Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 16;13(6):1405.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13061405.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19: A 12-Month Prospective Study

Viorela Gabriela Nitescu  1   2 , Diana-Andreea Usurelu  1   2 , Teodora Olsavszky  1 , Ana-Maria Mihalcea  2 , Andra Postelnicu  2 , Ruxandra Florea  2 , Simona Stanca  1   2 , Iolanda Cristina Vivisenco  1   2 , Madalina Elena Petran  1   2 , Maria-Dorina Craciun  1   3 , Carmen-Daniela Chivu  1   3 , Alexandru Ulici  1   4 , Coriolan Emil Ulmeanu  1   2
Affiliations

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19: A 12-Month Prospective Study

Viorela Gabriela Nitescu et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but potentially severe condition that affects multiple organ systems. This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. A 12-month prospective study was conducted at the "Grigore Alexandrescu" Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children, Bucharest. This study included children aged 0-18 years who were diagnosed with MIS-C, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Data on age, gender, clinical and laboratory findings, treatment, and outcomes were analyzed. Follow-up evaluations occurred at one, three, six, nine, and twelve months post-discharge. Among 36 patients (47.3% female, 52.7% male; mean age, 9.9 years), fever and inflammatory syndrome were present in all patients. Other common symptoms included mucocutaneous (63.8%), gastrointestinal (52.7%), cardiac (47.2%), pulmonary (38.8%), and neurological (11.1%) manifestations. At admission, 14/36 were IgM-positive, while 34/36 were IgG-positive. Follow-up revealed sequelae in two patients, including coronary aneurysms and ground-glass pulmonary opacities. Although MIS-C can be severe, most patients had favorable outcomes with proper treatment. Few long-term, organ-specific complications were observed, highlighting the importance of systematic monitoring to ensure full recovery.

Keywords: COVID-19; MIS-C; cardiac dysfunction; children; coronary aneurysms; pulmonary sequelae.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient evaluation protocol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mucocutaneous findings observed in hospitalized children with MIS-C: (a)subconjunctival hemorrhage, nonexudative conjunctivitis, and periorbital edema and (b) plantar erythema.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clinical and biological complications at admission and during follow-up.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Inflammatory marker CRP over the months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Guidance—Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Temporally Associated with COVID-19 (PIMS) 2020. [(accessed on 24 May 2025)]. Available online: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/guidance-paediatric-multisystem-inflam....
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19 Summary and Recommendations. [(accessed on 24 May 2025)];2020 Available online: https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/multisystem-inflammatory-s...
    1. World Health Organization Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Adolescents Temporally Related to COVID-19—Scientific Brief. 2020. [(accessed on 24 May 2025)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/multisystem-inflammatory-syndrom....
    1. Pouletty M., Borocco C., Ouldali N., Caseris M., Basmaci R., Lachaume N., Bensaid P., Pichard S., Kouider H., Morelle G., et al. Paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 mimicking Kawasaki disease (Kawa-COVID-19): A multicentre cohort. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2020;79:999–1006. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217960. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kıymet E., Böncüoğlu E., Şahinkaya Ş., Cem E., Çelebi M.Y., Düzgöl M., Kara A.A., Arıkan K.Ö., Vuran G.T., Yılmazer M.M., et al. A Comparative study of children with MIS-C between admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and pediatric ward: A one-year retrospective study. J. Trop. Pediatr. 2021;67:fmab104. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmab104. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources