COVID-19 among children seeking primary paediatric care with signs of an acute infection.

AIM: It can be challenging to distinguish COVID-19 in children from other common infections. We set out to determine the rate at which children consulting a primary care paediatrician with an acute infection are infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to compare distinct findings. METHOD: In seven out-patient clinics, children aged 0-13 years with any new respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms and presumed infection were invited to be tested for SARS-CoV-2. Factors that were correlated with testing positive were determined. Samples were collected from 25 January 2021 to 01 April 2021. RESULTS: Seven hundred and eighty-three children participated in the study (median age 3 years and 0 months, range 1 month to 12 years and 11 months). Three hundred and fifty-eight were female (45.7%). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 19 (2.4%). The most common symptoms in children with as well as without detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA were rhinitis, fever and cough. Known recent exposure to a case of COVID-19 was significantly correlated with testing positive, but symptoms or clinical findings were not. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 among the children with symptoms of an acute infection was uncommon, and the clinical presentation did not differ significantly between children with and without evidence of an infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Update in postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans.

Postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PiBO) is a rare and severe form of chronic obstructive lung disease caused by an infectious injury to the lower respiratory tract. The most commonly recognized inciting stimuli leading to PiBO are airway pathogens, such as adenovirus and Mycoplasma. PiBO is characterized by persistent and nonreversible airway obstruction, with functional and radiological evidence of small airway involvement. The literature has limited information on the aetiology, clinical profile, treatment, and outcome of PiBO.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Lessons from a randomized controlled trial in children.

INTRODUCTION: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in children is a severe interstitial lung disease and potentially, a chronic condition, if not treated appropriately. No evidence-based guidelines are available; in particular, the role of systemic glucocorticoid therapy is unclear. METHODS: The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multi-center, phase II trial in pediatric HP was to assess the outcome of HP in children after 6 months of treatment and to compare 3 months of treatment with oral prednisolone or placebo. RESULTS: After 1.5 years and the inclusion of only four children, we terminated the study prematurely. Two of the children randomized to prednisolone did not achieve the predefined response of FVC to normal. One child treated with placebo recovered to normal, similar to another child treated with prednisolone. All children treated with steroids developed drug-related side effects. DISCUSSION: This uncompleted study illustrates the urgent medical need for evidence-based treatment protocols for this condition. We discuss the hurdles which were specific for completion of this trial in a rare condition. Among other options, we suggest the inclusion of children into an all-age study of HP, as in adults the same questions are unanswered.