Cardiac involvement in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-COV-2 (PIMS-TS, MIS-C)

ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) is a postim-munological reaction after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Various car-diac manifestations of PIMS-TS have been reported, namely pericardial effusion, ventricular arrhythmia, myocarditis, valvular regurgitation, and pericarditis. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical and laboratory features to distinguish any possible predic-tion for cardiac involvement in children with PIMS. Method(s) The PIMS patients under 18 years old treated in our center between July 2020 and December 2021 were included. Data of the patients were retrospectively obtained from their medical records. Result(s) A total of 46 patients with PIMS were examined during the study period. The mean age of study group was 9.4 +/- 4.6 years, 18/46 were female and 3 groups were formed according to their age ranges. Among them, seventeen patients (37%) had cardiac involvement with mean age was 8.7 years. Impaired cardiac func-tions were seen more in male patients (n 10/17). Coronary artery dilatation seen in seven patients especially with mean age of 5.2 years (Age group 1,2,3;%36.4,%14.3,%0;p = 0.033;respectively) and especially related to high troponin T levels (p = 0.006). In our study group, cardiac involvement was shown more related to ProBNP and Troponin T (p = 0.008;p = 0.003). The cut-off val-ues of proBNP and troponin T for predicting in cardiac dysfunc-tion were 2759 pg/mL (95% confidence interval (CI), 0,83-1;sensitivity, 0.86;specificity, 0.93;AUC0.92, p lt;0,001). Conclusion(s) Although there is a wide variability of symptoms, MIS-C is a rare, severe, less understood complication of COVID-19 that may cause multisystemic involvement in the patients. Clinicians should be aware of this condition in children with persistent fever and a family history of COVID-19. Cardiac involvement in chil-dren with PIMS may strongly be predicted by levels of Troponin T and ProBNP. Further more younger age and high Troponin T levels are the independent predictors for the coronary artery dila-tation among children with PIMS.