KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — East Tennessee Children's Hospital said Wednesday that two children had tested negative for a mysterious illness tied to the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent weeks, doctors have reported children developing a mysterious illness linked to COVID-19, called pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The illness mirrors symptoms of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, with symptoms that include persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain and vomiting.
Dr. Joe Childs, Chief Medical Officer at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, said they believe the symptoms are from the antibodies that develop after you have COVID-19.
"Antibodies normally are a really good thing. They help you eliminate, fight off the infection," Dr. Childs told 10News. "But sometimes the antibodies recognize your own organs and tissues as something they should also attack and they cause inflammation and problems there that need to be treated."
There are sporadic reports from across the country of coronavirus-positive children with the disease, including at least 52 in New York City.
There have been no confirmed cases of the illness in Tennessee, according to the Department of Health.
Weeks ago, doctors around the country noticed mysterious skin conditions in children and adults that were being informally called 'COVID toes' -- believing it may have been a possible sign of coronavirus in asymptomatic patients.
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"[COVID-19] is generally a mild or almost unnoticeable disease in children," Dr. Childs said. "Sometimes they don't even know they had the coronavirus and then this Kawasaki-like syndrome develops later on."
Dr. Childs said these children are noticeably ill and should be evaluated if symptoms are present.
"I think there's a little bit of fear about coming to the emergency room or coming to the hospital and I think it's important to know we've never been safer," Dr. Childs said. "It's a very protected environment and it's not a crowded environment."
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
This mysterious illness related to COVID-19 is treatable, Dr. Childs said.
"The treatment that we've always had for Kawasaki syndrome seems to reverse the symptoms of this quite well," he told 10News. "This is rare enough that panic is not appropriate or excessive worry."