Anxiety Levels of Primary Caregivers of Children With Tracheostomy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We aim to evaluate the anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Caregivers of 31 children with tracheostomy and 105 healthy children (control group) were included. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered via teleconference in order to investigate how participants describe how they feel at a particular moment (State) and how they generally feel (Trait). The trait anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy were significantly higher (P = .02). Their state anxiety levels were similar. The state and trait anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy correlated (r = 0.70, P < .001). At the end of the teleconference, caregivers of children with tracheostomy experienced greater anxiety relief than controls (P < .001). Trait anxiety scores were higher among caregivers of children with tracheostomy, but their state anxiety levels were comparable to those of controls. Caregivers with high trait anxiety also exhibited high state anxiety. Informing caregivers of children with tracheostomy about COVID-19 via teleconference can reduce their anxiety during such stressful times.

Sleep disturbances in children with cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia and typically developing children during COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: We aimed to investigate sleep disturbances in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and typically developing (TD) children during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Primary care givers of children with CF and PCD aged 3-16 years were asked to enrol in the study. Primary care givers of TD children were included as control group. The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) was used, and questions related to sleep habits during the pandemic were asked. Results of the three groups were compared. RESULTS: Primary care givers of 33 children with CF, 16 children with PCD and 66 TD children were included in the study. There were no differences in terms of age and gender between the three groups. Changes in sleep patterns during the pandemic were more common among TD children and their families, with 75% of the children and 80% of their families sleeping later than before. The sleep initiation and maintenance disorder scores were higher in TD children (P = 0.001), whereas the sleep breathing disorder scores were higher in children with PCD (P = 0.001), and the sleep hyperhidrosis scores were higher in children with CF and PCD (P = 0.011). No relationships were found between sleep parameters and clinical findings of children with lung disease. CONCLUSIONS: Children's sleep habits have changed during the pandemic. Children with chronic lung diseases and even TD children may experience sleep disturbances during this period.

COVID-19 in children

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has affected nearly 2 million people and caused up to 100,000 people death worldwide until today. This severe disease has seen less in children than adults. This may be due to the fact that cytokine storm in children is milder, viral load exposure is less than in adults, and angiotensin converting enzyme receptor levels are different from adults. It should be kept in mind that COVID-19 may cause severe illness in infants under 1 year old and in children with chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis, sickle cell disease, chronic liver disease, endocrine disorders, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, immune deficiency, and severe obesity. Fever and cough are the most common symptoms in COVID-19, and children can also be asymptomatic. Laboratory findings are variable in children. Ground-glass opacity, consolidation, patchy shadowing, halo sign, and interstitial anomalies can be detected in lung computed tomography, or it can be normal. In this review, the frequency of COVID-19 in children, differences between adults, the course of pregnancy and newborn, clinical and laboratory findings, and treatment options are reviewed.