Introduction
Acute bronchiolitis is the main cause of hospitalization in children under 2 years of age, with a regular seasonality, mostly due to the respiratory syncytial virus.
Objectives
To ...describe the epidemiology of bronchiolitis hospitalizations in our center in the last 12 years, and analyze the changes in clinical characteristics, microbiology, and adverse outcomes during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic.
Methods
Observational study including patients admitted for bronchiolitis between April 2010 and December 2021 in a Spanish tertiary paediatric hospital. Relevant demographic, clinical, microbiological, and adverse outcome variables were collected in an anonymized database. The pandemic period (April 2020 to December 2021) was compared to 2010−2015 seasons using appropriate statistical tests.
Results
There were 2138 bronchiolitis admissions, with a mean of 195.6 per year between 2010 and 2019 and a 2−4‐month peak between November and March. In the expected season of 2020, there was a 94.4% reduction of bronchiolitis hospitalizations, with only 11 cases admitted in the first year of the pandemic. Bronchiolitis cases increased from the summer of 2021 during a 6‐month long peak, reaching a total of 171 cases. Length of stay was significantly shorter during the pandemic, but no differences were found in clinical and microbiological characteristics or other adverse outcomes.
Conclusions
The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic has modified the seasonality of bronchiolitis hospitalizations, with a dramatic decrease in cases during the expected season of 2020−2021, and an extemporaneous summer−autumn peak in 2021 with longer duration but similar patient characteristics and risk factors.
Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology affecting mainly children less than 5 years of age. Risk factors for cardiac involvement and resistance to ...treatment are insufficiently studied in non-Japanese children.
This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology, clinical features and risk factors for resistance to treatment and coronary artery lesions (CAL) in KD in Spain.
Retrospective study (May 2011-June 2016) of all patients less than 16 years of age diagnosed with KD included in KAWA-RACE network (84 Spanish hospitals).
A total of 625 cases were analyzed, 63% were males, 79% under 5 year-olds and 16.8% younger than 12 months. On echocardiographic examination CAL were the most frequent findings (23%) being ectasia the most common (12%). Coronary aneurysms were diagnosed in 9.6%, reaching 20% in infants under 12 months (p<0.001). A total of 97% of the patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) with a median number of days from fever onset to IVIG administration of 7.2. A second dose was given to 15.7% and steroids to 14.5% patients. Only 1.4% patients received infliximab. No deaths were reported. A multivariate analysis identified anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, higher creatinine and procalcitonin as independent risk factors for treatment failure and length under 103 cm, hemoglobin < 10.2 mg/dL, platelets > 900,000 cells/mm3, maximum temperature < 39.5°C, total duration of fever > 10 days and fever before treatment ≥ 8 days as independent risk factors for developing coronary aneurysms.
In our population, children under 12 months develop coronary aneurysms more frequently and children with KD with anemia and leukocytosis have high risk of cardiac involvement. Adding steroids early should be considered in those patients, especially if the treatment is not started before 8 days of fever. A score applicable to non-Japanese children able to predict the risk of aneurysm development and IVIG resistance is necessary.
This study provides practical recommendations on infection screening in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases and immunosuppressive therapies. For this reason, a qualitative ...approach was applied. A narrative literature review was performed via Medline. Primary searches were conducted using Mesh and free texts to identify articles that analyzed data on infections and vaccinations in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases and immunosuppressive therapies. The results were presented and discussed in a nominal group meeting, comprising a committee of 12 pediatric rheumatologists from the infections prevention and treatment working group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology. Several recommendations were generated. A consensus procedure was implemented via a Delphi process that was extended to members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology and Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. Participants to the process produced a score ranging from 0 = totally disagree to 10 = totally agree. Agreement was considered if at least 70% of participants voted ≥ 7. The literature review included more than 400 articles. Overall, 63 recommendations were generated (21 on infection screening) voted by 59 pediatric rheumatologists and other pediatric specialists, all of them achieving the pre-established agreement level. The recommendations on screening cover all the procedures (serology, assessment of risk factors, and other clinical activities) connected with the screening for infections including tuberculosis; hepatitis A, B, and C viruses; measles; mumps; rubella; diphtheria; and other infections.
Conclusion
: Screening for infections is an essential part of risk management in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases and immunosuppressive therapies.
What is Known:
•
Infectious diseases and related complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases.
•
At present, practical information on infectious prophylaxis in children with rheumatic diseases is limited, and often extrapolated from children with cancer.
What is New:
•
In the absence of evidence, a literature review and a Delphi survey were conducted to establish a series of expert recommendations that would be useful in clinical practice, providing a practical and simple day-to-day approach to be used by pediatric rheumatologists.
Background
Three allergic phenotypes of rhinitis have been described in adults: allergic rhinitis (AR), local allergic rhinitis (LAR), and dual allergic rhinitis (DAR, coexistence of AR and LAR). ...Nevertheless, most centers follow a diagnostic approach only based on skin prick test and serum allergen–specific IgE (collectively called atopy tests, AT). This approach prevents the recognition of LAR and DAR, the diagnosis of which requires a nasal allergen challenge (NAC). Here, we investigate the existence of LAR and DAR phenotypes in children and adolescents, and the misdiagnosis rate associated with a work‐up exclusively based on AT.
Methods
Clinical data were obtained during physician‐conducted interviews, and AT and NAC were systematically performed in 5‐ to 18‐year‐old patients with chronic rhinitis. The misdiagnosis rate was defined as the proportion of cases where AT and NAC results were discordant.
Results
A total of 173 patients (mean age 15.1 years, 39.9% male) completed the study. AR (positive AT and NAC), LAR (negative AT and positive NAC), DAR (positive AT and NAC for some allergens and negative AT and positive NAC for other allergens), and non‐allergic rhinitis (negative NAC) were diagnosed in 45.7%, 24.9%, 11.6%, and 17.9% of individuals, respectively. The clinical profile was comparable among allergic phenotypes, but allergic patients had a significantly earlier rhinitis onset, higher conjunctivitis prevalence, and more severe disease than NAR individuals. A diagnostic work‐up exclusively based on AT misclassified 37.6% of patients.
Conclusions
LAR and DAR represent relevant differential diagnosis in pediatric rhinitis. NAC increases the diagnostic accuracy of clinical algorithms for rhinitis in children and adolescents.
Objective: To identify factors associated with the higher proportion of fatty tissue and overweight/obesity observed in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Patients and methods: We ...performed a cross-sectional study of 80 JIA patients aged 4–15 years with 80 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The 27-joint Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity score (JADAS27) was calculated. Two multivariate models were constructed to identify factors associated with overweight/obesity and fat mass index (FMI). Results: No differences were found between cases and controls in body mass index (BMI) or body composition. However, compared with controls, patients with a high inflammatory activity (JADAS27 > 4.2 for oligoarticular JIA or >8.5 for polyarticular disease) had higher values for BMI (p = 0.006); total fat mass (p = 0.003); FMI (p = 0.001); and fat in the legs (p = 0.001), trunk (p = 0.001), and arms (p = 0.002). The factors associated with overweight/obesity in patients were the duration of therapy with biological drugs, measured in months (OR 95% CI = 1.12 1.02–1.04; p = 0.037), and physical activity (OR 95% CI = 0.214 0.07–0.68; p = 0.010), while the factors associated with FMI were age (β 95% CI = 0.30 0.17–1.41; p = 0.014), JADAS27 (β 95% CI = 0.45 0.16–1.08; p = 0.009), and physical activity (β 95% CI = −0.22 −5.76 to 0.29; p = 0.031). Conclusion: Our study revealed no differences between JIA patients with well-controlled disease and low disability and the healthy population in BMI or body composition. Furthermore, the association observed between inflammatory activity and adiposity could be responsible for poorer clinical course.
The objective of this study is to provide practical recommendations on the management of pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving immunosuppressive therapies. The ...recommendations specifically address the cases of surgery, fever, and opportunistic infections (varicella, herpes-zoster, tuberculosis, invasive fungal disease). A qualitative approach was applied. A narrative literature review was performed via Medline. Primary searches were conducted using MeSH terms and free text to identify publications on infections and vaccinations in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving immunosuppressive therapies. The results were presented and discussed in a nominal group meeting, comprising a committee of 12 pediatric rheumatologists from the Infection Prevention and Treatment Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology. Several recommendations were generated. A consensus procedure was implemented via a Delphi process; this was extended to members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology and Spanish Society of Pediatric Infectious Disease of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. Participants produced a score ranging from 0 (totally disagree) to 10 (totally agree). Agreement was defined as a vote ≥ 7 by at least 70% of participants. The literature review included more than 400 articles. Overall, 63 recommendations (19 on surgery, fever, and opportunistic infections) were generated and voted by 59 pediatric rheumatologists and other pediatric specialists. Agreement was reached for all 63 recommendations. The recommendations on special situations cover management in cases of surgery, fever, and opportunistic infections (varicella, herpes-zoster, tuberculosis, and invasive fungal disease).
Conclusions
: Hereby, we provided consensus and updated of recommendations about the management of special situations such as surgery, fever, and opportunistic in children with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving immunosuppressive therapies. Several of the recommendations depend largely on clinical judgement and specific balance between risk and benefit for each individual and situation. To assess this risk, the clinician should have knowledge of the drugs, the patient’s previous situation as well as the current infectious disease, in addition to experience.
What is Known:
• Infectious diseases and related complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases.
• Information on how to manage the treatment in situations of fever, opportunistic infections, and surgery in children is limited, and guidelines for action are often extrapolated from adults.
What is New:
• In the absence of strong evidence, a literature review and a Delphi survey were conducted to establish a series of expert recommendations that could support the clinical practice, providing a practical and simple day-to-day approach to be used by pediatric rheumatologists.
This study aims to provide practical recommendations on prophylaxis for infection in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving/scheduled to receive immunosuppressive ...therapy. A qualitative approach was applied. A narrative literature review was performed via Medline. Primary searches were conducted using MeSH terms and free text to identify articles that analyzed data on infections and vaccinations in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving immunosuppressive therapy. The results were presented and discussed in a nominal group meeting comprising a committee of 12 pediatric rheumatologists from the Prevention and Treatment of Infections Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology. Several recommendations were generated. A consensus procedure was implemented via a Delphi process that was extended to members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Rheumatology and the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. Participants produced a score ranging from 0 (completely disagree) to 10 (completely agree). Agreement was considered to have been reached if at least 70% of participants voted ≥ 7. The literature review included more than 400 articles. Overall, 63 recommendations were generated (23 on infection prophylaxis) and voted by 59 pediatric rheumatologists and other pediatric specialists, all of whom achieved the pre-established level of agreement. The recommendations on prophylaxis of infection cover vaccination and prophylaxis against varicella zoster virus, tuberculosis,
Pneumocystis jiroveccii
, and invasive fungal infections in pediatric patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases receiving/scheduled to receive immunosuppressive therapy.
Conclusion
: Based on current evidence and a Delphi process, we provided consensus and updated recommendations on prophylaxis and treatment of infections to guide those caring for pediatric rheumatology patients.
What is Known:
•
Data largely derived from adults find that infectious diseases and related complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases.
•
It is crucial to be aware of the preventive measures that should be implemented to prevent these infections in children, although most guidelines are often extrapolated from adult cases.
What is New:
•
In the absence of evidence, a literature review and a Delphi survey were conducted to establish a series of expert recommendations that could prove useful in clinical practice, providing a practical and simple day-to-day approach to be used by pediatric rheumatologists.
•
The recommendations focus on tuberculosis, herpes zoster virus, fungal infections, and Pneumocystis jirovecii.
Cutaneous manifestations have been included in COVID-19 patients' clinical spectrum. Our objective was to determine the association between skin lesions in children and SARS-CoV-2 infection, ...analyzing others possible infectious/autoimmune etiologies.
Observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study, about children with skin manifestations from April to May 2020. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was performed by PCR in nasopharyngeal exudate and/or presence of antibodies by serology.
Sixty-two children were included, 9 (14.5%) presented positive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, with no positive PCR to SARS-Cov-2 in those patients in whom it was made. Patients with positive serology to SARS-CoV-2 presented chilblains and/or vesicular-bullous skin lesions more frequently (66.7% vs. 24.5%, p=0.019). Generalized, urticarial and maculopapular rash was more common in patients with negative antibodies (37.7 vs. 0%, p=0.047), others pathogens were isolated in 41.5% of these patients. There were no significant differences in the positivity for autoantibodies between both groups.
In our study, the presence of chilblains-like and/or vesicular lesions were significantly related to SARS-CoV-2 previous contact.
To assess the performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the differential diagnosis between Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and tuberculosis (TB) in children affected with ...subacute/chronic submandibular/cervical lymphadenitis.
Multicenter observational study comparing children with microbiologically confirmed MAC lymphadenitis from the European NontuberculouS MycoBacterial Lymphadenitis in childrEn study with children with TB lymphadenitis from the Spanish Network for the Study of Pediatric TB database.
Overall, 78 patients with MAC and 34 with TB lymphadenitis were included. Among MAC cases, 44 out of 74 (59.5%) had positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results at the 5-mm cut-off, compared with 32 out of 33 (97%) TB cases (P < .001); at the 10-mm cut-off TST results were positive in 23 out of 74 (31.1%) vs 26 out of 31 (83.9%), respectively (P < .001). IGRA results were positive in only 1 out of 32 (3.1%) patients with MAC who had undergone IGRA testing, compared with 21 out of 23 (91.3%) TB cases (P < .001). Agreement between TST and IGRA results was poor in MAC (23.3%; κ = 0.017), but good in TB cases (95.6%; κ = 0.646). IGRAs had a specificity of 96.9% (95% CI 84.3%-99.8%), positive predictive value of 95.4% (95% CI 78.2%-99.8%), and negative predictive value of 93.9% (95% CI 80.4%-98.9%) for TB lymphadenitis.
In contrast to TST, IGRAs have high specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value for TB lymphadenitis in children with subacute/chronic lymphadenopathy, and consequently can help to discriminate between TB and MAC disease. Therefore, IGRAs are useful tools in the diagnostic work-up of children with lymphadenopathy, particularly when culture and polymerase chain reaction results are negative.
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