That said, she notes, “the wide variation in the findings … raise more questions than they answer regarding the immunologic mechanisms that underly MIS-C. In addition, she said, although the authors compare their data to reported findings in adults with COVID 19 and in children with classic Kawasaki Disease, such comparisons “must be taken with a grain of salt, as the authors did not perform the testing themselves on these two populations.”
Dawn Wahezi, MD, chief, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, also at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, noted by email, “Although this is a small and limited study, it contributes to our understanding of MIS-C as a consequence of an excessive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
“Comparing the immunological phenotypes of MIS-C to Kawasaki Disease and to acute COVID-19—as seen in the adult population with acute respiratory distress syndrome—will be critical moving forward to improve therapeutic management of these patients,” she concludes.
Reference
- Carter MJ, Fish M, Jennings A, et al. Peripheral immunophenotypes in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nat Med. 2020 Aug 18. Online ahead of print.
