ABSTRACT
Neuromuscular complications in paediatric patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are poorly characterised. However, adult patients with severe COVID-19 reportedly present with frequent neuromuscular complications that mainly include critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP), critical illness myopathy (CIM), and focal neuropathies. We examined the records of all paediatric patients with severe COVID-19 who were mechanically ventilated and experienced neuromuscular complications from our single tertiary centre between March 2020 and August 2021. During this period, 4/36 (11%) patients admitted to the paediatric ICU who were mechanically ventilated experienced neuromuscular complications (one CIM, two focal neuropathies, and one CIP associated with plexopathy). In three of them, the gamma genetic variant of SARS-CoV-2 was identified. At the 4-5 month follow-up, three of our patients exhibited slight clinical improvement. We conclude that paediatric patients with severe COVID-19 may present neuromuscular complications similar to adults (11%), and their medium-term prognosis seems unfavourable.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Muscular Diseases , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases , Polyneuropathies , Adult , COVID-19/complications , Child , Critical Illness , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Intensive Care Units , Muscular Diseases/complications , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/complications , Polyneuropathies/complications , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The suspension of university activities due to the pandemic affected training and sports competitions. However, some universities adapted online education, allowing students to carry out their activities without being infected by the virus. The aim of this study was to find out the impact of the pandemic on physical activity levels and the positive and negative effects on Chilean university athletes. The information was obtained by applying the PANAS scale and demographic and physical activity variables were also measured. The sample of Chilean university athletes (n = 254) were aged between 18 and 31 years (M = 22.17;SD = 2.76). This study led to the conclusion that maintaining the frequency of physical training during the pandemic was associated with a preservation in the levels of Positive Affect and Negative Affect compared to the non-pandemic period. Thus, physical activity training was protective of emotional well-being and, therefore, of mental health.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in Santiago, Chile. METHODS: This was an observational study of children with MIS-C (May 1 to June 24, 2020), in three pediatric hospitals in Santiago. Demographic characteristics and epidemiological data, medical history, laboratory tests, cardiology evaluations, treatment, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were admitted (median age 6, range 0-14 years). Sixteen of the 27 (59%) required intensive care unit admission; there were no deaths. Seventy-four percent had no comorbidities, and the median number of days of symptoms before admission was 4 (range 2-9 days). Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most frequent, and inflammatory markers were increased at admission. A recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was detected in 82% of cases. The severe group showed significantly lower hemoglobin and albumin levels, decreased platelet counts, and higher d-dimer during disease evolution. Echocardiography showed abnormalities (myocardial, pericardial, or coronary) in 12 patients (46%) during their hospital stay. Anti-inflammatory treatment (immunoglobulin and/or corticosteroids) was prescribed in 24 patients. MIS-C appeared in clusters weeks after the peak of SARS-CoV-2 cases, especially in the most vulnerable areas of Santiago. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the first series (n = 27) of children with MIS-C in a Latin American country, showing favorable clinical outcomes. Education and alerts are required for clinical teams to establish an early diagnosis and prompt treatment.