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Doctors at OU Health said they were seeing more and more cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
The disease is considered a side effect of COVID-19 and causes inflammation of different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs and kidneys.
Doctors at OU Children’s told News 9 that the condition was still rare for the general public, but their hospital has now seen around two dozen children with MIS-C. As cases of COVID-19 increase, doctors also believe they are seeing an increase in the disease.
Alyssa Stoops and Lauren Roach quickly understood the impact MIS-C could have on children.
Lexi, 8, of Stoops was a healthy child who had been exposed to COVID-19 in October. Stoops herself had the virus and she assumed her whole family was HIV positive. Stoops also assumed everyone had recovered and appeared to be doing well.
One morning, Lexi felt nauseous and then quickly went downstairs. After days of unanswered doctor after doctor consultation in the Prague area, Lexi had to be taken by ambulance to the Children’s OU.
“She was admitted to intensive care,” Stoops said. “She was put on a ventilator and sedated for about five days.”
Jentry, 3, from Roach avoided the ICU but still had major issues.
Weeks before, Jentry caught COVID-19 but had a very minor reaction to the virus. His fever was gone in just 24 hours. When Jentry developed MIS-C, she had a high fever that would not go away and a rash all over her body.
Roach also went from doctor to doctor in the Kingfisher area, before deciding she needed to bring her baby girl to OU.
MIS-C can be fatal, but both girls have received treatment. Since MIS-C is so new, doctors at OU Health said it is common for health professionals in rural areas to not recognize what they are dealing with.
“So MIS-C was not even recognized as an entity until March,” said Dr Donna Tyungu of OU Health. “So at a central location where we see a lot of children, we will experience a rural hospital.”
At present, doctors are still learning about COVID-19 and MIS-C, so they don’t know the long-term effects of the disease.
Tyungu said the best way to protect children is making sure they wear a mask, wash their hands, and socialize.
Both families told New 9 they would follow up with a cardiologist and other specialists to monitor their child.
According to the most recent data from the CDC, there have been over 1,600 children in the United States who have developed MIS-C. The data provided is from about 10 days ago and appears to miss some of the cases Oklahoma doctors told News 9 they have seen.
The CDC said symptoms parents should look for include:
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Neck pain
- Bold
- Bloodshot eyes
- Feeling very tired
For more information, click here to go to the official CDC page on MIS-C.
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