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Pediatricians brace for wave of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – While coronavirus hospitalizations in children may have hit their peak, health officials say one group of people is not in the clear just yet. 

Doctors are now bracing for a wave of COVID-19-induced multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, also known as MIS-C.

MIS-C is characterized as a condition targeting mostly children that comes after a viral infection where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs and kidneys. 

News 8 spoke with Dr. Colin Rogerson, a pediatrician at the Regenstrief Institute. He lists signs and symptoms parents need to look for should they suspect their child has developed MIS-C.

“Typical symptoms are pretty general,” Rogerson said. “They can be headache, fatigue, muscle aches, fever, nausea, vomiting … just not really feeling well and having very low energy. So, they can be very nonspecific sometimes. What parents should look for is if their child has a fever that is not tied to any other specific symptoms.”

By this, Rogerson means, parents should monitor their children and pay close attention if they present a fever without any other respiratory symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, or nasal congestion.  

MIS-C typically appears four to six weeks after a coronavirus infection. While Rogerson is not seeing the influx of patients in his practice he had anticipated, he says it is still too early to tell.