How Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome affects children
HOUSTON - Doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital are seeing an increasing number of children sick with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
The relatively new condition causes body parts like the heart, lungs and kidneys to become inflamed. It happens several weeks after a child is exposed to COVID-19.
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"As the immune systems tried to make good protective antibodies, its makes some mistakes with this being a new virus. It ends up having an amazing rush of inflammatory proteins that are activated," said Dr. Eyal Muscal, a pediatric rheumatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital.
The condition is still relatively new and has become more common as children have returned to school, and COVID-19 has spread.
FOX 26 spoke with Anequilla Foots, the mother of 10-year-old Aniyah Williams. Williams spent five days in the Intensive Care Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital battling MIS-C. She says Aniyah had to be intubated and was under 24-hour care. She says her blood pressure was so low, she feared she may not survive.
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Foots rushed her daughter to the hospital after noticing she had a persistent fever, bloodshot eyes, and shortness of breath.
"When she would go downstairs, she would say ‘mommy I can’t breathe,’" Foots told FOX 26.
Doctors say some of the most common symptoms of MIS-C include stomach pain, skin rash, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
Doctors remind parents to have their kids mask up at school and get the vaccine if they’re eligible. They also encourage parents to seek medical care if their child begins to exhibit serious symptoms.
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