Abstract
The disease course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is usually mild and self-limiting in previously healthy children, but they may also develop severe disease. Severe COVID-19 infection is especially observed in very young children or those with underlying comorbidities. Moreover, a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that mimics the Kawasaki disease shock syndrome can develop in children that are genetically predisposed to displaying an overactive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this review, we describe the clinical phenotypes of mild and severe COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). We also discuss the possible immunobiological mechanisms that may be involved in the protection of children against COVID-19 and the development of multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Age of Onset
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Betacoronavirus / immunology
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Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
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COVID-19
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Child
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Child, Preschool
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Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
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Coronavirus Infections / immunology
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Coronavirus Infections / virology*
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / epidemiology
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / immunology
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / virology*
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Cytokines / immunology
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Disease Susceptibility
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Female
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Host-Pathogen Interactions
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Humans
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Immune System / immunology
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Immune System / virology
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Infant
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Infant, Newborn
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Lymphocyte Activation
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Macrophage Activation
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Male
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Pandemics
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Phenotype
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Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
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Pneumonia, Viral / immunology
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Pneumonia, Viral / virology*
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Prognosis
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Risk Factors
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SARS-CoV-2
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Severity of Illness Index
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Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / epidemiology
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Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / immunology
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Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / virology*
Supplementary concepts
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pediatric multisystem inflammatory disease, COVID-19 related