PC3050: Effects on Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients After Hospitalization with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

Background: Soon after Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) was declared a worldwide pandemic in the early half of 2020, a novel post-COVID-19 inflammatory syndrome, named Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in the United States, followed. While MIS-C outcome data continues to grow, there remains a lack of data regarding the effects on quality of life among patients who were hospitalized with MIS-C.

Methods: A longitudinal prospective study (IRB# 202103024) was undertaken from April 5, 2021 and April 3, 2022. Patients were included if they were hospitalized for MIS-C, older than 5 years, and followed up in the St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s MIS-C Clinic. After informed consent/assent was obtained, patients completed an anonymous survey comprised of a review of symptoms and the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM (PedsQL) Version 4.0 Short Form. Demographic data including race, gender, hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU admission status, and time since discharge was collected. PedsQL questionnaires were calculated for Total, Health, and Psychosocial Scores. Cohort scores were compared to previously reported scores for common pediatric chronic illnesses.

Results: Forty-two total surveys were collected with 32 (76%) being unique and 10 (24%) being follow up surveys completed at subsequent visits. Of the 32 unique patients surveyed, 13 (41%) were female with an average age of 10 (5-15). Eighteen (56%) were Caucasian, 11 (34%) were African American, and 3 (9%) were other race. Twenty-one (66%) were admitted to the ICU with an average hospital LOS of 6 (3-15) days and a median time since discharge of 28 (IQR 7-41) days. Among the unique survey responses, 17 (53%) patients reported no subsequent symptoms at their follow-up visit. Twenty-seven (84%) of the patients had normal PedsQL total scores, 30 (94%) had normal health scores, and 28 (88%) had normal psychosocial scores, as indicated with scores of 75 or greater (see mean scores in Figure 1). Of the 10 patients with both initial and follow-up surveys, 80% of them had improved or stable total quality of life scores, 90% of them had improved or stable health scores, and 60% had improved or stable psychosocial quality of life scores (see Figure 2). All repeat patients had improved or stable symptoms on follow up surveys.

Conclusion: Among hospitalized patients recovering from MIS-C, quality of life scores were predominately within normal limits and were better in comparison to previously reported scores in pediatric patients with chronic illnesses. While MIS-C may have a substantial impact on the acute health of pediatric patients, this data demonstrates that a majority of patients have improvement of symptoms following the acute disease process and do not have long term consequences on quality of life.