Scientists of the Brigham Women’s Hospital in Boston and the MassGeneral Children’s Hospital revealed the mechanism that is the cause of a rare, but deadly complication in children and adolescents who have undergone COVID-19. The virus particles remaining in the intestine after the primary infection can get into the bloodstream and cause a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children or MIS-C. This is reported in the article published in Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The study was attended by a hundred children (19 with inflammatory syndrome, 26 with COVID-19 and 55 healthy). It turned out that it was the penetration of the virus through the intestinal walls in the blood circuit system is the cause of MIS-C. The key role in this is the protein zunulin, regulating intestinal permeability. Through the intervals between epithelial cells of the substance in the lumen of the intestine, it is bleeding. In the case of gluten, it may cause celiac disease in sensitive people. Acetate lazosotide, used in the treatment of celiac disease, acts as a zonormin blocker.
Experts used acetate lazoceedide as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of MIS-C in one patient, which led to a decrease in the SARS-COV-2 antigens in the blood plasma and biomarkers of inflammation, as well as the improvement of other clinical indicators.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome can declare himself a few weeks after infection. Symptoms include fever, pain in the abdominal cavity, diarrhea, rash and severe weakness. Also possible cytokine storm, which can lead to strong damage to the heart, liver and other organs. Eighty percent of children with MIS-C develops severe heart pathology, as a result of which they need a long hospitalization and a long period of rehabilitation. Patients are forced to take steroids and injections of immunoglobulin.
MIS-C occurs in less than one percent of children infected by SARS-COV-2. As of May 3, 2021, US Disease Control and Prevention Centers reported on 3742 cases of MIS-C with 35 lethal outcome.