PEDIATRIC INFLAMMATORY MULTISYSTEM SYNDROME (PIMS) AND DENGUE FEVER DURING SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC

INTRO: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide, and it is likely to overlap with the dengue epidemics in tropical countries. Although most children and young people who develop COVID-19 have no symptoms or very mild ones at the time, we now know that a small number develop Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) a few weeks afterwards. Due to overlapping of clinical and laboratory features, it may be difficult to distinguish PIMS from dengue fever. So this study was undertaken to analyse the clinical features and laboratory investigations in these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the case records of 21 patients diagnosed as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (based on WHO case definition) and dengue fever (either NS1 antigen positive or IgM antibody positive). A total of 106 patients were diagnosed with dengue fever. Out of these SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were positive in 57 patients. However, only 21 patients full filled the case definition for multi-inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Clinical features and laboratory investigations were entered in a proforma and results analysed. FINDINGS: Out of 21 children's maximum children were older than 10 years age (76.2%). Commonest finding on abdominal sonography was gall bladder wall edema followed by ascites. Thrombocytopenia was seen in 18 (85.7 %) patients at admission and in 14 (66.7%) platelets were less than 50000/mm3.LDH was raised in 19 (90.4%), Ferritin in 18 (85.7%) and D-Dimer in 13 (61.9%) of patients (Table 2). Fever was seen in all the patients,17 (80.9%) patients had shock on admission. Rash was seen in 15 (71.4 %) of the patients. All the patients were discharged. CONCLUSION: Many of clinical features are common to both diseases. However, increased levels of serum ferritin, d-dimer and CRP are more commonly seen in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome due to covid as compared to lower platelet counts which are more frequently seen in dengue fever patients.