Complications of Adenoviral Keratoconjunctivitis in Ophthalmologists and Orthoptists: Epidemiology and Risk Factor, A Retrospective Questionnaire Analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the medical history of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis (AK) and subepithelial infiltrates (SEIs) among French ophthalmologists and orthoptists and the frequency of unreported occupational diseases. We also described short-term and long-term consequences of AK and evaluated associated factors. METHODS: The REDCap questionnaire was diffused online several times over 7 consecutive months, from October 2019 to May 2020, through mailing lists (French Society of Ophthalmology, residents, and hospital departments), social networks, and by word of mouth. RESULTS: Seven hundred ten participants were included with a response rate of 6.2% for ophthalmologists, 3.8% for orthoptists, and 28.3% for ophthalmology residents. The medical history of AK was found in 24.1% (95% confidence interval 21%-27.2%) of respondents and SEI in 43.9% (36.5%-51.3%) of the AK population. In total, 87.1% (82.1%-92.1%) of AK occupational diseases were not declared. In total, 57.7% of respondents took 9.4 ± 6.2 days of sick leave, mostly unofficial, and 95.7% stopped surgeries for 13.0 ± 6.6 days. Among the AK population, 39.8% had current sequelae, with 17.5% having persistent SEIs, 19.9% using current therapy, and 16.4% experiencing continuing discomfort. SEIs were associated with wearing contact lenses (odds ratio 3.31, 95% confidence interval 1.19-9.21) and smoking (4.07, 1.30-12.8). Corticosteroid therapy was associated with a greater number of sequelae (3.84, 1.51-9.75). CONCLUSIONS: AK and SEI affect a large proportion of ophthalmologists and orthoptists, possibly for years, with high morbidity leading to occupational discomfort. Few practitioners asked for either to be recognized as an occupational disease. Associated factors would require a dedicated study.

Financial Burden and Shortage of Respiratory Rehabilitation for SARS-CoV-2 Survivors: The Next Step of the Pandemic?

[...]some studies have shown that the most common barrier to participation in RR is insufficient transportation to and from hospital-based programs (Wadell et al. 2013;Thorpe et al. 2012). Generally, critical cases who develop an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are sent to intensive care units (ICU). Because of the severity of lung damage and because of the common phylogenetic association with coronaviruses, COVID-19 was renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Jiang et al. 2020). In the midst of a pandemic, the American Physical Therapy Association recommends video conferencing to allow physical therapists to communicate directly with clients. Since patients with COPD are especially susceptible to severe COVID-19 complications, in-person RR should not take place during the pandemic except in exceptional cases (Lippi and Henry 2020;Q. Zhao et al. 2020). There is an urgent need for the rehabilitation of survivors in specialized centers;however, specialized rehabilitation establishments already lack reception capacities and have long waiting lists. [...]rehabilitation medicine has a holistic dimension that is essential for SARS-Cov-2 survivors who may have problems with sarcopenia, usually as a consequence of hospitalization in ICU (Gropper et al. 2019).

COVID-19: An Economic or Social Disease? Implications for Disadvantaged Populations

The world is still struggling against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic [...]

Transnational and Transdisciplinary Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

On 7 January 2020, China identified a virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [...]

PTSD as the second tsunami of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic.

Since the first cases, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly spread around the world, with hundred-thousand cases and thousands of deaths. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common consequence of major disasters. Exceptional epidemic situations also promoted PTSD in the past. Considering that humanity is undergoing the most severe pandemic since Spanish Influenza, the actual pandemic of COVID-19 is very likely to promote PTSD. Moreover, COVID-19 was renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). With a poor understanding of viruses and spreading mechanisms, the evocation of SARS is generating a great anxiety contributing to promote PTSD. Quarantine of infected patients evolved to quarantine of 'infected' towns or popular districts, and then of entire countries. In the families of cases, the brutal death of family members involved a spread of fear and a loss of certainty, promoting PTSD. In the context of disaster medicine with a lack of human and technical resources, healthcare workers could also develop acute stress disorders, potentially degenerating into chronic PTSD. Globally, WHO estimates 30-50% of the population affected by a disaster suffered from diverse psychological distress. PTSD individuals are more at-risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and deaths by suicide - considering that healthcare workers are already at-risk occupations. We draw attention towards PTSD as a secondary effect of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, both for general population, patients, and healthcare workers. Healthcare policies need to take into account preventive strategy of PTSD, and the related risk of suicide, in forthcoming months.