Dr. Matsubara Daisuke works at Jichi Medical University Hospital in Tochigi Prefecture. He was his first patient with MIS-C in October 2021.
Matsubara spent two years of experience at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, USA. He was in the U. S. , where he treated patients with MIS-C. When she returned to Japan in mid-2021, she learned that there were very few cases of MIS-C in her country.
A few months later, he discovered his first case at Jichi University Medical Hospital. “The afternoon doctor called me to tell me that a child had been brought in. They weren’t sure about his symptoms, but they told me he had a fever. and it had already become inflamed with COVID-19 not long ago. I have an idea that it is. It could be MIS-C. “
The 11-year-old boy was found to have the disease, but it took a long time to make the correct diagnosis. He was an active kid who liked sports. The first sign gave the impression that a month had passed since he was infected with COVID-19. He suddenly developed a fever of 39 degrees Celsius and complained of severe nausea.
His regular pediatrician diagnosed him with gastroenteritis, but the boy’s symptoms showed no signs of improving over time. He also complained of severe eye pains and sensitivity to light. An ophthalmologist near her home diagnosed her with Crohn’s disease, once again, her symptoms still didn’t improve and instead got worse.
The boy eventually returned to his pediatrician, who sent him to Jichi Medical University for further examination. He went in, and at some point, his center deteriorated.
Finally, he and his family were able to find answers when Matsubara diagnosed him with MIS-C. “I was very worried until they were able to identify the cause,” the boy’s father said. “I have painful memories of talking to my wife about what I would do if I couldn’t play sports anymore. That’s what he prefers. “
The boy was hospitalized for a week where doctors prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. He is now in good health, but remains under observation.
MIS-C known as a condition following the global spread of COVID-19.
In Europe and the United States in particular, some young people have complained of fever, vomiting and eye pain several weeks after infection. At first it was thought that it was a new disease of unknown origin. Subsequent studies have known non-unusual symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and eye pain/redness.
Many organs, including the heart, can worsen if patients don’t get proper treatment. In mild cases, immunoglobulins are administered, and in severe cases, steroids are used to prevent coronary thrombosis.
According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U. S. In the U. S. , more than 9,000 children in the U. S. A number of U. S. patients diagnosed with MIS-C as of late November and 74 had died from it.
In Japan, Matsubara and an organization of other medical specialists conducted a nationwide survey at about 2,000 medical centers and found that at least 64 young people were diagnosed with MIS-C between the spring and fall of 2022.
Although there were no severe cases, many of them were hospitalized for treatment. “I would say there are about 100 young people with MIS-C, adding up the mild cases,” Matsubara says. “Assuming young people remain infected, it is conceivable that this number will gradually increase. “
The research also found that doctors distinguish MIS-C from Kawasaki disease, a disease of unknown cause that affects children.
Ibaraki Seinan Medical Center Hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture reported three difficult cases among children who had previously been infected with COVID-19, but medical staff could not tell whether the trio were suffering from MIS-C disease or Kawasaki disease.
One of the boys, an 8-year-old girl, had a low, abnormal central heartbeat, leading doctors to suspect MIS-C. However, the boy was eventually diagnosed with Kaaki disease, which can also lead to deterioration of the center in severe cases.
“If the patient had recently been inflamed with COVID-19, they would meet the diagnostic criteria for MIS-C and Kawasaki disease. It’s about distinguishing one from the other,” says Dr. Ishikawa Nobuyuki of the hospital.
The confusion around MIS-C or Kawasaki disease is a challenge that is largely limited to Japan and other Asian countries. That’s because Kawasaki disease is no less unusual in East Asia than it is in Europe or the United States.
In Japan, the number of infections among young people has increased since the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. This creates widespread difficulties for general practitioners, who cannot distinguish between MIS-C and Kawasaki disease, which require other medications.
Matsubara and specialists involved in the research are working on a set of diagnostic criteria for MIS-C. To do this, they read about a hundred cases.
“To determine which type of remedy is best, you need reliable data that can’t be collected without a correct diagnosis,” Matsubara says.
As the Japanese medical career attempts to better understand MIS-C, parents are urged to keep a close eye on children experiencing their known symptoms a few weeks after a COVID-19 infection.
As the population adjusts to life with COVID-19, the number of inflamed youth will naturally increase, as will the threat of MIS-C.