Impact of social distancing in response to COVID-19 on hospitalizations for laryngitis, tracheitis, otitis media, and mastoiditis in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of social distancing resulting from COVID-19 in hospitalizations for infections of the upper airways (URTI), such as acute laryngitis, tracheitis, and otitis media in children aged 0 to 9 years in Brazil, considering that they share the same forms of transmission. METHODS: Data on hospitalizations for acute airway changes and their complications in children <9 years old were obtained from the Database of the Brazilian Department of Public Health Informatics for the period 2015 to 2020. These data were also analyzed by macroregions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Midwest). The effect of the social distancing strategy on the increase of acute laryngitis, tracheitis, otitis media, and mastitis, as absolute and relative reductions, was calculated by analyzing the annual calculation of 2015-2019 vs 2020. RESULTS: All the hospitalizations compared in the Unified Health System (SUS) for laryngitis and acute tracheitis and otitis media decreased, considering all states of Brazil. The largest reduction in hospitalization reduction was in the North, with -94% in 2015-2019 vs 2020 in cases of laryngitis and acute tracheitis, and in the Midwest, with - 85% in 2015-2019 vs 2020 in cases of otitis media. CONCLUSION: Hospitalizations for laryngitis, acute tracheitis, and acute otitis media in children <9 years old decreased between March and July 2020 in Brazil, when social distancing measures were adopted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A música no controle de sintomas relacionados à demência em idosos / Music in the control of dementia-related symptoms in the elderly

O aumento da população idosa e, proporcionalmente, dos casos de demência, demanda uma maior atenção ao tema e uma busca por tratamentos alternativos à medicação. Essa revisão avalia os benefícios da terapia musical, independente do seu método de aplicação ­ o qual pode ser grupal, individual, interativo, receptivo, de caráter nostálgico ou clássico ­ nesse público de idade mais avançada, buscando entender a sua influência, frequentemente positiva, nas manifestações da demência. A pluralidade dos sintomas avaliados nos estudos selecionados nos permitiu analisar um amplo espectro de resultados, que se mostraram eficazes para sintomas neuropsiquiátricos, destacando-se agitação, ansiedade e apatia ­ apesar da primeira não ter sido avaliada individualmente -, para qualidade de vida e para relações interpessoais; entretanto, devido à juventude desse tema e dos muitos métodos aplicados para avaliação, função cognitiva e controle da dor obtiveram parciais incertas ou divergentes. Depreende-se, portanto, que a terapia musical se apresenta de grande valor no tratamento dos sintomas da demência, fato esse que reflete em uma alternativa importante para a crescente população idosa acometida por essas ocorrências, possibilitando uma melhora no quadro sem o uso de medicação.

The increase of the elderly population and, inevitably, of dementia cases, demands a greater attention to the subject and a search for alternative treatments besides medication. This review evaluates the benefits of music therapy, despite its application method - which can be in group, individual, interactive, receptive, nostalgic or classic way - in the older public, seeking to understand its influence, frequently positive, on the manifestations of dementia. The plurality of symptoms evaluated in the chosen studies allowed us to analyze an ample spectrum of results, that proved to be effective for neuropsychiatric symptoms, especially agitation, anxiety and apathy - although the first was not appraised individually -, for quality of life and for interpersonal relationships; however, due to the youth of this theme and the many methods applied for evaluation, cognitive function and pain control obtained uncertain or divergent partials. We conclude, therefore, that music therapy has great value in the treatment of dementia symptoms, a fact that reflects in an important alternative for the growing elderly population affected by these occurrences, enabling an improvement in the clinical condition without the use of medication.