June 3, 2020

expert reaction to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children during the covid-19 pandemic in Paris

A study, published in The BMJ, looked at multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children during the covid-19 pandemic in Paris.

Dr Sara Hanna, Medical Director at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, said:

“This is a further observational study looking at the experience of a small number of children in Paris who have presented with a hyper-inflammatory response, similar to Kawasaki Disease, following exposure to COVID-19.  A similar study of children and young people treated at Evelina London Children’s Hospital was reported in the Lancet on 6th May, and there have also been reports of paediatric cases in Italy and New York.

“More than 70 cases have been treated at Evelina London [Please note that Evelina London cares for children and young people from across South London and South East England and serves a population of around 2 million children, so the number of children with the condition is very small.] since mid-April 2020, and a significant proportion of these children have a BAME background, around 70-80% of cases, including one case where a 14 year old boy of African Caribbean origin tragically died.   Research is underway to try to understand the reasons for this distribution of cases and the impact of other factors such as increased BMI and low vitamin D levels, particularly given the diverse population served by the Evelina London in south east London.

“The number of children with the condition is very small but parents must seek urgent medical attention if they are worried about their child’s health. Signs and symptoms of the condition can include prolonged high fever in the absence of an obvious cause like a chest infection, red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and skin rashes.”

‘Kawasaki-like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children during the covid-19 pandemic in Paris, France: prospective observational study’ by Toubiana et al. was published in The BMJ on Wednesday 3^rd June 2020.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2094 

Declared interests

None received.