ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Children comprise only 1-5% of COVID-19 cases. Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) can present with neurological signs and symptoms. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we have reviewed neurological involvement in these patients. METHODS: A comprehensive electronic literature search was done on PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Cochrane database, and SCOPUS for the published English language articles from December 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021. A meta-analysis of the proportion was expressed as a pooled proportion with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Representative forest plots showing individual studies and the combined effect size were generated to provide an overview of the results. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed 15 published MIS-C studies with a total of 785 patients. Neurological manifestations in patients with MIS-C was found in 27.1%. We found that 27% developed headaches, 17.1% developed meningism/meningitis and 7.6 % developed encephalopathy. Other uncommon neurological manifestations of MIS-C includes anosmia, seizures, cerebellar ataxia, global proximal muscle weakness and bulbar palsy. In MIS-C patients with neurological feature, neuroimaging showed signal changes in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Electroencephalography showed slow wave pattern and nerve conduction studies and electromyography showed mild myopathic and neuropathic changes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that neurological manifestations are not uncommon in patients with MIS-C. Further large prospective studies are needed to better explore the disease spectrum and to unravel the underlying pathophysiology.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Nervous System Diseases/virology , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/complications , Child , HumansABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Nepal government enforced a lockdown as a social distancing measure to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown has led to compromises in day to day choices like food, exercise, sleep, self-care routines and utilization of healthcare facilities - directly and indirectly influencing aspects of health. Identification of compromised health choices can assist in better planning of inevitable future crises. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study based on an online self -administered questionnaire, done using CHERRIES criteria, conducted from March 30, 2020, to July 31, 2020. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of Nepal Health Research Council (Registration number: 2119; 300/2020 P). Descriptive statistics was used for analysis. RESULTS: Our study had 340 (51%) female and 325 (48.7%) male participants. A total of 112 (67.9%) reported decreased consumption of tobacco and 178 (53.6%) reported decreased consumption of alcohol during the lockdown period. Participants who reported that they would have visited a hospital if they had a flu-like illness increased from 151 (22.6%) pre-pandemic to 391 (58.6%) post-pandemic. Increase in news consumption was reported by 528 (79.2%). Out of 43 (6.4%) participants with a chronic condition, 30 (69.8%) reported having missed follow up due to the lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: The health of an individual is determined by various choices s/he makes on a day to day basis. Many of those choices are in turn influenced by the availability and accessibility of commodities. Lessons learned from the affected lives due to COVID-19 can be used in proper planning of inevitable future crises.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , Communicable Disease Control , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has created havoc worldwide with its high transmission rate. The vaccine and drugs are still under trial;thus, the only option is to break the chain of transmission of disease by imparting the knowledge and designing awareness campaigns to educate people about the risks and preventive measures of COVID-19. This study was conducted to explore the knowledge and perception on health behaviors related to prevention along with addressing several myths and practices for COVID-19. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out in the initial days of disease outbreak in Nepal. A structured questionnaire was used for the data collection and recruitment of participants was done using snowball sampling technique. A total of 358 participants from all over the country were recruited for the study. Output measures were portrayed through descriptive statistical analysis with the use of frequencies (n) and percentages (%). Most of the participants (94.1%) knew about the high-risk age group, 38.5% were unaware that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted even from objects. Participants had better knowledge on modes of transmission of disease (77.1%) while 49.2% thought that regular surgical mask is highly effective for the preventive measure. Findings of this study suggests that people of Nepal are required to be educated about false beliefs and misconceptions. The findings and concerns raised in the study would be beneficial to design awareness-raising campaigns tailored specifically to the need for and understanding of the Nepalese community. Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 7, Issue-4: 183-190