COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents

Authors: Jiang, L., Tang, K., Levin, M., Irfan, O., Morris, S. K., Wilson, K., Klein, J. D., and Bhutta, Z. A.

Publication : Lancet Infect Dis ; 20,11 : e276-e288. November 2020

Affiliations: Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada ; School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China ; Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK ; Canada ; Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA ; Institute for Global Health and Development, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Abstract: As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 continues to spread worldwide, there have been increasing reports from Europe, North America, Asia, and Latin America describing children and adolescents with COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory conditions. However, the association between multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and COVID-19 is still unknown. We review the epidemiology, causes, clinical features, and current treatment protocols for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents associated with COVID-19. We also discuss the possible underlying pathophysiological mechanisms for COVID-19-induced inflammatory processes, which can lead to organ damage in paediatric patients who are severely ill. These insights provide evidence for the need to develop a clear case definition and treatment protocol for this new condition and also shed light on future therapeutic interventions and the potential for vaccine development.