COVID-19 and post-traumatic stress disorder among nurses: a descriptive cross-sectional study in a COVID hospital.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Healthcare professionals directly involved in diagnosing, treating and caring for patients with COVID-19 are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the prevalence of PTSD among nurses working in a COVID hospital and evaluated associated factors. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Crema Hospital and the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) was administered. Data collection took place from July to September 2020, during which 275 questionnaires were distributed. RESULTS: Of the total sample, 39.88% received a provisional PTSD diagnosis deserving of further analysis. Nurses stated that they were predominantly overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts (M = 1.55). Working in the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR=2.40; p=0.02), irregular work shifts (OR=5.41; p=0.01) and coming from a mental health ward (OR=3.80; p=0.02) increased the risk of receiving a provisional PTSD diagnosis. Our findings showed significantly higher IES-R scores among women than among men (p = 0.01). The activities that caused the most distress were related to technical skills required for managing ventilation and intubation devices. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study highlighted the presence of considerable psychological distress in the sample. There is an urgent need to monitor the short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and implement early intervention measures.

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex with mottled pigmentation - mutation analysis proved the diagnosis in a four-generation pedigree.

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex with mottled pigmentation (EBS-MP) is a rare variant of the basal form of EBS, characterized by mild intraepidermal blistering due to lysis of basal keratinocytes and with a progressive reticular hyperpigmentation on the trunk and extremities. A limited number of cases - to date twenty unrelated families - have been published from all over the world, including thirteen reports from Europe. We here report the first Hungarian case in a four generation pedigree with EBS-MP symptoms and prove the diagnosis by mutation analysis. A heterozygous p.Pro25Leu mutation in the first exon of KRT5, together with the heterozygous polymorphism p.Gly138Glu, was identified in all the five affected family members studied. Our report extends the limited number of EBS-MP cases and gives further evidence that KRT5 mutations are responsible for this rare phenotype.