Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcome in Children with MIS-C Linked to SARS-CoV-2 Infection—An Italian Multicenter Experience

Abstract

MIS-C is a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that is characterized by multi-organ failure and cardiac involvement. The aim of this study was to describe the long-term cardiovascular outcome in a cohort of MIS-C pediatric patients, who were admitted to two Italian Pediatric Referral Centers. Sixty-seven patients (mean age 8.7 ± 4.7 years, male 60%) were included; 65 (97%) of them showed cardiac involvement. All of the patients completed one month of the follow-up, and 47% completed 1 year of it. ECG abnormalities were present in 65% of them, arrhythmias were present in 9% of them during an acute phase and it disappeared at the point of discharge or later. Pericarditis were detected in 66% of them and disappeared after 6 months. Coronaritis was observed in 35% of the children during an acute phase, and there were no more instances at the 1-year point. An LV dysfunction was present in 65% of the patients at the beginning of the study, with them having a full recovery at the point of discharge and thereafter. Elevated values of the NTproBNP and hsTp were initially detected, which progressively decreased and normalized at the points of discharge and FU. The CMR at the point of FU, there was a presence of long-term myocardial scars in 50% of the patients that were tested. No deaths that were caused by MIS-C during the FU were recorded. Cardiac involvement in MIS-C patients is almost the rule, but the patients’ clinical course was satisfactory, and no additional events or sequelae were observed apart from there being long-term myocardial scars in 50% of the patients that underwent CMR.