High incidence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome and other autoimmune diseases after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to COVID-19 vaccination in children and adolescents in south central Europe
Authors' conclusion
Autoimmune diseases following SARS-CoV-2 infection in children were 8.5 times as common as severe COVID-19. MIS-C was the most common manifestation and its incidence in this predominantly white population was higher than previously reported. MIS-C does not seem to recur after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection or COVID-19 vaccination. Autoimmune diseases were much more common after SARS-CoV-2 infection than after COVID-19 vaccination.
Study context
- Population
- Children under 18 years with inflammatory/autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination, admitted to paediatric tertiary care hospitals in Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021127 laboratory-confirmed
- Participants
- 192 participants
- Outcome
- Incidence and spectrum of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination (incidence from laboratory-confirmed cases only)
Methodological detailsmulticentre
- Multicentre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Children with MIS-C
112
Risk of MIS-C after SARS-CoV-2 infection
1 in 860 children
Cumulative incidence of MIS-C, all children
18.3/100,000
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Severe COVID-19
- Children with severe COVID-19
- 15
Diseases presenting after COVID-19 vaccination
- MIS-C after vaccination
- 2
- Myositis after vaccination
- 1
- All 3 also had serologically proven recent SARS-CoV-2 infection
MIS-C recurrence after vaccination or reinfection
- Vaccinated against COVID-19, without MIS-C recurrence
- 9
- SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, without MIS-C recurrence
- 25
Original publication
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