Data on features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children and adolescents are scarce. We report preliminary results of an Italian multicentre study comprising 168 laboratory-confirmed paediatric cases (median: 2.3 years, range: 1 day–17.7 years, 55.9% males), of which 67.9% were hospitalised and 19.6% had comorbidities. Fever was the most common symptom, gastrointestinal manifestations were frequent; two children required intensive care, five had seizures, 49 received experimental treatments and all recovered.

Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently complicates hepatic cirrhosis secondary to viral infection or iron overload. Therefore, patients affected by thalassaemia syndromes have a theoretically high risk of developing the tumour. We collected data on patients attending Italian centres for the treatment of thalassaemia. Twenty‐two cases of HCC were identified; 15 were male. At diagnosis, the mean age was 45 ± 11 years and the mean serum ferritin was 1764 ± 1448 μg/l. Eighty‐six percent had been infected by hepatitis C virus. Nineteen of 22 cases were diagnosed after 1993, suggesting that this problem is becoming more frequent with the aging population of thalassaemia patients.

Primary distal renal tubular acidosis is a rare genetic disease. Mutations in SLC4A1, ATP6V0A4, and ATP6V1B1 genes have been described as the cause of the disease, transmitted as either an autosomal dominant or recessive trait. Particular clinical features, such as sensorineural hearing loss, have been mainly described in association with mutations in one gene instead of the others. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of distal renal tubular acidosis is essentially based on clinical and laboratory findings, and the series of patients described so far are usually represented by small cohorts. Therefore, a strict genotype-phenotype correlation is still lacking, and questions about whether clinical and laboratory data should direct the genetic analysis remain open. Here, we applied next-generation sequencing in 89 patients with a clinical diagnosis of distal renal tubular acidosis, analyzing the prevalence of genetic defects in SLC4A1, ATP6V0A4, and ATP6V1B1 genes and the clinical phenotype. A genetic cause was determined in 71.9% of cases. In our group of sporadic cases, clinical features, including sensorineural hearing loss, are not specific indicators of the causal underlying gene. Mutations in the ATP6V0A4 gene are quite as frequent as mutations in ATP6V1B1 in patients with recessive disease. Chronic kidney disease was frequent in patients with a long history of the disease. Thus, our results suggest that when distal renal tubular acidosis is suspected, complete genetic testing could be considered, irrespective of the clinical phenotype of the patient

Since December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread, becoming the first pandemic of the 21st century by number of deaths (over 2,000,000 worldwide). Many aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents remain unclear, and optimal treatment has not yet been defined. Therefore, our goal was to develop a consensus document, practically synthesizing the accumulated data and clinical experience of our expert group. Literature research was carried out using the keywords “COVID-19” or “SARS-CoV-2” and “children” or “pediatrics” and “prevention” or “diagnosis” or “MIS-C” or “treatment” in electronic databases (MEDLINE, PUBMED), existing guidelines and gray literature. The fact that the majority of the problems posed by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric age do not need hospital care and that, therefore, infected children and adolescents can be managed at home highlights the need for a strengthening of territorial pediatric structures. The sharing of hospitalization and therapeutic management criteria for severe cases between professionals is essential to ensure a fair approach based on the best available knowledge. Moreover, the activity of social and health professionals must also include the description, management and limitation of psychophysical-relational damage resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the health of children and adolescents, whether or not affected by COVID-19. Due to the characteristics of COVID-19 pathology in pediatric age, the importance of strengthening the network between hospital and territorial pediatrics, school, educational, social and family personnel both for strictly clinical management and for the reduction in discomfort, with priority in children of more frail families, represents a priority.

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