Evaluation of the prevalence and clinical and laboratory features of acute viral myositis in children with influenza referred to the emergency department of Ali Asghar Tehran Hospital in 2019 and 2020.

Introduction: Influenza-related viral myositis is observed mostly in children with influenza, and the disease is more common in influenza type B. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence, and clinical and laboratory features of acute viral myositis in children with influenza in 2019 and 2020. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed in Ali Asghar Hospital, from December 2019 to February 2020. Children aged 2-14 years with symptoms of acute onset of fever, along with the symptoms of influenza with or without muscle pain who referred to the emergency department of Hazrat Ali Asghar Children's Hospital, were included in the study. The data were collected and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Results: Out of the 105 participants in this study, 62 (59%) were male and the rest were female. The average age of the patients was 5.34 years (SD = 2.63). Clinical signs of lower limb pain, myalgia, lameness, weakness, and lethargy were significantly more common in patients with myositis (P-value < 0.05). In-vitro examination demonstrated that creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and aAlanine aminotransferease (ALT) levels were significantly higher in patients with myositis. Conclusion: Based on the present results, the clinical symptoms in patients are quite clear, and based on the symptoms, it is possible to diagnose and treat myositis without relying on laboratory findings; due to the self-limitation of this complication and lack of the need for complex treatments in case of early diagnosis, physicians can diagnose and treat many cases, depending on the clinical symptoms and the accuracy of the examination.

Association of vitamin D and severity of COVID-19 in children.

Vitamin has a major role in the functions of the immune system, and the efficacy of this vitamin in reducing inflammation has been identified. Considering the effects of vitamin D, this study research was performed for investigating the relationship between vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19 in children. This cross-sectional study was performed on 101 children infected with the new coronavirus from September 2020 to October 2021. Information on vitamin D levels, demographic factors, and clinical and laboratory findings were documented in information forms and prepared for statistical analyses. The average of children was 2.85 ± 0.85 years. Low oxygen saturation was observed in 35.3% of infected children. The level of involvement was higher in subjects with vitamin D levels higher than 30 and less than 10 ng/ml (p = 0.04). Clinical signs in cases with deficient and sufficient vitamin D levels were more severe in terms of tachypnea and tachycardia (p = 0.01). Children with vitamin D lower than 10 ng/ml showed more frequency (p = 0.02). Cases with moderate vitamin D had fewer gastrointestinal complications (p = 0.03). Also, oxygen levels were lower in children who had low levels of vitamin D (p = 0.02). Vitamin D levels were associated with levels of involvement, tachycardia, tachypnea, clinical signs, gastrointestinal problems, and O2 levels. Moderate vitamin D levels in children are a critical issue that should be considered.