Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cocuk Enfeksiyon Dergisi, cilt.20, sa.1, ss.49-56, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
Objective: This study aimed to investigate autoimmune responses in children diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and evaluated the clinical significance of antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity. Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 50 pediatric patients, aged 1 month to 18 years, who had regular follow-up visits after hospitalization for MIS-C between 2020 and 2021. Laboratory results at the sixth-month follow-up, including ANA and other autoantibody tests, as well as clinical characteristics, were evaluated. Results: Of the 50 patients, 62% were male, and the median age was 7.9 years (interquartile range: 4.5-11.9). Eighteen percent of the patients had a history of chronic disease. ANA positivity was detected in five cases (10%), and all ANA-positive patients exhibited involvement of four or more organ systems during MIS-C (p= 0.020). Among thyroid autoantibodies, antithyroglobulin antibody (anti-Tg) positivity was identified in 3 (6.8%) patients, while anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) positivity was observed in 2 (5.6%) patients. ANA positivity was present in both patients with anti-TPO positivity, showing a statistically significant (p= 0.010) result, whereas ANA positivity was detected in one of the three patients with anti-Tg positivity (p= 0.254). Conclusion: ANA positivity was present in 10% of MIS-C patients and may be associated with multiorgan involvement. These findings suggest a possible role of an autoimmune mechanism in MIS-C. Larger prospective studies are needed to clarify the prognostic significance of ANA positivity in disease severity.