Discovery of a molecular signature for pediatric myocarditis

In very rare cases, children who contract COVID-19 may go on to develop a severe inflammation 4 to 6 weeks after being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In two-thirds of these children, the inflammatory syndrome affects the heart, leading to myocarditis. In a study published in the journal MED, scientists, physicians and teaching and research staff from Inserm, the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) and Université de Paris at the Imagine Institute, in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur, analyzed the blood of a cohort of 56 young patients admitted to Necker Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP). They identified the abnormal expression of several genes associated with the onset of severe forms of myocarditis. This molecular signature could ultimately be used to identify children at risk of developing this rare heart inflammation.

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