8-year-old battles post-COVID syndrome

BALTIMORE, Md. (WMAR) -- COVID-19 cases successful children proceed to rise, bringing concerns that much kids volition endure lasting symptoms.

A household successful Maryland knows firsthand however devastating the symptoms tin be.

“Never successful our wildest dreams did we deliberation that this would hap and she was conscionable truthful sick,” said ma Lauren Deitz.

It started astatine the opening of August. Morgan Deitz, 8, and her 10-year-old sister Natalie tested affirmative for COVID-19.

“We conscionable thought we had precise mild cases and were going connected with the summer. So aft we finished quarantine, we conscionable went backmost to our emblematic mean selves,” said Lauren.

But a fewer weeks later, Morgan started getting truly tired. She had a fever and tummy pains.

“Then I couldn’t walk,” said Morgan.

Lauren took her to urgent attraction wherever she was tested for a clump of things but they were each negative. The doc said it could beryllium a virus, but added to ticker for different symptoms of a uncommon but unsafe syndrome successful children that happens aft a COVID-19 infection.

Then the adjacent morning, Morgan woke up with a reddish rash connected her hands.

“That was 1 of the symptoms that the urgent attraction doc said to look retired for truthful she said if that happens to instrumentality her to an ER,” said Lauren.

She spent 10 days astatine the Johns Hopkins Pediatric ICU battling multisystem inflammatory syndrome successful children (MIS-C).

“What happens with these children oregon young adults is that their immune strategy is overstimulated and hyperactive station their infection,” said Dr. Meghan Bernier.

Bernier was 1 of Morgan’s doctors and is the aesculapian manager of the pediatric intensive attraction portion astatine Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Since MIS-C was lone identified past year, there’s little consciousness truthful it’s harder to drawback aboriginal on. It’s been communal with children who person mild archetypal infections.

“Then astir 2-4-6 weeks aboriginal is erstwhile we commencement to spot the emergence successful the inflammation. They person malaise, mostly tired, fevers, they whitethorn person a rash, abdominal symptom and that’s what brings them successful to question care,” said Dr. Bernier.

She said the bulk of children marque a afloat betterment but it tin beryllium fatal.

“We’ve had 2 patients successful the authorities of Maryland astatine slightest who’ve died of MIS-C,” said Bernier.

Because of the delta variant's interaction connected kids, places similar Johns Hopkins are preparing to spot adjacent much pediatric patients with long-lasting symptoms.

Right now, there’s nary mode of knowing which children volition make MIS-C.

With steroids and different treatments, Morgan is doing overmuch amended but inactive occasionally has issues walking.

“She seems to beryllium making hopefully a afloat betterment but each clip we inquire astir the agelong term, they conscionable accidental it’s conscionable truthful caller they conscionable don’t cognize yet,” said Lauren.

Because of that, she’s turning her scary acquisition into a positive, moving to person radical to get vaccinated to support those who are vulnerable, similar her and her sister.

“I deliberation it’s conscionable truly important present due to the fact that MIS-C’s coming up and COVID’s conscionable bad. So I’m doing this due to the fact that I privation radical to get the vaccine. I already convinced 1 of my household members,” said Morgan.

This communicative was primitively reported by Abby Isaacs connected wmar2news.com.