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It is characterized by fever, gastro-intestinal symptoms, cardiovascular complications, conjunctivitis, skin involvement, elevated inflammatory markers, and coagulation abnormalities. The current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causes an increased alertness to MIS-C. In combination with the heterogeneous clinical spectrum, this could potentially lead to diagnostic blindness, misdiagnosis of MIS-C, and overtreatment with expensive IVIG treatment. This report demonstrates the challenge of accurately distinguishing MIS-C from other more common inflammatory pediatric diseases, and the need to act with caution to avoid misdiagnoses in the current pandemic. We present a case series of 11 patients suspected of MIS-C based on the current definitions. Three of them were eventually diagnosed with a different disease.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:italic>Conclusion<\/jats:italic>: Current definitions and diagnostic criteria lack specificity which potentially leads to misdiagnosis and overtreatment of MIS-C. We emphasize the need to act with caution in order to avoid MIS(-C)-taken diagnoses in the current pandemic.<jats:table-wrap><jats:table><jats:tbody><jats:tr><jats:td colspan=\"2\"><jats:bold>What is Known:<\/jats:bold><jats:italic>\u2022 A pediatric multisystem inflammatory disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 has been described (MIS-C).<\/jats:italic><jats:italic>\u2022 There are three definitions being used for MIS-C, all including fever for at least 24 h, laboratory evidence of inflammation, clinically severe illness with multi-organ (\u2265 2) involvement, and no alternative plausible diagnosis.<\/jats:italic><\/jats:td><\/jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td colspan=\"2\"><jats:bold>What is New:<\/jats:bold><jats:italic>\u2022 MIS-C has a heterogeneous clinical spectrum without distinctive features compared to more common childhood diseases. Current definitions and diagnostic criteria for MIS-C lack specificity which leads to misdiagnosis and overtreatment.<\/jats:italic><jats:italic>\u2022 Amid the current excessive attention to COVID-19 and MIS-C, pediatricians should remain vigilant to avoid mistaken diagnoses.<\/jats:italic><\/jats:td><\/jats:tr><\/jats:tbody><\/jats:table><\/jats:table-wrap><\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-022-04562-0","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,21]],"date-time":"2022-07-21T14:12:38Z","timestamp":1658412758000},"page":"3549-3554","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["COVID-19 in children and adolescents: MIS(-C)-taken diagnoses"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"181","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3767-5955","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M.","family":"van der Steen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"P. 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Approval was obtained from the local medical ethics committee. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants and\/or their parents\/caregivers.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflict of interest"}}]}}