Childhood Syndrome Linked to COVID-19 Leads to Changes in the Immune System
Researchers have recently revealed how the immune system is changed in a rare illness known as ‘aediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome’ or PIMS-TS in children that’s related to COVID-19.
Researchers have recently revealed how the immune system is changed in a rare illness in children related to COVID-19. The disease is known as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome or PIMS-TS.
PIMS-TS is a rare disorder seen in some children during this pandemic. According to research, such a condition leads to severe infection in blood vessels and can result in heart damage.
The team of researchers from the Evelina London Children's Hospital and King's College London examined blood samples of 25 children with PIMS-TS. They were compared with healthy children respondents.
Published in the journal Nature Medicine, the study gained support from the NIHR Guy's and St. Thomas' BRC. It presented that in the severe phase of PIMS-TS, children have increased levels of cytokines and lower levels of lymphocytes.
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Changes in the Immune System
Researchers found that upon the children's recovery from the syndrome, the changes in their immune system had gradually gone back to normal.
Even though the number of children in the research was small, this serves as initial evidence on the immune system's role in the disease.
Essentially, the study provides important evidence for future analyses, and it will specify what treatments may contribute to the improvement of the patients with PIMS-TS.
The first PIMS-TS cases went through treatments at Evelina London in April 2020. Preliminary reports proposed that the condition may be the same as the existing conditions of children called Kawasaki Disease.
The new study validates PIMS-TS impacts the body in a different manner to other identified conditions, and has been recognized as a new condition.
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Link to COVID-19
The team, led by Dr. Manu Shankar-Hari from the King's College of London, worked to further examine the changes in the immune system essential in this new syndrome.
Blood samples from 25 children who tested positive for COVID-19 had the symptoms, had been in close contact with someone or whose COVID-19 test turned out to be positive, or whose parents were frontline health workers.
The samples were also examined at different phases of their illness—from the severe stage when they were initially brought to the hospital through their appointments as outpatients.
The team compared these results with those of the healthy age-matched children. Dr. Sankar-Hari said, PIMS-TS is a new illness. The research has enabled them to provide initial description of the profound changes in the immune system in seriously sick children with PIMS-TS.
According to Evelina London's pediatric ICU consultant, Dr. Shane Tibby, when they first saw in this paper, the immunophenotyping results, it validated their clinical observation that this was not a Toxic Shock, not even Kawasaki Disease. Rather, the medical expert added, it was a new disorder, "That perhaps, needs bot support from an organ and targeted immunotherapy."
Children Responding to Treatments
Clinically, Tibby explained, "These children are responding to treatments that calm the immune system" like the immunoglobulins and corticosteroid.
Furthermore, even though there are similarities to present conditions like the Kawasaki Disease, these changes, both immunological and clinical, that have been observed suggest that PIMS-TS is a distinctive disease linked to COVID-19.
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Aug 19, 2020 03:06 AM EDT
