Young Boulder Man Develops Serious Coronavirus Complication

BOULDER, CO — Boulder County Public Health officials on Wednesday announced a young and otherwise health resident had developed an uncommon but serious complication of the coronavirus — multisystem inflammatory syndrome — and was hospitalized.

In a news release, the health department said the 20-year-old man's health issues began with a positive coronavirus symptoms and mild symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

abThree weeks later, the man developed severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever. He was hospitalized in intensive care before being released.

“I hope sharing the information about this patient’s experience will help others to better understand how serious COVID-19 can be, even for young people,” Boulder Community Health infectious disease expert Dr. Heather Pujet said in a statement. “The patient became extremely ill very quickly with multi-organ system involvement; they fortunately recovered after a period of severe illness. However, this should serve as a warning for the younger people in the community to please not disregard their own personal risks with COVID-19.”

According to the release, the illness is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, rash, red eyes, red lips, trouble breathing and confusion or lethargy. Internally, it's caused by inflammation of the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.

Pediatric infectious specialist Dr. Sam Dominguez said in a statement that parents should immediately seek medical attention if they notice their children exhibiting any multisystem inflammatory syndrome symptoms.

“Much remains unknown about how this condition develops, but it’s related to the body’s attempts to fight an invader,” Dominguez said in a statement. “It’s very important for parents to promptly seek medical care if they notice any of these symptoms.”

In the release, public health officials said the best way to avoid the syndrome is is by ensuring the entire household practices good hand-washing and consistently wears a mask and practices social distancing. Boulder County residents are also reminded to stay home any time they are sick.

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