{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,27]],"date-time":"2026-06-27T23:28:40Z","timestamp":1782602920676,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,24]],"date-time":"2021-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1614124800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,24]],"date-time":"2021-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1614124800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pediatr Rheumatol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Importance<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Active pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia and MIS-C are two disease processes requiring rapid diagnosis and different treatment protocols.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>To distinguish active pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia and MIS-C using presenting signs and symptoms, patient characteristics, and laboratory values.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Patients diagnosed and hospitalized with active COVID-19 pneumonia or MIS-C at Children\u2019s of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, AL from April 1 through September 1, 2020 were identified retrospectively. Active COVID-19 and MIS-C cases were defined using diagnostic codes and verified for accuracy using current US Centers for Disease Control case definitions. All clinical notes were reviewed for documentation of COVID-19 pneumonia or MIS-C, and clinical notes and electronic medical records were reviewed for patient demographics, presenting signs and symptoms, prior exposure to or testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, laboratory data, imaging, treatment modalities and response to treatment.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>111 patients were identified, with 74 classified as mild COVID-19, 8 patients as moderate COVID-19, 8 patients as severe COVID-19, 10 as mild MIS-C and 11 as severe MIS-C. All groups had a male predominance, with Black and Hispanic patients overrepresented as compared to the demographics of Alabama. Most MIS-C patients were healthy at baseline, with most COVID-19 patients having at least one underlying illness. Fever, rash, conjunctivitis, and gastrointestinal symptoms were predominant in the MIS-C population whereas COVID-19 patients presented with predominantly respiratory symptoms. The two groups were similar in duration of symptomatic prodrome and exposure history to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but MIS-C patients had a longer duration between presentation and exposure history. COVID-19 patients were more likely to have a positive SAR-CoV-2 PCR and to require respiratory support on admission. MIS-C patients had lower sodium levels, higher levels of C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, d-dimer and procalcitonin. COVID-19 patients had higher lactate dehydrogenase levels on admission. MIS-C patients had coronary artery changes on echocardiography more often than COVID-19 patients.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusions and relevance<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>This study is one of the first to directly compare COVID-19 and MIS-C in the pediatric population. The significant differences found between symptoms at presentation, demographics, and laboratory findings will aide health-care providers in distinguishing the two disease entities.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12969-021-00508-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,24]],"date-time":"2021-02-24T12:03:18Z","timestamp":1614168198000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":35,"title":["Distinguishing active pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia from MIS-C"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8522-0915","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel D.","family":"Reiff","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melissa L.","family":"Mannion","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nichole","family":"Samuy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Scalici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Randy Q.","family":"Cron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"508_CR1","unstructured":"CDC COVID Data Tracker. 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