Idaho child hospitalized for COVID-related syndrome, the state’s first

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A 7-year-old Idaho girl is the state’s first to be hospitalized for an illness associated with COVID-19.

The child, with no prior medical conditions, was hospitalized on Wednesday at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (or MIS-C), a potentially serious illness for kids that is associated with the coronavirus.

The girl is from the Treasure Valley and was admitted to St. Luke’s from another hospital. After four days in the pediatric ICU, she was recovered enough to move to the main hospital floor. She went home from the hospital Monday, said Dr. Kenny Bramwell, system medical director for St. Luke’s Children’s.

“So this is actually a really great success story,” Bramwell said.

MIS-C, a rare illness, first appeared in the U.S. in New York a few months ago. It appears to be a delayed reaction to the coronavirus and can show up weeks after exposure. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, vomiting, skin rash, diarrhea and low blood pressure.

The girl’s symptoms included “quite a bit of abdominal pain and vomiting,” Bramwell said.

Some symptoms of MIS-C resemble those of Kawasaki Disease, a toxic shock syndrome where blood vessels can enlarge and form aneurysms. The complication can also impact the heart’s function, damage kidneys, as well as display neurologic and gastrointestinal symptoms.

A total of 570 cases of MIS-C in 40 states had been reported to the CDC as of July 29. More than half of the patients had to be admitted to the ICU, and 10 children have died from the syndrome.

Children who survive may have severe complications. According to the CDC, about 41% of patients have heart dysfunction, shock, myocarditis, coronary artery dilatation or aneurysm and kidney injury.

“Unfortunately I do expect we’ll have a handful more of these cases as the prevalence (of COVID-19) continues here locally,” Bramwell said.