ABSTRACT
Aim: to assess the prevalence of detection of confirmed herpes virus infections (HVI) in children who had a previous COVID-19 infection, characterize specific clinical manifestations of the disease under the new conditions (post-COVID syndrome), and to provide a rationale for the administration of drug therapy. Patients and Methods: of 456 patients who received medical consultations from September 2021 to July 2022, the authors selected 72 (15.8%) children (42 boys and 30 girls) who had a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by serological tests or polymerase chain reaction and in whom herpes viruses were found during serological evaluation. Results: most of the children (81.4%) visited the polyclinic within the first six months after the COVID-19 infection. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was the most prevalent finding among herpesviruses detected in children with post-COVID-19 sequela — it was detected in 44 (61.1%) cases. Human herpesvirus (HHV) 6 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) were less common in this group and found in 41 (56.9%) and 30 (41.7%) children, respectively. HHV-1 and HHV-2 were detected more rarely — in 11 (15.3%) children. Monoinfection was diagnosed in 41 (56.9%) cases and a combination of viruses was found in 31 children, in 22 (71.0%) of them it comprised two viruses, in 6 (19.3%) — three viruses, and in 3 (9.7%) — four viruses. The presence of herpesvirus infections underpinned the main reasons why parents of the ill children were seeking for outpatient care, in particular: a prolonged subfebrile condition (18.0%), fatigue and sleep disorders (27.7%), rashes (16.6%), lymphadenopathy (16.7%), ENT diseases (33.3%), more frequently occurring respiratory diseases (33.3%), and the increase in seizure activity in children with epilepsy (8.3%). In addition to herpes viruses, pathogenic agents were detected in 18% of patients, including intracellular pathogens, which were found in 13.9% of 72 children. Taking into consideration the obtained results and established clinical diagnoses, the authors conducted a review and provided a rationale for the administered drug therapy, including medications for herpes treatment. Conclusion: a prior COVID-19 infection induces immunosuppression and, as a result, the activation of herpesvirus infections as long-term effects of COVID-19 (post-COVID conditions). The presence of mixed viral and bacterial pathogens is an indication for administering antivirals, immunomodulators, antibacterial agents, and probiotics. © 2023, Meditsina-Inform LLC. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Aim: to study the structure, features of the findings and treatment of mixed infections in children at the present stage. Materials and methods. 85 case histories of children aged 5 months to 17 years and 10 months were examined, the final diagnosis of which included 2 or more infections on the basis of the children's infectious diseases department City Clinical Hospital No. 7 of Izhevsk. Children with acute infectious pathology (acute intestinal infections, acute respiratory infections, herpes infections) are hospitalized in this hospital. Diagnostic methods: polymerase chain reaction, ELISA, bacteriological. Results. Mixed infections are equally common in both boys and girls, while there is a predominance of mixed infections in young children (up to 1 year and from 1 year to 3 years) 62.4%. The structure of infectious morbidity is consistently dominated by acute enteric infection - 83.5% cases and acute respiratory infections - 53.0% cases. The progression of SARS-CoV-2-associated and herpes-associated mixed infections is characterized by a pronounced polymorphism of clinical manifestations. The etiological factor for each nosology was deciphered only in 17.7%;in 43.5% of cases, only one etiological factor was verified in the laboratory;in 38.8% of cases, no etiological factor was confirmed in the laboratory. Copyright © The Author(s) 2022.
ABSTRACT
To date, the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection with the reactivation of herpes viruses has been determined. This has been proven not only by the results of laboratory studies, but also by a clinically confirmed subsequent manifestation of the herpetic process. The article describes a clinical case of Epstein-Barr viral and cytomegalovirus infections reactivation after COVID-19. The child was diagnosed with anicteric form of hepatitis of herpetic etiology. Hepatitis, moderate anicteric form. During treatment, the patient's condition improved. Complete clinical recovery with normalization of the activity of alanine and aspartate aminotransaminases occurred 1 month after the onset of the disease, but the level of lymphocytes and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase still remained moderately elevated. According to the ultrasound of the abdominal organs, the size of the liver returned to normal. The presented case illustrates that mixed infections are a quite possible situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which must be taken into account when working with such patients. Copyright © 2022 National Academy of Pediatric Science and Innovation. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare condition developing 2 to 6 weeks after initial infection. Most of the patients require treatment in the intensive care unit. The disease manifests itself with fever and lesions to several organs and systems, primarily gastrointestinal tract, skin, mucous membranes, and cardiovascular system. Given the non-specific clinical manifestations of MIS-C, absence of reliable laboratory tests to detect it, and immunosuppressive therapy used in these patients, differential diagnosis of this condition is highly important. In this article, we provide the summary of literature on differential diagnosis between MIS-C and other pathological conditions and report cases of herpesvirus reactivation in patients with SARS-CoV-2. We provide a rationale for administering meglumine acridone acetate (Cycloferon) in patients with herpesvirus reactivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe clinical and laboratory markers that can be used by clinicians for differential diagnosis between MIS-C and other viral infections, such as herpesvirus infections. Copyright © 2022, Dynasty Publishing House. All rights reserved.