Here’s what families should know about MIS-C, a COVID-linked condition that affects kids

A Charlotte teenager’s death has influenced her family to get vaccinated and advocate for others to get the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent a rare medical condition from spreading.

Alyssa Reevey Simons, 15, died on June 28 from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a condition linked to COVID-19. She had contracted COVID in March but was asymptomatic for weeks, her mother said.

Although MIS-C has only been prevalent since the beginning of the pandemic, there’s been “so much learned in the last year,” according to Dr. Louis E. Daugherty, a pediatric critical care specialist at Novant Health in Charlotte.

Here’s what you should know about MIS-C:

What is MIS-C?

MIS-C is one of two types of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, “a rare but serious condition” linked to COVID-19 that causes inflammation of various body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and gastrointestinal organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition is known as MIS-A in adults.

There is no known cause, but the CDC says many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.

What are the symptoms of MIS-C?

The CDC says that in addition to a fever, parents and caregivers should watch for these symptoms in children: bloodshot eyes, chest tightness/pain, diarrhea, feeling extra tired, headache, low blood pressure, neck pain, rash, and vomiting.

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

How is MIS-C treated?

According to Daugherty, doctors will have to rule out other diseases, raise the patient’s blood pressure with fluids or special medicines and then give them a high dose of steroids. Doctors will also treat patients with immune globulin, which is a substance made from human blood plasma that keeps the immune system under control so it doesn’t overreact, he said.

How many cases of MIS-C have been reported?

▪ As of June 28, 4,196 MIS-C cases and 37 deaths have been reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

▪ As of July 8, there have been 177 MIS-C cases reported in North Carolina, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported.

▪ The median age of patients with MIS-C in the United States is 9 years old, and half of the children with the illness are between the ages of 5 and 13, according to the CDC. Almost all of these patients have tested positive for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

▪ At least one other person has died of MIS-C in North Carolina since the start of the pandemic, according to NCDHHS.

COVID vaccinations and kids

Of the children in the United States under 18 years of age, 13.1% have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 10.1% are fully vaccinated, according to Mayo Clinic. In North Carolina, 11% of children under the age of 18 have received at least one dose, while 8.2% are fully vaccinated.