CDC Report Identifies New CCP Virus Syndrome in Adults Similar to MIS-C in Children

A podium with the logo for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Tom Harkin Global Communications Center in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 5, 2014. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that adults can suffer from a COVID-19-related syndrome similar to that of multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children is a recently coined condition that has been associated with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, according to a health advisory from the CDC. It was first termed pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome and shared similar symptoms as that of other inflammatory conditions, such as Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome.

MIS-C is defined as inflammation of different parts of the body including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. The CDC stated that some of the symptoms, along with fever, can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or tiredness.

The CDC’s new report indicated that there is a growing number of adults suffering from a condition, since June 2020, that’s similar to MIS-C, which the report refers to as MIS-A (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome for Adults).

The report focused on 27 cases of MIS-A, nine of which are an in-depth review on patients that been reported to the CDC, seven patients from published case reports, and 11 patients from three different case series that’s been published in peer-reviewed journals. All but one of the 27 patients were from minority groups.

Normally, adults who become infected by the CCP virus can develop severe inflammation similar to that of MIS-A. According to the report, “although hyperinflammation [severe inflammation] and extrapulmonary [beyond the lungs] organ dysfunction have been described in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19, these conditions are generally accompanied by respiratory failure.”

What this report found through these case-patients is different, however.

“In contrast, the patients described here had minimal respiratory symptoms, hypoxemia, or radiographic abnormalities in accordance with the working case definition, which was meant to distinguish MIS-A from severe COVID-19,” the report indicated, adding that only eight out of the 27 patients had any form of respiratory symptoms before the symptoms of MIS-A began appearing.

Furthermore, eight out of 27 patients in the report had tested negative for CCP virus, but positive for its antibodies, suggesting that the MIS-A might be a condition that’s been developed after infection.

“Findings indicate that adult patients of all ages with current or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection can develop a hyperinflammatory syndrome resembling MIS-C,” the report indicated.

Due to the possible link between MIS-A and COVID-19, officials believe treatments that prevent COVID-19 from infecting the individual might also prevent MIS-A.

Ultimately, “further research is needed to understand the pathogenesis and long-term effects of this newly described condition,” the report said.