Pediatric cannabis intoxication trends in the pre and post-legalization era.

INTRODUCTION: On April 13, 2017, a bill to legalize cannabis was introduced to the Canadian Parliament and presented to the public. On October 17, 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis use. We assessed intoxication severity, reflected by ICU admission rates, risk factors and other characteristics in children who presented to the emergency department (ED) with cannabis intoxication, before and after legalization. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of children 0-18 years who presented to a pediatric ED between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2019 with cannabis intoxication. The pre-legalization period was defined from January 1, 2008 to April 12, 2017 and the peri-post legalization period from April 13, 2017 to December 31, 2019. RESULTS: We identified 298 patients; 232 (77.8%) presented in the pre legalization period and 66 (22.1%) in the peri-post legalization period; median age: 15.9 years (range: 11 months-17.99 years). A higher proportion of children were admitted to the ICU in the peri-post legalization period (13.6% vs. 4.7%, respectively; p = .02). While the median monthly number of cannabis-related presentations did not differ between the time periods (2.1 [IQR:1.9-2.5] in the pre legalization period vs. 1.7 [IQR:1.0-3.0] in the peri-post legalization period; p = .69), the clinical severity did. The proportions of children with respiratory involvement (65.9% vs. 50.9%; p = .05) and altered mental status (28.8% vs. 14.2%; p < .01) were higher in the peri-post legalization period. The peri-post legalization period was characterized by more children younger than 12 years (12.1% vs. 3.0%; p = .04), unintentional exposures (14.4% vs, 2.8%; p = .002) and edibles ingestion (19.7% vs. 7.8%; p = .01). Edible ingestion was an independent predictor of ICU admission (adjusted OR: 4.1, 95%CI: 1.2-13.7, p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: The recreational cannabis legalization in Canada is associated with increased rates of severe intoxications in children. Edible ingestion is a strong predictor of ICU admission in the pediatric population.

Nefropatía por inmunoglobulina A en pediatría, desenlaces clínicos con diferentes esquemas de manejo / IgA nephropathy in pediatric patients, clinical outcomes with three types of management

Resumen Introducción: la nefropatía por inmunoglobulina A (NIgA) es la enfermedad glomerular más común en el mundo. En Colombia, el 11-22 % de las glomerulonefritis primarias en niños corresponden a NIgA y de estos casos, el 30 % progresa a enfermedad renal terminal. Objetivo: describir las características paraclínicas e histopatológicas de la NIgA, así como los resultados clínicos según tres tipos de tratamiento en pacientes pediátricos con esta enfermedad atendidos en un hospital de alta complejidad del suroccidente colombiano. Materiales y métodos: estudio retrospectivo realizado en pacientes pediátricos de entre 1 mes y 18 años de edad con diagnóstico de NIgA. Las variables categóricas se presentaron como proporciones y las continuas con medianas y rango intercuartílico. Se usó la prueba de Fisher para comparar los tres esquemas de tratamiento. Resultados: se incluyeron 58 pacientes pediátricos atendidos entre 1996 y 2013. La media de edad al inicio de síntomas fue 7,5±4,2 años y al momento de la biopsia renal, 10±3,8 años. El 77,6 % de los pacientes presentó hematuria microscópica y el 27,6 %, macroscópica. Además, el 81 % tuvo proteinuria, siendo severa el 29 %. Histológicamente, el 10 % se clasificó como grado I, el 62 % como grado II, el 21 % como grado III y el 7 % como grado IV. Tres pacientes requirieron diálisis y dos, trasplante renal. Los esquemas terapéuticos evaluados fueron: solo prednisona (n=20, 34,5 %), prednisona y mofetil micofenolato (MMF) (n=13, 22,4 %) y sin prednisona ni MMF (n=25, 43,1 %). La diferencia en la presencia de hematuria entre los grupos fue significativa (p>0,001), siendo más frecuente en el grupo sin prednisona ni MMF (68 %). No hubo diferencia entre los grupos de proteinuria, hipertensión arterial y valor de creatinina. La mediana de años entre la biopsia renal y el ultimo control fue de 4 años (RIC 1-7). La supervivencia de la función renal fue del 89,1 % a los 5 años. Conclusión: la NIgA amerita reconocimiento temprano y seguimiento estricto, ya que puede tener desenlaces ominosos como enfermedad renal crónica.

Abstract Introduction: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerular disease in the world, in Colombia belongs to 11-22 % of primary glomerulonephritis in pediatric patients. Of these, 30 % progress to chronic kidney disease. Materials and methods : It is a retrospective descriptive study. We used median and IRQ for continuous variables, and proportions for categorical variables, Fisher test to compare clinical outcomes. Results: Between 1996 to 2013 58 patients were diagnosed. The mean age at symptoms onset was 7.5 years (SD±4.2) and at the time of renal biopsy was 10 years (SD±3.8). At diagnosis, 77.6 % of the patients showed microscopic hematuria, 27.6 % gross hematuria and 81 % proteinuria, classified as severe in 29 %. Three patients required dialysis and two needed kidney transplant. Three groups with different therapeutic regimens were evaluated: first group only prednisone 34.5 % (n = 20), second group prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 22.4 % (n = 13) and third group without prednisone neither MMF 43.1 % (n = 25). The difference in the presence of hematuria among the groups was significant (p> 0.001), being more frequent in the group without prednisone neither MMF (68 %). There were no significant differences in proteinuria, hypertension or creatinine among the groups. The median of years between the renal biopsy and the last control was 4 years RI 1-7. At five years, the renal function survival probability (GFR >90 ml/min/1.73m2) was 89.1 %. Conclusion: IgAN needs early recognition and strict follow-up, since it may have ominous outcomes.