinflammatory syndrome of childhood with elevated inflammatory cytokines.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus disease 2019; KD; Kawasaki disease; MIS-A; MIS-C; Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults; Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TSS; Toxic shock syndrome.