Comparing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pediatric and family medicine clinicians toward atypical anorexia nervosa versus anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and current practices of adolescent primary care providers regarding the epidemiology, clinical features, and diagnosis of atypical anorexia nervosa (AN) compared to AN. METHODS: An online survey was sent to the Pediatric and Family Medicine clinicians who provide medical care to adolescents. Statistical analyses compared differences in responses to questions about atypical AN versus AN. RESULTS: Relative to AN, participants (n = 67) were significantly less familiar with atypical AN, less likely to consider a diagnosis of atypical AN, less comfortable identifying atypical AN, less likely to counsel patients with atypical AN on health risks, less likely to refer patients with atypical AN to a specialist, and less likely to correctly identify atypical AN. Clinicians with more years in medical practice reported a significantly larger gap in familiarity between AN and atypical AN than clinicians with less than 5 years of practice. CONCLUSIONS: Providers who care for adolescents appear to be less familiar with and less likely to identify atypical AN compared to AN. This knowledge gap may be more pronounced among clinicians with more years practicing medicine due to the novelty of atypical AN as a diagnosis. Lack of knowledge surrounding atypical AN risk factors may result in delayed diagnosis and associated poor health outcomes. Future research should investigate strategies that improve knowledge and screening of atypical AN in medical and other settings. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Pediatric and Family Medicine clinicians are less familiar with atypical anorexia nervosa (AN) and less likely to diagnose a patient with atypical AN relative to AN. Insufficient knowledge about atypical AN may place these individuals at increased risk for worsening restrictive eating and the physical and psychological consequences of malnutrition.

A multicenter retrospective electronic health record database evaluation of subjects with Mycoplasma genitalium.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) increasing in prevalence. The recent availability of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) has led to updated diagnostic and treatment guidelines. As medication therapy experts, pharmacists can facilitate appropriate antimicrobial selection and stewardship and optimize best patient-care practices in the setting of M. genitalium infection. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate patient demographics, therapeutic approaches, and complications of patients with laboratory evidence of M. genitalium hypothesizing that younger adolescent females are affected by this organism, receive suboptimal treatment, and have more complications than adults. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using TriNetX multicenter electronic health record data of subjects aged 12 years and older with evidence of M. genitalium DNA detected via NAATs. The cohort was divided into 2 age groups: adolescents (12-21 years) and adults (older than 21 years). We evaluated age, sex, race, ethnicity, diagnostic codes, and medication codes. RESULTS: Our study included 1126 subjects (192 adolescents [17.1%] and 934 adults [82.9%]) who tested positive for M. genitalium. Subjects in the adolescent group had higher odds of being women (2.52 [1.80, 3.54], P < 0.001), having inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs diagnostic codes (1.51 [1.06, 2.16], P = 0.025), increased odds of azithromycin prescription (1.70 [1.17, 2.48], P = 0.005), and decreased odds of moxifloxacin prescription (0.41 [0.26, 0.64], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a higher prevalence of M. genitalium infection in adults and adolescents with increased odds of receiving azithromycin and decreased odds of receiving moxifloxacin. Both age groups had decreased odds of receiving doxycycline compared with azithromycin despite guidelines recommending initial empirical antibiotic treatment with doxycycline and growing macrolide resistance. Suboptimal treatment of this infection may lead to lifelong complications. Pharmacists may provide crucial guidance and education to both patients and health care providers regarding appropriate treatment for M. genitalium.

The Inpatient Management of Adolescents with Eating Disorders.

Eating disorders affect individuals of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic statuses. They can lead to serious medical complications that require inpatient treatment. The eating disorders that are most likely to lead to medical complications requiring medical inpatient stabilization include anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, bulimia nervosa, and purging disorder. There are criteria that can help determine if a patient requires inpatient stabilization. Nearly all body systems may be affected. Patients are often treated by following a refeeding protocol that reduces the risk of developing refeeding syndrome, a dangerous and life-threatening state of metabolic derangements that can arise when a malnourished individual begins a renourishment process. Following stabilization, patients should receive further care through a number of different treatment options directed at their underlying eating disorder and by working with a multidisciplinary team. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(8):e283-e287.].

Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic With Adolescent and Young Adult Eating Disorder Care Volume.

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected youth mental health. Increases in site-specific eating disorder (ED) care have been documented; however, multisite studies demonstrating national trends are lacking. Objective: To compare the number of adolescent/young adult patients seeking inpatient and outpatient ED care before and after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: Using an observational case series design, changes in volume in inpatient and outpatient ED-related care across 15 member sites (14 geographically diverse hospital-based adolescent medicine programs and 1 nonhospital-based ED program) of the US National Eating Disorder Quality Improvement Collaborative was examined. Sites reported monthly volumes of patients seeking inpatient and outpatient ED care between January 2018 and December 2021. Patient volumes pre- and postpandemic onset were compared separately for inpatient and outpatient settings. Demographic data such as race and ethnicity were not collected because this study used monthly summary data. Exposures: Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures: Monthly number of patients seeking inpatient/outpatient ED-related care. Results: Aggregate total inpatient ED admissions were 81 in January 2018 and 109 in February 2020. Aggregate total new outpatient assessments were 195 in January 2018 and 254 in February 2020. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the relative number of pooled inpatient ED admissions were increasing over time by 0.7% per month (95% CI, 0.2%-1.3%). After onset of the pandemic, there was a significant increase in admissions over time of 7.2% per month (95% CI, 4.8%-9.7%) through April 2021, then a decrease of 3.6% per month (95% CI, -6.0% to -1.1%) through December 2021. Prepandemic, pooled data showed relative outpatient ED assessment volume was stable over time, with an immediate 39.7% decline (95% CI, -50.4% to -26.7%) in April 2020. Subsequently, new assessments increased by 8.1% (95% CI, 5.3%-11.1%) per month through April 2021, then decreased by 1.5% per month (95% CI, -3.6% to 0.7%) through December 2021. The nonhospital-based ED program did not demonstrate a significant increase in the absolute number of admissions after onset of the pandemic but did see a significant increase of 8.2 (95% CI, 6.2-10.2) additional inquiries for care per month in the first year after onset of the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, there was a significant COVID-19 pandemic-related increase in both inpatient and outpatient volume of patients with EDs across sites, particularly in the first year of the pandemic. Given inadequate ED care availability prior to the pandemic, the increased postpandemic demand will likely outstrip available resources. Results highlight the need to address ED workforce and program capacity issues as well as improve ED prevention strategies.

Clinical experience with MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate a new commercially available method of MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy using an open coil and a closed 1.5-T scanner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsies of 38 lesions in 28 women performed between May and September 2003 at two practice sites in the United States were retrospectively reviewed. Lesion characteristics including size, morphology, and enhancement were recorded. Times to perform each procedure, defined as the time from the start of the first localizing scan to the final scan after biopsy, were recorded. Histologic results for all lesions were obtained, and surgical, imaging, or clinical follow-up was performed. RESULTS: Enhancing masses and foci ranged from 2.5 to 19 mm. Nonmasslike enhancements ranged from 6 to 70 mm. All 38 biopsies (100%) were technically successful, and no complications were associated with any of the biopsy procedures. The average time to perform the 19 single-site MRI-guided procedures was 38 min (range, 23-57 min). The 11 multiple-site biopsies performed in a single breast averaged 59 min (range, 51-68 min), and eight bilateral biopsies averaged 64 min (range, 46-80 min). Histologic results from vacuum-assisted breast biopsy revealed malignancy in 14 lesions (37%), atypical ductal hyperplasia in two lesions (5%), and benign findings in 22 lesions (58%). One of two lesions with atypical ductal hyperplasia was upgraded to ductal carcinoma in situ after surgery, for an overall cancer yield of 40% (15/38). CONCLUSION: This new method of MRI-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is a safe, effective, and time-efficient means of MRI-guided tissue sampling.

Position of clip placement after vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: is a unilateral two-view postbiopsy mammogram necessary?

The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of current methods of determining clip location (immediate stereotactic images versus postprocedure two-view mammograms) after stereotactic-guided, vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB). Retrospective review was made of 101 lesions for which a localizing clip was placed during stereotactic VABB. Clip-to-lesion distances were measured by 1) stereotactic images (x, y, and z coordinates), and 2) postbiopsy two-view mammograms compared to prebiopsy two-view mammograms. The mean clip-to-lesion distance was 5.7 mm from stereotactic images, while the mean clip-to-lesion distances were 3.6 and 9.4 mm from same-view and orthogonal-view mammogram measurements, respectively. Stereotactic coordinate measurements compared to orthogonal-view mammogram clip-to-lesion measurements showed a significant difference (p < 0.001), as did the same-view mammogram compared to both stereotactic images and orthogonal-view mammogram (p < 0.001). The number of clips found to be less than 20 mm from the lesion (defined as clinically significant) was significantly higher for measurements from orthogonal-view mammograms (n = 19) compared to both stereotactic images (n = 0) and same-view mammograms (n = 5) (p < 0.001). Determination of clip location based on stereotactic images significantly underestimated the clip-to-lesion distance. Stereotactic images obtained at the conclusion of clip placement during VABB are not reliable in determining clip location relative to the targeted lesion. Although stereotactic images can confirm deployment of the clip, a two-view postbiopsy mammogram is necessary to determine clip location relative to the targeted lesion.