TACOMA, Wash. — Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma says it treated a child who medical experts say showed symptoms of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, a rare respiratory disease associated with coronavirus.
It is at least the third known case of MIS-C in western Washington. Previously, the state Department of Health confirmed two cases where both patients were treated at Seattle Children's - one person was from Snohomish County, one from King County.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. It is unclear what causes MIS-C, but many children with symptoms were previously diagnosed with coronavirus or have been around someone diagnosed with coronavirus.
Dr. Mary Fairchok who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at Mary Bridge says if coronavirus cases peak again, the state could see more cases of MIS-C, which Fairchok calls a "serious condition."
Doctors around the world are reporting cases of the rare disease in children who were originally thought to be less likely to be diagnosed with coronavirus. Children's immune systems responding to coronavirus can sometimes have an over-response, which can result in the rare respiratory disease.
Children generally recover, but there can be long-lasting effects.
