@ARTICLE{Rezai, author = {Rostami-Maskopaee, Fereshteh and Navaeifar, Mohammad Reza and Hosseinzadeh, Fatemeh and Mohammadi, Mohsen and Abootalebi, Seyedeh Narjes and Shorafa, Eslam and Haghighi Aski, Behzad and Manafi Anari, Ali and Rahmati, Mohammad Bagher and Hajialibeig, Azin and Gooran, Maedeh and Salehpour, Seydeh Mahsa and Rezai, Mohammad Sadegh and }, title = {Gastrointestinal Features of the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Following COVID-19 Infection in Selected Referral Hospitals in Iran}, volume = {33}, number = {219}, abstract ={Background and purpose: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) occurs after having COVID-19. The severity and outcomes of COVID-19 with gastrointestinal symptoms are higher. The aim of this study was to investigate gastrointestinal manifestations in MIS-C patients in selected referral hospitals in Iran to obtain comprehensive information about the treatment and prevention of MIS-C. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, all MIS-C patients <21 years in Dec 2019 to Oct 2021 were included. The patients were identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) checklist and data were analyzed applying t-test and Chi-square in STATA11. Results: There were 225 patients with a median age of 55 months (26-96 months), including 59.56% boys and all had fever on admission. At least one gastrointestinal symptom was seen in 200 patients and the most common symptoms were vomiting (60.9%) and abdominal pain (45.77%). Almost 60% of the patients had positive RT-PCR results. Among the patients with and without gastrointestinal symptoms 85.5% and 48% were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), respectively. There were significant differences between the two groups in respiratory symptoms, ALT, AST, NT-pro BNP, ESR, and PLT (P<0.05). All patients without gastrointestinal symptoms were discharged but nine patients in the group with gastrointestinal symptoms deceased. Conclusion: According to the current study, gastrointestinal symptoms are common in MIS-C patients and are associated with higher rates of death and intensive care unit admission. Therefore, in providing services to COVID-19 patients, all typical and atypical signs and symptoms should be considered to prevent unnecessary interventions. }, URL = {http://jmums.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-19163-en.html}, eprint = {http://jmums.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-19163-en.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences}, doi = {}, year = {2023} }