The antibody for treating MIS-C works by reducing the inflammatory immune cells

Nov, 2021 - By SMI

According to a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health, an intravenous immune globulin, a popular therapy for MIS-C, probably works by decreasing immune cells known as neutrophils.

MIS-C is an uncommon disease that often affects school-age children who previously had only moderate COVID-19 symptoms or none at all. The researchers also discovered that IVIG works similarly to cure Kawasaki illness, a unique inflammatory disorder that affects children and similar symptoms with MIS-C. The lungs, heart, kidneys, brain, eyes, skin, and gastrointestinal organs are all affected by MIS-C, which is characterized by significant inflammation in two or more areas of the body. Its symptoms are similar to those of Kawasaki illness, and therapies for MIS-C are influenced in part by what is recognized about diagnosing Kawasaki disease.

IVIG is composed of antibodies extracted from blood products, is a frequent and successful therapy for Kawasaki disease-related cardiac problems. Furthermore, IVIG alone will not always relieve symptoms in MIS-C patients, and healthcare professionals may need to prescribe other anti-inflammatory medications. Researchers analyzed immune cells from patients with MIS-C or Kawasaki illness to better explain how IVIG functions and to enhance therapies for children with MIS-C. The researchers collected cells before starting treatment as well as 2 to 6 weeks after individuals received IVIG.

The neutrophils from these individuals were shown to be highly active and a key source of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1), and is one of the drivers of inflammation in the human body, according to the researchers. These active neutrophils were considerably reduced after IVIG therapy in individuals with MIS-C or Kawasaki illness. The study authors claim that their results would be the first to describe why IVIG is beneficial for both diseases. Furthermore, more research is needed to explain how IVIG persuades cells death in these activated neutrophils and why several MIS-C patients need extra anti-inflammatory therapies. Generally, the research will aid healthcare practitioners in determining the most effective means of treating MIS-C patients.