New research findings have revealed an underlying genetic cause for why some children who have had COVID-19 infection develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare but potentially life-threatening disease.
The findings, published in Science, are the first potential genetic cause identified for MIS-C, a disease that typically occurs about four weeks after COVID-19 infection and has broad symptoms such as fever, vomiting and inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to hospitalization. States have reported about 9,000 MIS-C cases, with 71 deaths, according to most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers.