Skip to main content

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C)

 What is MIS-C?

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.


MIS-C Emergency Care

Contact your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic right away if your child is showing symptoms of MIS-C or symptoms of COVID-19. Seek emergency care right away if your child is showing any of these emergency warning signs or other concerning signs:


Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.


What to do if you think your child is sick with MIS-C

Contact your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic right away if your child is showing symptoms of MIS-C:

Fever

Abdominal pain

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Neck pain

Rash

Bloodshot eyes

Feeling extra tired

Be aware that not all children will have all the same symptoms.


Seek emergency care right away if your child is showing any of these emergency warning signs of MIS-C or other concerning signs:


Trouble breathing

Pain or pressure in the chest that does not go away

New confusion

Inability to wake or stay awake

Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

Severe abdominal pain


How doctors will care for your child

Doctors may do certain tests to look for inflammation or other signs of disease. These tests might include:

Blood tests

Chest x-ray

Heart ultrasound (echocardiogram)

Abdominal ultrasound

Doctors may provide supportive care for symptoms (medicine and/or fluids to make your child feel better) and may use various medicines to treat inflammation. Most children who become ill with MIS-C will need to be treated in the hospital. Some will need to be treated in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU).


Parents or caregivers who have concerns about their child’s health, including concerns about COVID-19  or MIS-C,  should call a pediatrician or other healthcare provider immediately. Healthcare providers can follow CDC recommendations to keep children and their parents or caregivers safe if an in-person visit is needed.


What we don’t know about MIS-C

CDC is still learning about MIS-C and how it affects children, so we don’t know why some children have gotten sick with MIS-C and others have not. We also do not know if children with certain health conditions are more likely to get MIS-C. These are among the many questions CDC is working to try to understand.


All CDC recommendations are based on the best data and science available at the time, and we will update them as we learn more.


How to protect your child from COVID-19

Based on what we know now about MIS-C, the best way you can protect your child is by taking everyday actions to prevent your child and the entire household from getting the virus that causes COVID-19.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Charge Syndrome

Overview CHARGE syndrome is a recognizable genetic syndrome with known pattern of features. It is an extremely complex syndrome, involving extensive medical and physical difficulties that differ from child to child. CHARGE syndrome is correlated with genetic mutation to CHD7 and the prevalence of CHARGE syndrome is 1:10,000-1:15,000 live births. Babies with CHARGE syndrome are often born with life-threatening birth defects. They spend many months in the hospital and undergo many surgeries and other treatments. Swallowing and breathing problems make life difficult even when they come home. Most have hearing two little girls sitting on a carpet, one girl has a trach and is biting her finger.loss, vision loss, and balance problems that delay their development and communication. Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, children with CHARGE syndrome often far surpass their medical, physical, educational, and social expectations. One of the hidden features of CHARGE syndrome is the ...

Legg–Calve–Perthes disease

  Legg–Calve–Perthes disease Overview Legg-Calve-Perthes (LEG-kahl-VAY-PER-tuz) disease is a childhood condition that occurs when blood supply to the ball part (femoral head) of the hip joint is temporarily interrupted and the bone begins to die. This weakened bone gradually breaks apart and can lose its round shape. The body eventually restores blood supply to the ball, and the ball heals. But if the ball is no longer round after it heals, it can cause pain and stiffness. The complete process of bone death, fracture and renewal can take several years. To keep the ball part of the joint as round as possible, doctors use a variety of treatments that keep it snug in the socket portion of the joint. The socket acts as a mold for the fragmented femoral head as it heals. Symptoms Symptoms of Perthes disease include: Limping. Pain or stiffness in the hip, groin, thigh or knee. Limited range of motion of the hip joint. Pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest. Perthes diseas...

Kernicterus

  Kernicterus Overview Kernicterus is a rare condition that affects your baby’s brain when they have too much bilirubin in their blood (hyperbilirubinemia). Bilirubin is a yellow waste product that your body makes. Sometimes, your liver can’t remove enough bilirubin to keep you healthy. Too much bilirubin can cause jaundice. This is when your skin, the whites of your eyes and your gums or the area underneath your tongue (mucous membranes) appear yellow. Symptoms of kernicterus progress in stages. In addition to jaundice, symptoms usually affect newborns and include irritability, poor feeding and seizures. Complications can lead to hearing loss and permanent brain damage. If you notice changes to your newborn’s behavior or appearance, contact their healthcare provider immediately. You may hear your healthcare provider call kernicterus “bilirubin encephalopathy.” Jaundice is common in newborns. Healthcare providers will monitor newborn jaundice to decrease your baby’s risk of develop...