Covid-19: Cases of inflammatory syndrome in children surge after urgent alert

There has been a surge in cases of an inflammatory syndrome in children, believed to be linked to covid-19, following an alert to doctors in the UK at the end of April.1

The syndrome, which in the UK is referred to as the “paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome which is temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2,” has also been seen in Italy and the US and has been compared with both Kawasaki disease and toxic shock.

Experts have said that the condition may be an “antibody mediated or delayed response” to covid-19 that happens several weeks after the infection. They also stressed, however, that while doctors must know what to look out for, the syndrome is rare and has good outcomes.

Kawasaki disease is a rare condition which mainly affects children under five and is characterised by a high temperature that lasts for five days or more, a rash, and swollen glands in the neck. It can cause the blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen, and can lead to complications in the coronary arteries.