ABSTRACT
Background: Knowledge of pediatric COVID-19 is important to determine those at risk for severe disease and mortality. There is limited data on risk factors for development of severe disease and predictors of mortality amongst children with COVID-19, especially from the developing nations. We aimed to study the profile, risk factors for severe COVID-19 and predictors of mortality in children with laboratory confirmed COVID-19.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from April to September 2020 in the Department of Pediatrics of a referral COVID-care hospital in Northern-India. All children 1 month to 18 years of age, hospitalized in the Pediatrics Department and having a positive Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 infection on their combined oro-nasopharyngeal swab were enrolled.Results: A total of 335 SARS-CoV-2 positive children were enrolled with median age of 6 years, slight male predominance (54%) and 24.4% infants. Commonest presentations were respiratory (47.7%), gastrointestinal (33.3%) and neurological (14.9%) with moderate/severe disease in 24%, mortality in 4.8%, co-morbidities in 20.5% and co-infections in 17.9%. Risk factors for severe disease were underlying co-infection (p=0.017), associated tuberculosis (p=0.0015), associated culture positive bacterial sepsis (p=<0.001) and being underweight (p<0.001). Overweight/obese children had less severe COVID-19 (p=0.0016). Predictors of mortality were co-infections (p=0.0019), hypoxia (p<0.001), neurological manifestations (p=0.016), acute respiratory distress syndrome (p<0.001), acute kidney injury (p=0.05), shock (p<0.001), thrombocytopenia (p=0.021), leucopenia (p=0.028), lymphopenia (p=0.021), high Neutrophil:Lymphocyte ratio (p=0.02), coagulopathy (p=0.02), azotemia (p=0.038) and raised creatinine (p=0.05).Conclusions: Children with identified risk factors for severe disease and mortality should receive prioritized treatment.
ABSTRACT
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel), the first cell-based gene therapy for adult and pediatric patients with ?-thalassemia in August, 2022. This update details this and other novel therapies that have emerged in the treatment of ?-thalassemia, apart from transfusion and iron chelation, with particular focus on newly approved gene therapy
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The primary objective was to determine the association between beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) gene polymorphism (rs1042713, c.46A>G, p.Arg16Gly) and the response to inhaled salbutamol in North Indian children aged 5 to 15 years, with mild to moderate exacerbation of asthma. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary-care hospital in Northern India from June 2011 to May 2013. 120 children with asthma with mild to moderate exacerbation underwent spirometry at baseline and after administration of three doses of salbutamol. An increase in FEV1 ³15% was considered as positive response. Blood samples from these children were analysed for ADRB2 polymorphism (p.Arg16Gly). 94 non-asthmatic adult controls were also studied to determine the prevalence of ADRB2 polymorphism. Results: In asthmatic children, the frequency of AA, GG, AG genotypes were 24.2%, 24.2% and 51.7% compared to 20.2%, 20.2 % and 59.6%, respectively in the non-asthmatic adults. Salbutamol responsiveness showed no correlation with the studied ADRB2 polymorphism (p= 0.55). A trend towards greater bronchodilator responsiveness amongst AA genotype, compared to GG genotype was observed (Median change in percent predicted FEV1 14.5% and 7.5%, respectively). Conclusions: No correlation was found between salbutamol responsiveness and ADRB2 genotype in Northern Indian children with asthma with mild-to moderate exacerbation.