Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1368868
36 PATIENT SAFETY AND OUTCOMES What CDC researchers learned from studying 1,700 cases of MIS-C By Mackenzie Bean C DC-led research suggests multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children — a rare condition possibly linked to COVID-19 — coincides with the timing and geographic spread of U.S. virus surges, according to a study published April 6 in JAMA Pediatrics. For the study, CDC researchers analyzed data on 1,733 patients di- agnosed with MIS-C between March 2020 and January. Researchers compared the geographic and temporal distribution of these cases to COVID-19 cases over the same period. Six findings: 1. e cumulative incidence of MIS-C was 2.1 cases per 100,000 people under age 21. 2. About 60 percent of children required intensive care, and 24 children (1.4 percent) died. 3. Nearly 58 percent of children were male, and 71.4 percent were Hispanic or Black. 4. More than half of children had gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, along with a skin rash and conjunctival hyperemia. 5. Overall, 90 percent of patients had health issues involving at least four organs, 54 percent experienced hypotension or shock, and 31 percent had cardiac dysfunction. 6. National peaks of MIS-C cases came two to five weeks aer COVID-19 peaks and mirrored the virus's spread from urban areas to rural parts of the country. "The geographic and temporal association of MIS-C with the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that MIS-C resulted from de- layed immunologic responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection," study authors wrote, adding that "physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for MIS-C to promptly diagnose and treat these patients." n UK variant more transmissible, not deadlier, study finds By Erica Carbajal T he B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant — which first emerged in the U.K. and is now the dominant strain in the U.S. — is more contagious, though not tied to higher death rates or worse outcomes, compared to older strains, according to a study published April 12 in The Lancet. Researchers collected samples from 341 COVID-19 pa- tients admitted between Nov. 9, 2020, and Dec. 20, 2020, at two London hospitals and performed genetic sequenc- ing to determine the strain behind each patient's infection. Findings showed 58 percent of patients were infected with the B.1.1.7 variant. Those with the variant had a higher viral load, indicating increased transmissibility, but overall did not face higher death rates or worse outcomes, such as requiring ventila- tion, compared to those with older strains of the virus. "If you need hospitalization, you're not worse with this vari- ant compared to the previous virus strain," senior study author Dr. Eleni Nastouli, a clinical virologist and pedia- trician at University College London, told The Wall Street Journal. "Of course, if you're requiring hospital admission for COVID-19, that is a worry. But it's not more than the previous strain." The variant was seen more frequently in patients who were younger, had fewer comorbidities and in ethnic minority groups. Patients with the variant were also more likely to receive oxygen via a mask or nasal prongs, according to the research. COVID-19 vaccines have shown good protection against the variant, according to Michael Osterholm, PhD, an epi- demiologist and director of the Center for Infectious Dis- ease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. n "If you need hospitalization, you're not worse with this variant compared to the previous virus strain." - Dr. Eleni Nastouli, clinical virologist, University College London