In this review, we aimed to update the recent guidelines on clinical approach, diagnosis, and treatment of common musculoskeletal infections in pediatric age. Their pathophysiology and the ...microorganisms involved have been focused on. The clinical manifestations of septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, discitis, and pyomyositis have been underlined. Therefore, the appropriate clinical approach to early hypothesized such diseases has been delineated. The first diagnostic steps include a focused patient history and a thorough physical examination, which may offer helpful hints in suggesting a likely diagnosis. Afterwards, a simple laboratory work-up aided by prompt and appropriate imaging could lead to the correct diagnosis; sometimes, arthrocentesis or biopsy (bone, synovial, or muscle) should be performed. Updates regarding the management, including pharmacological and surgical treatments, and complications, have been reported.
Scurvy is a well-known clinical condition caused by vitamin C deficiency. Although considered a rare disease in high-income countries, it has been recently increasingly reported in children, ...especially in those with abnormal dietary habits, mental or physical disabilities. We performed an extensive review of the literature analyzing studies published in the last 20 years focusing on clinical features, differential diagnosis and diagnostic delay. Fifteen articles were selected, collectively reporting a total of 166 children. Because of the wide clinical spectrum (musculoskeletal complaints and/or mucocutaneous lesions or systemic symptoms), scurvy can mimic several conditions, including autoimmune diseases, infections, and neoplasia. In addition, frequent findings such as normal nutritional status, anemia or elevated inflammatory markers may guide clinicians towards the abovementioned misdiagnoses. Scurvy should be considered in patients presenting with musculoskeletal complaints, not only in those with risk factors but also in healthy children. A focused dietary history and a careful physical examination, assessing other signs of vitamin C deficiency, are mandatory in these patients. When suspected, the dosage of serum vitamin C is the diagnostic gold standard; furthermore, imaging studies, performed by an expert radiologist, can reveal the typical features of scurvy. Only early diagnosis can avoid unnecessary investigations and potentially fatal complications of the disease.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a well-established respiratory tract pathogen. Recent studies in adults and children have shown an increasing number of patients ...reporting gastrointestinal manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in faeces for an extended period, even after respiratory samples have tested negative and patients are asymptomatic. However, faecal-oral transmission has not yet been proven. In this article, the latest evidence on gastrointestinal, hepato-biliary, and pancreatic manifestations in children with coronavirus disease-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome will be analysed.
Influenza is the most frequent cause of acute upper respiratory tract infections during winter season. Although rare, neurological manifestations are known to occur during influenza infection and ...approximatively three-quarters of cases are in children. In this study, we aimed to characterize the burden and clinical spectrum of influenza-associated encephalopathy and encephalitis in children admitted at a tertiary pediatric hospital in Italy over two influenza seasons (2017-2019).
We retrospectively analyzed clinical, laboratory, instrumental data and outcome of patients discharged with ICD9-CM 487.0 code.
Fifteen children (13.1% of those discharged with a diagnosis of influenza infection in the study period), had influenza-associated central nervous system (CNS) manifestations. Eight patients (53.3%) were diagnosed as influenza encephalitis, 7 (46.7%) as influenza encephalopathy. Median age was 27 months. In children under 2 years of age (40% of all cases) altered consciousness was the most frequent neurological manifestation while respiratory symptoms were present at admission in all cases. Younger children also required intensive care support more frequently. Five subjects (33.3%) presented comorbidity. None of the patients had received seasonal influenza vaccination. The median time from onset of respiratory signs to onset of neurological manifestations was 24 h. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was normal in most patients and polymerase chain reaction for influenza virus RNA on CSF, when performed, was negative in all samples. Neuroradiological investigations, performed in 5 children, reported cortical and subcortical white matter signal alterations. Oseltamivir was administered only in 2 cases. Fourteen patients recovered without sequelae, and only a 2-year-old girl had minimal impairment in fine motor skills at discharge.
All children presenting acute neurological features during influenza season should be evaluated for influenza-associated CNS complications even if the respiratory involvement is mild. Absence of underlying diseases or other risk factors are not protective factors against CNS influenza-associated complications. The lack of CSF pleocytosis does not exclude CNS involvement. Children under 2 years of age are at higher risk of requiring intensive care support.
Background Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmic emergency, and its etiology is generally ascribed to vessel occlusion by a thrombus or embolus, eventually due to a hypercoagulable ...state. CRAO occurrence is described even in the pediatric population, but its incidence is very rare. SARS-CoV-2 infection has a multitude of presentations, and almost any organ may be involved including the ocular district. Cases of CRAO in patients affected by COVID-19 are reported in the literature in the adult population, but not in the pediatric one. Case presentation We describe the case of a six-year-old otherwise healthy girl, who presented a sudden and complete bilateral vision loss after a one-day fever. All the clinical, ophthalmological, laboratory and instrumental investigations led to the diagnosis of a right CRAO and the suspicion of a contralateral posterior optic nerve affection. These manifestations could not be ascribed to any etiological condition apart from the documented ongoing mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Treatment with anticoagulants and steroids was tried but the visual outcome was poor during the one-month hospitalization and at the last follow-up. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CRAO in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pediatric age. In our review of the literature, we found few cases of CRAO in adults with COVID-19; we highlighted differences in anamnestic, clinical, and interventional aspects and therefore we tried to summarize the state of the art on this topic to facilitate further studies. Even if rare, the prognosis of CRAO is poor and the thrombolytic treatment could be effective only if rapidly administered, so the disease suspicion should be high in a patient with sudden vision loss, also in pediatric age. Keywords: Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), Optic nerve, SARS-CoV-2, Pediatric, Case report
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) can be caused by four etiological categories of diseases. The most common cause of FUO in children is represented by infections, followed by inflammatory conditions and ...neoplastic causes; a decreasing quote remains still without diagnosis. Despite the fact that several diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been proposed since the first definition of FUO, none of them has been fully validated in pediatric populations. A focused review of the patient's history and a thorough physical examination may offer helpful hints in suggesting a likely diagnosis. The diagnostic algorithm should proceed sequentially, and invasive testing should be performed only in select cases, possibly targeted by a diagnostic suspect. Pioneering serum biomarkers have been developed and validated; however, they are still far from becoming part of routine clinical practice. Novel noninvasive imaging techniques have shown promising diagnostic accuracy; however, their positioning in the diagnostic algorithm of pediatric FUO is still not clear. This narrative review aims to provide a synopsis of the existent literature on FUO in children, with its major causes and possible diagnostic workup, to help the clinician tackle the complex spectrum of pediatric FUO in everyday clinical practice.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been variably associated with thromboembolic events (TEs) in children. The aim of our study was ...to assess the prevalence of TEs in children hospitalized during a five-year period in a tertiary pediatric hospital, particularly in patients with COVID-19 and MIS-C. Overall, 38 patients were discharged with the diagnosis of TE: 20 in the pre-pandemic and 18 in the pandemic period. The prevalence of TEs was the same (0.08%) in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The occurrence of TEs was higher in patients with COVID-19 or MIS-C (6/517, 1.16%) when compared to children without these conditions in the pandemic and in the pre-pandemic periods. The prevalence of TEs in children with MIS-C was significantly higher than the prevalence in patients with COVID-19. Five out of six of the patients with COVID-19 or MIS-C developing a TE had at least one predisposing factor to thrombosis. In conclusion, our study shows an increased prevalence of TEs in children hospitalized with COVID-19 or MIS-C, if compared to children without COVID-19 or MIS-C in the pandemic period and in the pre-pandemic period. The prevalence of TEs was significantly higher in patients with MIS-C.
It has been estimated that 20% of the tests and therapies currently prescribed in North America are likely unnecessary, add no value, and may even cause harm. The Choosing Wisely (CW) campaign was ...launched in 2012 in the US and Canada to limit the overuse of medical procedures in adult and pediatric healthcare, to avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
In this narrative review, we describe the birth and spread of the CW campaign all over the world, with emphasis on CW in pediatric healthcare.
To date, CW has spread to more than 25 countries and 80 organizations, with 700 recommendations published. The awareness of medication overuse also made its way into pediatrics. One year after the launch of the CW campaign, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the pediatric section of the Society of Hospital Medicine provided the first recommendations specifically aimed at pediatricians. Thereafter, many European pediatric societies also became active in the CW campaign and published specific top-5 recommendations, although there is not yet a common set of CW recommendations in Europe.
We reviewed the main pediatric CW recommendations in medical and surgical fields and discussed how the recommendations have been produced, published, and disseminated. We also analyzed whether and how the CW recommendations impacted pediatric medical practice. Furthermore, we highlighted the common obstacles in applying CW recommendations, such as pressure from patients and families, diagnostic uncertainty, and worries about legal problems. Finally, we highlighted the necessity to foster the CW culture, develop an implementation plan, and measure the results in terms of overuse decline.
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