Treatment barriers in PANS/PANDAS: Observations from eleven health care provider families.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) are severe but highly treatable postinfectious inflammatory brain conditions. Despite published diagnostic and treatment guidelines for this condition, there are long delays in obtaining appropriate care. The reasons for these delays are poorly understood. We sought to identify health care system barriers to timely treatment by examining cases of PANDAS/PANS occurring in children of health care professionals. METHOD: We recruited families via e-mail request through the PANDAS Physicians Network. Participating parents completed a structured questionnaire and provided a written case description. RESULTS: Eleven families completed data collection, representing a broad spectrum of disease (child disease onset age 4-15, 7 males/4 females, mild to severe). Parents included 11 physicians, 2 mental health professionals, 2 nurses, and a PharmD. Nine cases (82%) had "very delayed" diagnosis and treatment (>4 weeks after onset). The most commonly encountered causes for treatment delay were clinician lack of awareness (82%), clinician skepticism (82%), overdependence on diagnostic testing (91%), and out-of-pocket expenses >$100 US (82%). Other common challenges included difficulties finding a provider to spearhead care (64%), psychological misdiagnosis (55%), and children's suppression of behaviors during assessments (55%). CONCLUSIONS: We found numerous barriers to treatment of PANDAS/PANS among children of health care providers. Our findings suggest that even among the medically sophisticated, PANDAS/PANS diagnosis and treatment remains challenging. Improvement in PANDAS/PANS education of clinicians who may encounter children with this disorder is 1 key step toward addressing our identified barriers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Postpartum iliopsoas pyomyositis due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are on the rise among patients without risk factors for resistant microorganisms. A new, serious community-acquired MRSA manifestation, postpartum iliopsoas pyomyositis is described. CASE: A 24-year-old Hispanic female presented with back pain 9 days after a normal vaginal delivery. Magnetic resonance imaging showed extensive ill-defined edema of the left iliopsoas. Blood cultures yielded community-acquired MRSA. The patient received intravenous vancomycin for 6 days, followed by intravenous, then oral, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. She was discharged on day 8 and made a full recovery. CONCLUSION: Iliopsoas pyomyositis is a new manifestation of community-acquired MRSA in the obstetric population that may masquerade as benign musculoskeletal back pain. Obstetricians must be alert to the range of presentations of this emerging pathogen.

Necrotizing fasciitis caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Los Angeles.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing fasciitis is a life-threatening infection requiring urgent surgical and medical therapy. Staphylococcus aureus has been a very uncommon cause of necrotizing fasciitis, but we have recently noted an alarming number of these infections caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). METHODS: We reviewed the records of 843 patients whose wound cultures grew MRSA at our center from January 15, 2003, to April 15, 2004. Among this cohort, 14 were identified as patients presenting from the community with clinical and intraoperative findings of necrotizing fasciitis, necrotizing myositis, or both. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 46 years (range, 28 to 68), and 71 percent were men. Coexisting conditions or risk factors included current or past injection-drug use (43 percent); previous MRSA infection, diabetes, and chronic hepatitis C (21 percent each); and cancer and human immunodeficiency virus infection or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (7 percent each). Four patients (29 percent) had no serious coexisting conditions or risk factors. All patients received combined medical and surgical therapy, and none died, but they had serious complications, including the need for reconstructive surgery and prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. Wound cultures were monomicrobial for MRSA in 86 percent, and 40 percent of patients (4 of 10) for whom blood cultures were obtained had positive results. All MRSA isolates were susceptible in vitro to clindamycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and rifampin. All recovered isolates belonged to the same genotype (multilocus sequence type ST8, pulsed-field type USA300, and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IV [SCCmecIV]) and carried the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl), lukD, and lukE genes, but no other toxin genes were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Necrotizing fasciitis caused by community-associated MRSA is an emerging clinical entity. In areas in which community-associated MRSA infection is endemic, empirical treatment of suspected necrotizing fasciitis should include antibiotics predictably active against this pathogen.

Treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections in an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance.

In the past few years, notable advances have occurred in our understanding of the epidemiology and clinical importance of drug resistance among uropathogens that cause uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) or cystitis. Guidelines recommend trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for empirical treatment of uncomplicated UTI unless trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance in a community exceeds 10% to 20%. The rationale for this 10% to 20% cutoff appears to be related to clinical and economical considerations and to concerns about the emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria. In patients with uncomplicated UTIs caused by uropathogens resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole who were treated with this drug combination, clinical outcomes were clarified recently and found to be suboptimal (<60% clinical cure). Following guidelines for empirical treatment of uncomplicated UTIs is problematic. Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens that cause uncomplicated UTIs is performed rarely. Hospital antibiograms provide data on resistance among bacteria that cause community-associated UTIs; however, antibiograms overestimate drug resistance among uropathogens that cause UTIs and may mislead clinicians about the prevalence of local resistance. We review options for management of uncomplicated UTIs in light of these considerations.

A practical guide to anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction with respiratory, cardiovascular, cutaneous, or gastrointestinal manifestations resulting from exposure to an offending agent, usually a food, insect sting, medication, or physical factor. It causes approximately 1,500 deaths in the United States annually. Occasionally, anaphylaxis can be confused with septic or other forms of shock, asthma, airway foreign body, panic attack, or other entities. Urinary and serum histamine levels and plasma tryptase levels drawn after onset of symptoms may assist in diagnosis. Prompt treatment of anaphylaxis is critical, with subcutaneous or intramuscular epinephrine and intravenous fluids remaining the mainstay of management. Adjunctive measures include airway protection, antihistamines, steroids, and beta agonists. Patients taking beta blockers may require additional measures. Patients should be observed for delayed or protracted anaphylaxis and instructed on how to initiate urgent treatment for future episodes.