Clinical Profile of COVID-19 Patients Admitted at a Private Hospital During Three Surges in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Introduction During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, private hospitals in Mandalay started to manage COVID-19 infections according to national treatment guidelines since February 2021. Variations of clinical characteristics and their outcomes in different surges could be evaluated in the private hospital. This study aimed to assess the clinical profile and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted at a private hospital during three surges in Mandalay. Methods This study is a retrospective record review of the case series of COVID-19 patients admitted at City Hospital, Mandalay. The study was conducted from January to December 2022. All of the hospital records of COVID-19 patients admitted during the second wave from February 2020 to 26 May 2021, the third wave from 27 May 2021 to 27 January 2022, and the fourth wave from 28 January to April 2022 were included in the study. Results A total of 1606 admitted cases were included in the study. The mean with standard deviation (SD) of age was 55.7±18.5, and males were 778 (48.4%). The mean duration of hospital stay in days was 10.8±5.94, 10.6±6.11, and 7.3±2.88 in second, third, and fourth waves, respectively. The mean duration of hospital stay was shortened in the fourth wave. Comorbid conditions with hypertension and/or diabetes diseases were mostly observed in three waves of COVID-19 infection. Fever was the most presented symptom in three waves. Cough, sore throat, and rhinorrhea were observed more in the fourth wave compared with previous waves. Complication with pneumonia (71.3%), liver dysfunction (21.0%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (10.0%), thrombocytopenia (6.2%), acute kidney injury (5.5%), bleeding (3.9%), and pulmonary embolism (2.9%) were investigated. Antiviral treatment such as remdesivir or molnupiravir was used more in the patients of third and fourth waves than those of the second wave. Oxygen therapy (59.9%), prone position (35.5%), non-invasive ventilation (9.5%), invasive ventilation (0.5%), inotropes (4.6%), and renal replacement therapy (1.1%) were recorded in serious cases. Only 7.9% and 9.4% died in the hospital in second and third waves. No mortality was observed in the fourth wave. Conclusions The study recommended that COVID-19 patients with comorbid conditions of hypertension or diabetes and ages 65 and older should be taken with intensive care support at the hospital. This study also concluded that a private hospital in Mandalay could tackle with COVID-19 severe cases in line with national treatment guidelines since the second wave and could provide better management in the fourth wave. Antiviral treatment should be used in severe COVID-19 cases for further emergency management. In conclusion, private hospital involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic is supportive of the healthcare provision in Myanmar in an emergency situation.

Acute kidney injury and nephrotic syndrome associated with eltrombopag therapy in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

A 77-year-old man was admitted with severe acute kidney injury and nephrotic syndrome. He was started on eltrombopag for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura 6 weeks earlier. An ultrasound of the kidneys was normal and an auto-antibody screen was negative. The use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable relationship (score of 5) between the patient's development of acute renal failure and eltrombopag therapy. Literature review identified only one other case of nephrotic syndrome and acute kidney injury associated with eltrombopag therapy in which a kidney biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Due to the challenges faced during the prevailing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and persistent low platelet counts a renal biopsy was not undertaken. On stopping eltrombopag, the patients renal function stabilised and he successfully went into remission following treatment with high dose corticosteroids and diuretics. This report of a serious case of reversible renal failure and nephrotic syndrome after treatment with eltrombopag may serve to inform clinicians about the possible severe renal adverse effects of eltrombopag before its commencement for future use.

A case of severe dry eye disease with corneal melting as presenting complaint of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Dry eye syndrome is a common multifactorial disorder of the tear film and ocular surface. In rare cases, it may be caused by systemic diseases. Corneal melting is a complication of dry eye syndrome and is a potentially blinding condition. Here we report a case of a 67-year-old patient who attended her general practitioner for a year complaining of persistent dry eyes. Ophthalmological assessment showed severe dry eye syndrome with cornea melting in left eye. Blood test revealed anaemia and thrombocytopenia with circulating blasts. Bone marrow biopsy showed 15% myeloblasts with monosomy 7, compatible with acute myeloid leukaemia. Patient was started on intensive chemotherapy regime and was a candidate for allogenic bone marrow transplant. To our knowledge, this is the first case report demonstrating dry eye syndrome with sterile corneal melting as the possible presenting complaints of acute myeloid leukaemia. This case will serve as a useful reminder to general practitioners and accident and emergency doctors about the current guidelines regarding referral of persistently symptomatic patients with dry eye syndrome for further investigation in secondary care.

Advanced Hodgkin lymphoma in the East of England: a 10-year comparative analysis of outcomes for real-world patients treated with ABVD or escalated-BEACOPP, aged less than 60 years, compared with 5-year extended follow-up from the RATHL trial.

Treatment with ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) or escalated(e)-BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisolone) remains the international standard of care for advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). We performed a retrospective, multicentre analysis of 221 non-trial ("real-world") patients, aged 16-59 years, diagnosed with advanced-stage HL in the Anglia Cancer Network between 2004 and 2014, treated with ABVD or eBEACOPP, and compared outcomes with 1088 patients in the Response-Adjusted Therapy for Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma (RATHL) trial, aged 18-59 years, with median follow-up of 87.0 and 69.5 months, respectively. Real-world ABVD patients (n=177) had highly similar 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with RATHL (PFS 79.2% vs 81.4%; OS 92.9% vs 95.2%), despite interim positron-emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT)-guided dose-escalation being predominantly restricted to trial patients. Real-world eBEACOPP patients (n=44) had superior PFS (95.5%) compared with real-world ABVD (HR 0.20, p=0.027) and RATHL (HR 0.21, p=0.015), and superior OS for higher-risk (international prognostic score ≥3 [IPS 3+]) patients compared with real-world IPS 3+ ABVD (100% vs 84.5%, p=0.045), but not IPS 3+ RATHL patients. Our data support a PFS, but not OS, advantage for patients with advanced-stage HL treated with eBEACOPP compared with ABVD and suggest higher-risk patients may benefit disproportionately from more intensive therapy. However, increased access to effective salvage therapies might minimise any OS benefit from reduced relapse rates after frontline therapy.