Several superheroes were spotted descending the outside of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital on Nov. 14, 2019. They were visiting many of the young patients receiving care in hopes of brighting up their day. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.comSaed Hindash | For lehighvalleyl
Less than a week ago, an ailment the New York Times called “baffling” took the lives of three children. More cases of the syndrome, which doctors believe is related to the COVID-19 pandemic, have been popping up in children around the United States and in Europe.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Reilly Children’s Hospital has now treated three children, all of whom are recovering, for the ailment and is bracing for the possibility of treating more. Reilly is the Lehigh Valley’s only children’s hospital.
The hospital sent out a news release on Thursday night stating that it was monitoring the incidence of “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome” (PMIS) both regionally and internationally and is “prepared to care for children with the illness.”
PMIS causes inflammation in organ systems, as well as other systems, including skin rashes. It appears to be connected to the coronavirus, as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said all of the 73 children admitted to New York hospitals with the syndrome tested positive for COVID-19 or its antibodies, the Times reported.
“’Pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome is both rare and treatable,”’ Dr J. Nathan Hagstrom, chair of department of pediatrics, said in the release.
LVHN’ says treatment entails a steroid medication given to patients as well as a common IV medication (IVIG) used to treat inflammation with an autoimmune disease. “The majority of patients recover with no long-lasting effects and the percentage of children who die from the syndrome is very low,”’ Hagstrom said.
Symptoms of PMIS include: persistent fever; abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting; skin rash or changes in skin color; difficulty breathing; confusion; and both eyes appearing red.
The three children with the syndrome have already been treated at the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit and the pediatric inpatient unit, and they’re recovering, according to the hospital.
In the nearly 26,000 tests ordered for LVHN, less than 1% of children tested have had tested positive for the coronavirus.
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Connor Lagore may be reached at [email protected].
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