ATLANTA — Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released its largest study to date about a rare condition that has impacted children here in metro Atlanta and across the country after they contract COVID-19.
It’s called multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C.
MIS-C is found in young patients after exposure to the COVID-19 virus and causes different body parts to become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, according to the CDC.
One of the biggest takeaways from the new study released Tuesday was that 75% of the children with the serious inflammatory syndrome did not show any COVID-19 symptoms.
Now a local father is sharing his 4-year-old son’s frightening story, hoping other parents stay vigilant.
Quincy Pool told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that his son, Quincy Pool Jr., is finally starting to get back to his normal routine after he contracted MIS-C.
In February, Quincy Jr. nearly died.
The elder Pool said, at first, he thought his son had nothing more than an average stomach bug.
“He wasn’t eating, and he wasn’t holding down food,” Pool said.
But things would take a turn for the worse.
“He wasn’t responding at all,” Pool said.
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Doctors diagnosed Quincy Jr. with MIS-C. The condition typically occurs in children two to five weeks after they contract COVID-19 and, in severe cases — like Quincy Jr.’s — it attacks multiple organs, especially the heart.
“My heart dropped, and I didn’t know what to do,” Pool said.
On Tuesday, researchers from the CDC released the results from the largest study so far of MIS-C cases in the U.S.
The scientists evaluated 1,733 of the 2,090 cases of the syndrome in people ages 20 and younger that had been reported to the CDC as of January.
Among the key findings, 75% of the patients did not experience COVID-19 symptoms. But two to five weeks later, they became sick enough to be hospitalized for the condition.
The study also showed, much like COVID-19, the syndrome disproportionately impacted minority communities.
Among the children studied that developed the condition, the study shows nearly 34% of patients were Black, 37% were Hispanic, 20% were white and about 1% of all patients were of Asian heritage.
Among those cases was Leslie Lubel’s 10-year-old son Max, who we reported on in February, while he was recovering in the hospital.
“People need to know so they can get their kids medical care and attention as soon as possible,” Lubel said.
As of March 29, the CDC reported nearly 3,200 cases nationwide, including 36 deaths.
“It’s going to scar. But I told him, ‘Man, they’re like tattoos. They build character,’” Pool said, explaining what he told his son of the scars he will have from his stay in the hospital.
Quincy Jr. now attends physical therapy five days a week, where he learns how to walk and talk again.
His father told Seiden that Quincy Jr. is making great progress, and doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
Cox Media Group
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