PEDIATRIC INFLAMMATORY MULTISYSTEM SYNDROME TEMPORALLY-ASSOCIATED with SARS-COV-2-A PORTUGUESE SINGLE CENTRE CASE SERIES

ABSTRACT

Background: Across the globe, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 appears to affect paediatric population in a milder and non-threatening way, when compared to adults. However, since April 2020 case reports of previously healthy children presenting with unremitting fever, biologic infammatory syndrome and cardiac dysfunction have been emerging. This syndrome, which has been termed Pediatric Infammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (PIMS-TS), represents a rare complication of COVID-19 in children1. Objectives: To describe the clinical, laboratory and imaging characteristics, course, management and outcomes of hospitalized children diagnosed with PIMS-TS in a Portuguese tertiary care hospital. Methods: A retrospective study including children (< 18 years) that attended our hospital from April 2020 to December 2021 was performed. All the children included fulflled the case defnition of PIMS-TS published by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Sociodemographic and clinical data, laboratory markers and imaging fndings were collected. Results: A total of 19 children met the criteria for PIMS-TS, 68% male with a mean age at diagnosis of 8 years old (IQR 5.8-15). They were all caucasian, except for a mixed-race patient, and all previously healthy, except one patient who was obese. Twelve had recent infection by SARS-CoV-2 detected by reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR and 18 had positive IgG serology. All had fever at diagnosis, with a median duration of 6 days (IQR 5-6) and 89.5% had mucocutaneous, gastrointestinal and hematological attainment, respectively. Other affected systems were respiratory (73.7%), cardiovascular (63%), lymphoid organs (52.6%), musculoskeletal (47%), genito-urinary (31.6%) and neurological (26.3%). Laboratory fndings can be found in Table 1. Thirty-six percent were admitted in intensive care unit for a median duration of 8 days (IQR 4-9). 42.1% needed respiratory support, 87.5% with supplemental oxygen therapy, 62.5% with mechanical ventilation and 12.5% with non-invasive ventilation. All patients received intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin, 52.6% IV cor-ticosteroid (CS) pulses and 78.9% IV and oral CS. Other treatments included acetylsalicylic acid (n=18), heparin (n=8) and antibiotic therapy (n=19)-Table 3. Seventeen fully recovered and 2 had sequalae one of them with coronary artery aneurysms and other exertional dyspnea. Conclusion: In this case series, there was a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms and disease severity, ranging from fever and systemic infammation to critical care admission with myocardial injury, shock, and development of coronary artery aneurysms. Despite short-term morbidity, there were no mortality cases, with most of them recovering without sequelae. All physicians providing clinical care to children should consider this rare but severe delayed syndrome in paediatric population.