In the last month, there have been hundreds of reports of children with the inflammatory syndrome in the U.S.
This study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, included 17 children hospitalized at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYorkPresbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City between April 18 and May 5.
Twelve characteristics of the condition:
1. All patients had a fever.
2. Fourteen patients had gastrointestinal symptoms.
3. Twelve patients had a rash.
4. Eleven patients had conjunctivitis
5. Nine patients had lip redness/swelling.
6. Three patients were hypoxic when they arrived at the hospital. Hypoxia is a condition in which body tissues do not have enough oxygen to sustain bodily functions.
7. All the children tested positive for COVID-19.
8. All patients had elevated levels of inflammatory markers.
9. Twelve patients had lymphopenia, or low levels of a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte. Previous research has shown that lymphopenia is a prominent feature of COVID-19.
10. Fifteen of the patients were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit.
11. Three patients had abnormal heart rhythms
12. The average length of hospital stay for the patients was 7.1 days.
None of the patients died, and all had been discharged home by May 20, when researchers followed up.
More articles on patient safety & outcomes:
10% drop in ER volume significantly cuts patient death rates, study finds
Obesity common among kids hospitalized with COVID-19, study finds
76% of COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma improve, small study finds
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