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The following is a summary of “Sociodemographic Disparities in Severity of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: The National Cross-Sectional MUSIC Study,” published in the May 2025 issue of Journal of Pediatrics by Lopez et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine sociodemographic disparities linked to the severity and adverse outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).  

They analyzed data from the long-term outcomes of the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MUSIC) observational study, which included individuals younger than 21 years hospitalized with MIS-C at 1 of 32 large pediatric MUSIC centers across the US. The primary outcome was a composite measure of greater illness severity (e.g., inotropic medications and intubations). Secondary outcomes included the number of days from symptom onset to hospital admission and hospital length of stay (LOS). Predictor variables were patient distance to the hospital, neighborhood Social Deprivation Index (SDI), race and ethnicity, and use of a non-primary English language.  

The results showed that among 1,115 individuals with MIS-C, the median age was 9 years (IQR 5.6, 12.7), 39.2% were female, 28.1% were non-Hispanic Black, 27.8% were Hispanic, and 47.3% had public insurance. Multivariable analysis indicated higher illness severity among Hispanic individuals (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1, 2.2), non-Hispanic Black individuals (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2, 2.4), and those aged 13–21 years (OR 3.7; 95% CI 2.4, 5.7). Longer duration from symptom onset to hospital admission was significantly linked to greater distance from the hospital (P=0.006). Factors associated with extended hospital LOS included age 13 years or older (P=0.002) and non-Hispanic Black race (P=0.018).  

Investigators concluded that disparities in MIS-C severity and hospital LOS were linked to older age and identifying as Black and/or Hispanic during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Source: jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00210-0/abstract