Two pediatric cardiologists will co-lead the nation's first long-term clinical trial for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a rare inflammatory condition potentially linked to COVID-19, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.
Ngan Truong, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, and Jane Newburger, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, will oversee the five-year study.
The physician researchers aim to enroll 600 pediatric patients from about 30 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada.
As of Jan. 8, the CDC has confirmed 1,659 cases of MIS-C nationwide and 26 deaths. Dr. Truong said Primary Children's Hospital has seen at least 50 cases. Symptoms of MIS-C include persistent fevers, inflammation and poor function in one or more organs.
"Parents ask me all the time, in the clinic and in the hospital: What can we expect over time? How will my child do over time? Or, how will my child's heart be affected in the future?” Dr. Truong said during a Jan. 26 media briefing, noting that current data on the condition is limited.
"I hope that in the coming years, we’ll have more answers for parents and for my patients," she said.
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