Facial palsy as a manifestation of COVID-19: A systematic review of cases.

Background and Aims: Facial palsy is a rare complication of the COVID-19 infection. Herein, we conducted a systematic review of all published cases of facial palsy post-COVID-19 infection in an attempt to educate the general population and medical practitioners regarding the likely occurrence of facial palsy in COVID-19 patients, its detection, effective treatment plan, and prognosis of the condition. Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) from December 1, 2019 to September 21, 2021. Results: We included 49 studies bearing accounts of 75 cases who had facial palsy. The mean age of patients was 42.9 ± 19.59 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 8:7. The majority of the cases were reported from Brazil (n = 14), USA (n = 9), Turkey (n = 9), and Spain (n = 9). Noticeably, 30.14% of COVID-19 patients were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. In total, 22.97% of patients complained of bilateral facial paralysis (n = 17), whereas ipsilateral paralysis was observed in 77.03% (n = 57). These were common complaints of Lagophthalmos, otalgia, facial drooping, dysarthria, and compromised forehead wrinkling. The treatment regimen mainly included the use of corticosteroids (n = 51) (69.86%), antivirals (n = 23) (31.51%), IVIG (n = 18) (24.66%), antibiotics (n = 13) (17.81%), antiretroviral (n = 9) (12.33%), and antimalarial (n = 8) (10.96%) medications. In all, 35.62% of patients (n = 26) adhered to a combination of antiviral and corticosteroid-based therapy. Positive treatment outcomes were observed in 83.58% (n = 56) of cases. In contrast, 10 patients (14.93%) showed nonsignificant recovery, out of which 3 (4.48%) died from the disease. Conclusion: The association of facial palsy with COVID-19 is controversial and therefore requires further investigation and published work to confirm a causal relationship. However, physicians should not overlook the likelihood of facial palsy post-COVID-19 infection and treat it accordingly.

Prevalence of mental illness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea - A cross-sectional study from Kashmir, India.

Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of mental illness in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to examine whether patients with obstructive sleep apnea require screening for mental illness. Methods: We performed polysomnography studies of patients that were referred from various subspecialty clinics in Kashmir from Jan 2020-December 2020. using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI plus) scale to make a psychiatric diagnosis. We administered the General Health Questionnaire - 28 (GHQ - 28), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) to patients. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used for data analysis. Results: 182 patients underwent polysomnography, 85 (46.7%) of which were suffering from mental illness Based on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index score, 8 (4.39%) patients had mild, 35 (41.1%) had moderate and 42 (49.4%) had severe OSA. The mean GHQ -28 score was significantly higher in patients with Obstructive sleep apnea (p < 0.001) (11.34 ± 8.2) as compared to non-Obstructive sleep apnea patients (1.98 ± 4.38). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the increased prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with OSA. Therefore, we recommend timely screening for any mental health issues in patients with OSA and necessary interventions to address the issues, thus preventing mental health morbidities in patients with OSA this would help subsequently in an improved lifestyle.

Managing Patient With Coexisting Emphysematous Pyelonephritis And Cystitis.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a type of critical renal infection having dire consequences at times. It is said to be result of gases produced inside renal parenchymal tissue or pelvicalyceal system. Rarely coexistence of emphysematous pyelonephritis and emphysematous cystitis (EC) may lead to an intimidating condition in case it is not dealt with swiftly. The resent case report narrates the management of a 45-year-old female patient who suffered from EPN with concomitant EC. Right-sided emergency percutaneous nephrostomy was passed. Afterwards, Double J stent was passed under general anaesthesia. Although she had an initial improvement clinically but later on due to recurrent urinary tract infections and non-resolving right kidney abscess and fever right sided nephrectomy was done. This is a very rare presentation and has not previously reported much in literature.

Spectrum of Morphologic Features of Lupus Nephritis According to Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) Classification.

Introduction Lupus nephritis is one of the most important secondary glomerulopathy and a significant cause of chronic renal failure. Early diagnosis is key to improved prognosis. The International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) classification stratifies renal biopsy evaluation in different classes that correlates with clinical renal outcome. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the proportion of patients in each class of lupus nephritis in our population. Methods We evaluated renal biopsies of 128 patients that fulfilled the clinical and serologic criteria of lupus nephritis. The histologic classification was done according to the ISN/RPS classification, and immunofluorescence studies were performed. Active and chronic lesions were assessed on renal biopsy, and association of different histopatholgic parameters with lupus classes was done. Results The mean age was 28.85±12.24 years. Most of the patients were from age group ≤25 years (48.4%). Active lesions were seen in 66 (51.6%) patients, with endocapillary hypercellularity being the most common active lesion type, i.e. 81.8%. Chronic lesions were noted in 42 (32.8%) patients, with glomerular sclerosis being the most common chronic lesion type, i.e. 69%. Majority of the patients belonged to class IV (46.9%). Females were more likely to present at advanced lupus stage compared to males, and older patients (>50 years) had a higher chance to present at a late stage (class IV and higher). Active lesions were significantly found more frequently in classes III and IV, while chronic lesions were more likely to present in classes III to V. Conclusion We found that a significant proportion of patients of lupus nephritis in our population presents at an advanced stage as more than 60% patients were of class IV or higher. This signifies lack of appropriate clinical surveillance of patients and assessment of renal functions early in disease course. This also necessitates revision of our locoregional protocols to manage lupus nephritis patients and a need to perform a renal biopsy early in disease course.