BETTENDORF, Iowa — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says while some of the symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children are associated with COVID-19, some are unclear. A Quad City pediatrician says there are specific symptoms parents can look out for.
For mom, Pauline Connelly, keeping 4-year-old daughter safe at home is her priority.
"I'm actually really concerned," says Connelly. "I haven't taken her inside a grocery story or any kind of store since this has been going on. Just because she's 4 years old and touches everything."
She says she wouldn't want her daughter to get COVID-19 nor have it lead to a more serious illness, like MIS-C, down the line.
Dr. Vikram Agrawal, a pediatrician at UnityPoint Health Trinity, says a fever lasting more than three days is one sign of the inflammatory syndrome found in kids.
"Some patients present abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, rashes," Dr. Agrawal lists, as well as swollen lymphnodes.
He says some patients have tested positive for having COVID-19 in the past.
"They think the COVID infection itself is not the real causation, but it may trigger the immune response," explains Dr. Agrawal.
COVID-19 could be the trigger that leads to the inflammation throughout the body. Currently, two kids have been diagnosed in eastern Iowa and a cluster in Chicago. But doctors say the syndrome is very rare in kids.
"Just to be clear, PMIS or MIS-C is not contagious," stresses Dr. Argawal.
But that isn't stopping some parents like Connelly from taking precautions.
"I'm checking her temp all the time," says Connelly. "I'm always feeling to see if she's warm."
Doctors say the inflammatory syndrome can be confused with Kawasaki disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome. But they say Kawasaki targets the heart and coronary vessels, where MIS-C targets other organs in the body.
Pediatricians at UnityPoint say parents should not cancel their child's annual check-ups or appointments. They say those are important to maintain and will be done in a separate area than those in the COVID-19 unit.
Doctors at UnityPoint say there are no cases of MIS-C in the Quad Cities.