Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) occurs more often in Black and His- panic children, according to a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Investigators stud- ied 124 children hospitalized and treated under the institutional MIS-C Task Force protocol. Of this cohort, 63 had the diagnosis of MIS-C (39 confirmed, 24 probable) and 61 had an alternative diagnosis (controls). Black and Hispanic children were overrepresented in the MIS-C cohort (46% and 35%, respectively), with the highest risk for Black children (odds ratio, 4.62). Compared with children not in the intensive care unit (ICU), children who were critically ill (in ICU) with MIS-C more frequent- ly had cardiac complications (55% vs 28%), in- cluding systolic myocardial dysfunction (39% vs 3%) and valvular regurgitation (33% vs 7%). In MIS-C cases, the median cycle threshold was 31.8, which was significantly higher (indicating lower viral load) than in primary SARS-CoV-2. Compared with controls, in MIS-C patients, cytokine levels—including soluble interleukin 2 receptor, interleukin 10, and interleukin 6— were higher. In phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences, there was a predominance of GH clade originating in Europe; no differenc- es in viral sequencing were seen on comparison of MIS-C patients with primary COVID-19 patients.

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