The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

BackgroundMultisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a severe, life threatening, complication that arises weeks after acute Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, often presenting with fever and diverse systemic symptoms. Limited data exists on the effectiveness of biologic and...

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Main Authors: Lana Khoury, Adi Miller-Barmak, Shereen Shehadeh, Hilla Cohen, Dana Hadar, Mohamad Hamad Saied
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Pediatrics
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1607637/full
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author Lana Khoury
Adi Miller-Barmak
Adi Miller-Barmak
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Hilla Cohen
Dana Hadar
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
author_facet Lana Khoury
Adi Miller-Barmak
Adi Miller-Barmak
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Hilla Cohen
Dana Hadar
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
author_sort Lana Khoury
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundMultisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a severe, life threatening, complication that arises weeks after acute Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, often presenting with fever and diverse systemic symptoms. Limited data exists on the effectiveness of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies in preventing MIS-C development. Therefore, our aim was to investigate whether biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies can prevent the occurrence of MIS-C.MethodsWe assessed the Clalit Health Services database, the largest health care organization in Israel, data from 793,909 children aged 0–18 years who tested positive for COVID-19 were analyzed. The diagnosis of MIS-C was adjudicated using the case definition used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or by the World Health Organization (WHO). Patients receiving biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies were compared to a control group.ResultsAmong 793,909 cases, 573 children received biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies, and 143 cases of MIS-C were identified. Notably, none of the individuals treated with biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies developed MIS-C.ConclusionOur study highlights our hypothesis on the efficacy of biological treatments in preventing MIS-C. Although statistical significance was not achieved due to the absence of MIS-C cases in patients receiving biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies, our study shows a possible association between biological therapies and reduced risk of MIS-C following COVID-19 infection in children. Further research, including prospective studies with larger cohorts, is warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.
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spelling doaj-art-c27691bf9cb747f2bef01e4f9363cd5f2025-08-20T03:51:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pediatrics2296-23602025-07-011310.3389/fped.2025.16076371607637The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in childrenLana Khoury0Adi Miller-Barmak1Adi Miller-Barmak2Shereen Shehadeh3Shereen Shehadeh4Shereen Shehadeh5Hilla Cohen6Dana Hadar7Mohamad Hamad Saied8Mohamad Hamad Saied9Mohamad Hamad Saied10Department of Pediatrics, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Pediatrics, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelPediatric Rheumatology Service, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Pediatrics, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelPediatric Infectious Unit, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelRappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, IsraelResearch Authority, Clalit Health Care Organization, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelResearch Authority, Clalit Health Care Organization, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Pediatrics, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelRappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, NetherlandsBackgroundMultisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a severe, life threatening, complication that arises weeks after acute Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, often presenting with fever and diverse systemic symptoms. Limited data exists on the effectiveness of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies in preventing MIS-C development. Therefore, our aim was to investigate whether biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies can prevent the occurrence of MIS-C.MethodsWe assessed the Clalit Health Services database, the largest health care organization in Israel, data from 793,909 children aged 0–18 years who tested positive for COVID-19 were analyzed. The diagnosis of MIS-C was adjudicated using the case definition used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or by the World Health Organization (WHO). Patients receiving biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies were compared to a control group.ResultsAmong 793,909 cases, 573 children received biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies, and 143 cases of MIS-C were identified. Notably, none of the individuals treated with biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies developed MIS-C.ConclusionOur study highlights our hypothesis on the efficacy of biological treatments in preventing MIS-C. Although statistical significance was not achieved due to the absence of MIS-C cases in patients receiving biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies, our study shows a possible association between biological therapies and reduced risk of MIS-C following COVID-19 infection in children. Further research, including prospective studies with larger cohorts, is warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1607637/fullMIS-CCOVID-19biological treatmentspediatrictargeted-synthetic therapies
spellingShingle Lana Khoury
Adi Miller-Barmak
Adi Miller-Barmak
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Shereen Shehadeh
Hilla Cohen
Dana Hadar
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
Mohamad Hamad Saied
The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
Frontiers in Pediatrics
MIS-C
COVID-19
biological treatments
pediatric
targeted-synthetic therapies
title The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
title_full The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
title_fullStr The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
title_full_unstemmed The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
title_short The protective effect of biologic and targeted-synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
title_sort protective effect of biologic and targeted synthetic therapies on developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
topic MIS-C
COVID-19
biological treatments
pediatric
targeted-synthetic therapies
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1607637/full
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