BEAUMONT, Texas — Doctors and scientists continue to release more information about COVID-19 but say there's still more to learn about other illnesses associated with the virus like MIS-C.
Dre'den Lowe, a Nederland 12-year-old, is currently hospitalized in a coma at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston after being diagnosed with the post-viral syndrome known as MIS-C.
"Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs according to the CDC.
MORE | How to recognize MIS-C
The CDC says they still don't know yet what what causes MIS-C but they know that many of the kids who get it have had COVID-19 or been around someone with COVID-19.
His mom, Missy Lowe, says before his diagnosis he complained about aches and pains and when she noticed his face turning blue she rushed him to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.
"His whole body on the inside was inflamed. Every organ was inflamed," his mother told 12News.
Dr'dan, who is fully vaccinated, was tested for COVID-19 at St. Elizabeth but all of those tests came back negative.
"He's just an all-around healthy kid. He's never had any kind of sickness, no underlying health conditions. I don't even think he's ever had a fever over 100 until now," she said.
Doctors did not know what was wrong with him and he was eventually transferred to Texas Children's Hospital where doctors found that a COVID-19 infection led to the rare disease.
"Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a syndrome we see about four to six weeks after a COVID infection," said Dr. Amy Arrington of Texas Children's Hospital.
Dr. Arrington confirms that MIS-C is not caused by the vaccine.
She says that his tests show that despite his negative tests he likely caught COVID-19 in between his first and second dose of the vaccine and didn't show symptoms.
The CDC says you should contact your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic right away if your child is showing symptoms of MIS-C:
- Ongoing fever PLUS more than one of the following:
- Stomach pain
- Bloodshot eyes
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness or lightheadedness (signs of low blood pressure)
- Skin rash
- Vomiting
Be aware that not all children will have all the same symptoms.
The CDC also says that if someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone