Many children are suffering from a post-Covid ailment whose symptoms are persistent fever, rashes and a fall in blood pressure, said paediatricians.

The disease, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), can also trigger ventricular dysfunction (inability of the heart to pump oxygenated blood to vital organs) that can lead to multi-organ failure, they said.

The disease is usually being detected within two to three months of contracting Covid-19, although there is no conclusive study that says it cannot affect a Covid survivor after three months, the doctors said.

A 14-year-old boy was brought to the emergency of Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals on February 9 with lethargy, rashes and persistent high fever with severe paleness.

“Initial investigations revealed thrombocytopenia (abnormally low levels of platelets) with raised acute reactions like inflammation in the body. Further clinical findings revealed that he was suffering from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. His blood sample was sent for an iGg test, which yielded a positive report. This meant he had antibodies against Covid-19 in his blood, which in turn meant that he had been Covid-19 positive at some stage,” said an official of the hospital.

His family members were not aware of the infection.

“I had no idea when my son had Covid. No one in his immediate family contracted the disease either,” his father said.

He had developed fever — from February 3 — which would not come down with paracetamol. Tests for malaria, typhoid and dengue came back negative. His parents had him admitted when his platelet count fell below 60,000, said the hospital official.

With intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids, the child’s condition improved. Fever spikes gradually decreased with improvement in laboratory parameters and he was discharged after a week.

“Persistent high fever, rashes and a fall in blood pressure are the common symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The symptoms are usually seen within three months of contracting the virus,” said Kaustabh Chaudhuri, consultant, paediatric intensive care, at the hospital.

“Identifying cardiogenic shock due to MIS-C as fast as possible is crucial for recovery or else it can be life-threatening. Once identified, the condition can be easily managed with steroids,” said Chaudhuri, who treated the teenager.

The doctor said he had handled over 35 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in the past 12 months.

Apurba Ghosh, a paediatrician and the director of the Institute of Child Health, said he had also treated “many cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children” since 2020.

“Parents who are aware of their children contracting the virus as well should keep an eye for persistent fever and rashes after recovery. Parents who are not aware should also seek medical advice if their children have similar symptoms,” said Ghosh.

Doctors said that many children were contracting the virus in the renewed surge in Covid-19 cases.

They anticipated the cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children to go further up in the coming days.