7-Year-Old Recovers From Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome

(CBS DETROIT) - As a mom like many other parents I have concerns about Covid-19. Until recently the virus didn't seem to have a large affect on children. Now the CDC says there's a newly recognized condition in the pediatric population, related to Covid-19.

"I thought maybe it was just a stomach bug going on," said Hannah Peck whose son had pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome.

Peck says everything was fine with her healthy 7-year-old son Levi until Saturday, May 2.

"He woke up early in the morning, he was throwing up, checked his temperature he had a high fever," said Peck.

She said these symptoms as well as red eyes and red cracked lips, persisted with Levi for four days. After a call to his doctor, she took Levi to the hospital where they tested him for Covid-19.

"All three came back negative, that he didn't have Covid," said Peck.

But Levi did test positive for the Covid-19 antibodies, meaning at some point he did have the virus. After Levi developed severe abdominal pain and his blood pressure dropped while at Beaumont Royal Oak Hospital, he was transported to the Pediatric ICU, where doctors confirmed he was experiencing Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.

"He had lungs, he had heart and he had intestinal, so he that's over two organ systems, he had very high markers of inflammation," said Dr. Bishara Freij, chief of pediatric infectious disease at Beaumont Royal Oak.

Freij says this newly discovered syndrome has been seen in about 20 other children in Michigan with four cases at his hospital. The CDC released information about the syndrome on Thursday, saying the illness may be related to Covid-19.

Doctors say it mimics Kawasaki disease, with the exception of a few different symptoms.

"We're seeing a lot of gastrointestinal, belly pain, vomiting, diarrhea, so that's a red flag right there," said Freij.

Freij says parents should be concerned but not panicked and seek medical attention if their child experience this along with a high fever persisting more than three days.

Levi spent eight days in the hospital and is now home recovering.

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