Although primarily a respiratory illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with cardiac involvement with reported cases of myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, myocarditis, pericarditis, and pericardial effusion leading to cardiac tamponade. Most cases of pericardial disease in this setting have been during the acute infection. Here, we present a patient who developed pericarditis leading to cardiac tamponade after the resolution of the acute COVID-19 infection. Her course of illness was further complicated by poor response to initial medical therapy with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine which could possibly be related to early exposure to steroids. It is often difficult to establish an underlying etiology for acute pericarditis. Similarly, in our case, although there is no definitive test to prove the causal relationship, this effusion is highly suspicious of being secondary to post viral sequelae after COVID-19 infection when considering the clinical course. It is important to consider pericardial disease as a late complication of COVID-19 even after apparent resolution of the acute infection and be mindful of the therapeutic challenges that we might face while managing such patients.
Carotid stump syndrome is a rare cause of recurrent cerebrovascular accidents. Carotid stump is the patent proximal remnant below the completely occluded internal carotid artery (ICA). Cerebral and retinal ischemic symptoms seen after complete occlusion of ipsilateral ICA is known as carotid stump syndrome. Known for causing recurrent ipsilateral cerebrovascular accidents, it is a potentially treatable entity. The therapeutic goal is medical management with a statin, dual anti-platelet therapy along with surgical intervention either with an endovascular repair or carotid endarterectomy. Herein, we present a case of carotid stump syndrome managed medically.
Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to poor health outcomes; however, the relationship between ACEs and health outcomes among children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) has limited documentation in the published literature. Procedure This retrospective cohort study involved 45 children and 30 adolescents. Participants were screened using the Center for Youth Wellness ACE Questionnaire. Parents completed the questionnaire for children. Adolescents provided self‐report. ACEs were treated as continuous and categorical scales: 0–1 verus ≥2 original ACEs (individual and/or familial level); 0–1 versus ≥2 additional ACEs (community level); and 0–3 versus ≥4 expanded ACEs (original + additional). Pain and acute chest syndrome events were compared using Wilcoxon rank‐sum tests, and correlated with cumulative ACE scores using Spearman's correlation. Multivariable models were fitted to examine the association between ACEs and pain/acute chest syndrome. Results The cumulative number of original ACEs positively correlated with acute chest syndrome events (rho = .53, p = .003) and pain (rho = .40, p = .028) among adolescents. Adolescents with ≥2 versus 0–1 original ACEs had a higher number of acute chest syndrome events (4.9 ± 2.6 vs. 1.6 ± 2.2, p = .002); however, this association was confounded by asthma. Acute chest syndrome events and hospitalizations for pain did not differ among child ACE groups. Emergency department (ED) pain visits were higher among children with ≥4 versus 0–3 expanded ACEs (1.6 ± 2.8 vs. 3.3 ± 3.2, p = .042), even after controlling for SCD genotype, asthma, disease‐modifying treatment, and follow‐up years (p = .027). Conclusion ACEs are linked to increased morbidity among children and adolescents with SCD. Prospective studies are needed to further understand this relationship and test ACE‐protective remedies.
BACKGROUND: Children with isolated neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count [ANC] ,1500/mL) are frequently referred to pediatric hematology and oncology clinics for further diagnostic evaluation. Scant literature exists on interventions and outcomes for isolated neutropenia. We hypothesized that children will have resolution of their neutropenia without the need for intervention(s) by a pediatric hematologist and oncologist.METHODS: We performed a 5.5-year institutional review board-approved retrospective chart review of children referred to our pediatric hematology and oncology clinics for isolated neutropenia. Neutropenia was categorized as mild (ANC of 1001-1500/mL), moderate (ANC of 500-1000 mL), severe (ANC of 201-500/mL), or very severe (ANC of #200/mL).RESULTS: Among 155 children referred with isolated neutropenia, 45 (29%) had mild neutropenia, 65 (42%) had moderate neutropenia, 30 (19%) had severe neutropenia, and 15 (10%) had very severe neutropenia. Only 29 (19%) children changed to an ANC category lower than their initial referral category. At a median follow-up of 12 months, 101 children had resolution of neutropenia, 40 children had mild neutropenia, 10 children had moderate neutropenia, 3 children had severe neutropenia, and 1 patient had very severe neutropenia. A specific diagnosis was not identified in most (54%) children. The most common etiologies were viral suppression (16%), autoimmune neutropenia (14%), and drug-induced neutropenia (8%). Black children had a 3.5 higher odds of having persistent mild neutropenia. Six (4%) children received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy.CONCLUSIONS: Most children referred for isolated neutropenia do not progress in severity and do not require subspecialty interventions or hospitalizations.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited hematologic disorder in the United States (US). 1 Until 2017, hydroxyurea (HU) was
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