Individualised Homeopathic Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the First Trimester and of COVID-19 in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy-A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are common physiological disturbances, causing physical, social and psychological symptoms in the affected women. Though it is difficult to draw absolute conclusions on whether or not pregnant women are at high risk of acquiring severe consequences from corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), clinical experience has shown them to be potentially vulnerable to other coronaviruses. Lack of specific conventional therapy for these conditions called for a complementary and individualised homeopathy approach in the presented case. METHODS: The homeopathic medical management of early symptoms of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) and the beginning of COVID-19 symptoms shortly before a scheduled Caesarean section is described. No ongoing specific treatments were discontinued. The connection between intervention with individualised homeopathy and clinical improvement was assessed by two independent reviewers using the MOdified NARanjo Criteria for Homeopathy (MONARCH) inventory. RESULTS: There was improvement of NVP symptoms in early pregnancy and in later-onset COVID-19 symptoms following an individually prescribed unipotent homeopathic medicine, Sepia officinalis, after tele-consultation during lockdown. The agreed MONARCH score was +8 points, suggesting that homeopathy contributed to clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: Individualised homeopathy may be a helpful complementary medical approach for managing symptoms associated with NVP and COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Analysis of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on functional gastrointestinal disorders among paediatric population.

OBJECTIVE: Functional gastrointestinal disorders are common gastrointestinal diseases. The pathophysiology is multifactorial and psychosocial distress worsens symptoms severity. Since the end of 2019 the world has been facing COVID-19 pandemic. The associated control measures have affected the psychological health of people. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders among Italian children and adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study sample is composed of 407 patients (187 males, 220 females), aged from 10 to 17 years. The mean age is 14.27 ± 2.24 years. The study was conducted through the Italian version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III Version.  The prevalence of each disorder has been calculated as the ratio of affected subjects for each disease and the total number of effective cases for that specific disease. RESULTS: The study demonstrates that the prevalence of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder in Italian children, during the COVD-19 pandemic, is higher, compared with the one reported in the previous studies. The most frequent disorders are Abdominal Migraine and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first one which provides data of the prevalence of Functional gastrointestinal disorders in sample of Italian adolescents, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study underlines the need to focus on stress management, in order to reduce the effects of the lockdown on the psychological wellness of the youngest.