Long-Term Outcomes of Survivors of COVID-19 with Moderate to Severe Infection and Children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome or MIS-C

• Published in: Indian journal of pediatrics Vol. 92; no. 2; pp. 178 - 180
• Main Authors: Singla, Raman, Sankar, Jhuma, Tayal, Anshula, Bhadani, Himanshu, Bagri, Narendra K., Kabra, Sushil, Lodha, Rakesh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 01.02.2025
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical Brief; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - therapy; Echocardiography; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecology; Humans; Infant; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pediatrics; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index; Survivors; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - complications; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - epidemiology; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - physiopathology; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - therapy; Pulmonary outcomes; Severe COVID; MIS-C; Moderate COVID; Functional outcome; Non-pulmonary outcomes
• ISSN: 0019-5456; 0973-7693; 0973-7693
• DOI: 10.1007/s12098-024-05033-0

The study aims to evaluate the long-term outcomes − functional, pulmonary and non-pulmonary (other organs) − in children hospitalized with COVID-19 infection or with Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after 1–2 y of discharge. All children with moderate or severe COVID-19 or MIS-C were enrolled. Out of 45 enrolled subjects, 19.8% had COVID-19 infection and 82% had MIS-C. Four children (8.9%) had abnormal baseline echocardiography; two each with cardiac dysfunction and coronary dilatation. At baseline, 44% had moderate disability and 24% had mild disability as per Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC). On follow-up, only 8.9% (n = 4) had mild and 2.2% (n = 1) had moderate disability as per the PCPC score. One child developed new onset tuberculosis of the bone. None had any pulmonary morbidities. Follow-up echocardiogram was also within normal limits for children with abnormal findings. Further studies in different populations (settings) are required to draw meaningful conclusions about long-term effects of COVID-19 on children.