CLEVELAND — Doctors in New York are reporting a growing number of children with a mysterious illness possibly linked to COVID-19.
University Hospitals confirmed Monday afternoon that doctors at UH are examining children with similar symptoms.
Health officials nationwide are now investigating pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, an illness with symptoms similar to toxic shock syndrome.
Experts believe the illness affects children who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have antibodies related to the virus, but it has also been reported in children who never tested positive for COVID-19.
ABC News reports that possible cases have been reported in at least 10 states and Washington D.C., including 85 possible cases in New York.
“This is still a very rare condition in terms of total number of children affected,” Dr. Melissa Tesher said. “But when we’re thinking about number of children in the hospitals, it is a concern for the specialists that are caring for this type of disease.”
A spokesperson for University Hospitals confirmed Monday afternoon that UH is “examining children exhibiting symptoms similar to what is being reported out of New York."
Dr. James Strainic is a pediatric cardiologist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. He said there have been a "handful" of cases in patients at Rainbow with similar symptoms.
"The body’s natural immune system gets really ramped up and starts to attack other organs in the body, causing what we call multi-organ system dysfunction, sometimes referred to as shock, where the body can’t handle what it needs to because of the ramped-up inflammation," Strainic said.
Strainic said this illness is rare and resembles another rare disease, Kawasaki disease, which is also primarily found in children.
For this particular illness, Strainic said symptoms include a fever that lasts for days, stomach pain, a rash or hives, swelling of the hands and feet and dry, cracked lips. Initial testing for COVID-19 often comes back negative.
"We don’t know exactly why," Strainic said. "It may be because the exposure to virus is earlier and then we’re seeing the effects weeks afterward."
Strainic added that most patients who are found positive for COVID-19 are identified as positive through antibody testing rather than initial, diagnostic testing.
Typically, he said, it is obvious that these patients are sick because they appear unwell. For parents who observe their child having symptoms like these, he advises calling the child's pediatrician right away.
"This can progress and we don’t want you to sit at home and wait for your child to be very ill," Strainic said.
Children may undergo a variety of testing, including blood testing to look for inflammatory markers or to see if blood is clotting too quickly. There is also testing of the heart, gut and kidneys.
Strainic said UH, which has formed a large working group to study this illness, is also hoping to get involved in a multi-institutional effort with all the hospitals dealing with this. Since there are so few cases, he said the more hospitals can work together and share data, the more likely it is they'll be able to figure out what's going on.
A spokesperson for MetroHealth told News 5 the hospital has not treated any patients with reported cases of the illness.
Kevin Brennan with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health told News 5 that the department may address concerns regarding the illness in a press briefing Friday once more information is available.
