Dubbed “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome potentially associated with COVID-19,” the condition has symptoms linked to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, such as persistent fevers, inflammation and poor function in one or more organs.
But a 30-person research team in London has now identified markers in the blood of the children with the condition that are different from other rare conditions, including toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease.
The condition was first identified in the U.K. in April. By mid-May, the World Health Organization had issued guidance for the condition. Hundreds of children in the U.S. have been sickened with the condition.
The latest findings will help bolster a project funded by the European Union that seeks to pinpoint the condition’s molecular signature, NBC News reports.
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