Frontiers in Endocrinology (Sep 2022)

A tendency to worse course of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children with obesity: MultiOrgan Inflammatory Syndromes COVID-19 related study

  • Aneta Monika Gawlik,
  • Aneta Monika Gawlik,
  • Elżbieta Berdej-Szczot,
  • Iga Chmiel,
  • Miłosz Lorek,
  • Miłosz Lorek,
  • Aleksandra Antosz,
  • Aleksandra Antosz,
  • Małgorzata Firek-Pędras,
  • Lesław Szydłowski,
  • Kamila Maria Ludwikowska,
  • Magdalena Okarska-Napierała,
  • Natalia Dudek,
  • Krzysztof Piwoński,
  • Aneta Afelt,
  • Aneta Afelt,
  • Catherine Suski-Grabowski,
  • Miron Bartosz Kursa,
  • Ernest Kuchar,
  • Leszek Szenborn,
  • Teresa Jackowska,
  • Jarosław Peregud-Pogorzelski,
  • Artur Mazur

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.934373
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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BackgroundA new disease entity called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare consequence of COVID-19 infection. The pathophysiology and risk factors of MIS-C are still unclear, and the clinical manifestation ranges from milder forms to cases needing intensive care unit treatment. Based on available data, obesity is linked to pro-inflammatory stimulation. Moreover, several studies showed that obesity could play a role in COVID-19 severity and its comorbidities among the adult and children’s populations. This study aimed to investigate the influence of overweightedness/obesity in childhood for the course of MIS-C in Poland.MethodsThis study presented data from the national MultiOrgan Inflammatory Syndromes COVID-19 Related Study (MOIS-CoR) collected between 4 March 2020 and 20 February 2021. Of the 371 patients that met the Polish MIS-C criteria, 306 were included for further analysis.ResultsChildren who are obese (OB with body mass index (BMI) ≥95th percentile) and overweight (OV with BMI ≥85th percentile but <95th percentile) (28 and 49 patients, respectively) represented 25.1% (n=77) of all recruited patients. Complete recovery at the time of discharge presented in 93% of normal body weight (NW) participants and 90% of OV children (p>0.05). Among OB children, 76% recovered fully, which differed from the NW group (p=0.01). Calculated odds ratio (OR) of incomplete recovery for OB children was 4.2. Irrespective of body weight, there were no differences (p>0.05) in the length of hospitalization and the duration of symptoms (for OB, 13 and 16.5 days; for OV and NW, 10 and 14 days, respectively), as well as in the frequency of cardiovascular abnormalities, necessity of oxygen therapy (OB, 26.9%; OV, 23.9%; and NW, 20.7%), and intravenous immunoglobulin and glucocorticosteroid (GCS) treatment.ConclusionThe higher risk of incomplete recovery and observed tendency toward a worsening course of MIS-C in patients with obesity suggest the need for further studies to confirm and understand our findings.

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