Evaluation of anti-COVID-19 measures taken by the parents of children with celiac disease: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes negative life changes brought about through lockdowns, in addition to severe complications and death. Among these changes, asplenism or hyposplenism has been reported in patients with celiac disease. It has been reported that the risk of pneumococcal sepsis is higher in celiac patients with hyposplenism. Moreover, celiac patients present high risk of admission to hospital due to influenza. OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of awareness of COVID-19 among parents of children with celiac disease and examine the measures that they take. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at a university hospital in the Middle Anatolian region of Turkey. METHODS: The diagnosis of celiac disease was confirmed through a survey conducted online among 73 parents between May and July 2020. RESULTS: The mean age was 37.57 ± 6.56 years for the mothers, 41.15 ± 5.56 years for the fathers and 11.36 ± 4.36 years for the children. 90.4% of the parents reported that COVID-19 was transmitted through "speaking, coughing, sneezing and infection of the face after contact with virus-infected surfaces". Moreover, 78.1% indicated that they did not have any difficulty in finding gluten-free foods. CONCLUSION: These parents of children with celiac disease believed that their children's risk of developing COVID-19 did not differ from that of healthy children. It was also observed that appetite and states of nervousness were higher among these children with celiac disease during lockdowns and that their sleep patterns were affected.

Epidemiología de dermatosis pediátricas en la región centro-occidental de Anatolia en Turquía / Epidemiology of pediatric skin diseases in the mid-western anatolian region of Turkey

Antecedentes. El campo de la dermatología pediátrica ha ganado relevancia con el aumento de la cantidad de pacientes pediátricos y la discrepancia de las dermatosis respecto de las presentaciones en adultos. Nuestro objetivo fue describir la frecuencia y la distribución de las dermatosis pediátricas, los procedimientos de diagnóstico y los tratamientos indicados. Métodos. Estudio epidemiológico transversal. Se recolectaron datos acerca de los patrones diagnósticos, los métodos diagnósticos y las modalidades de tratamiento en las consultas ambulatorias de dermatología pediátrica a lo largo de 18 meses. Resultados. Los diagnósticos más prevalentes fueron las enfermedades infecciosas (27,9%), incluidas las verrugas virales (17,5%), seguidas de acné o enfermedades acneiformes (19,9%) y alergias (14,5%). Entre las pruebas diagnósticas, fue necesario realizar exámenes histopatológicos en el 5,2% de los casos, en general para diagnosticar lesiones inflamatorias y tumorales. En la mayoría de los casos, se emplearon tratamientos tópicos (49,3%), seguidos por tratamientos sistémicos (32,4%). Conclusiones. Las verrugas virales representaron las dermatosis más frecuentes, y es importante que la salud pública incorpore medidas preventivas contra la transmisión del VPH en los niños.

Background: The field of pediatric dermatology has gained importance with the increment of pediatric patients and the discrepancy of their skin diseases with the adult versions. We aimed to describe frequency and distribution of pediatric skin diseases, and the diagnostic procedures and treatments prescribed. Methods: Cross-sectional epidemiological study. We collected data about diagnostic patterns, diagnostic methods and treatment modalities in pediatric dermatology outpatient clinic visits over 18 months. Results: Infectious diseases (27.9%) and among them viral warts (17.5%) were the most prevalent diagnoses, followed by acne-acneiform diseases (19.9%) and allergic diseases (14.5%). Among the diagnostic tests histopathology was required in 5.2%, usually to diagnose inflammatory and tumoral lesions. Topical treatments (49.3%) were followed by systemic treatments (32.4%) in majority of cases. Conclusions: Viral warts were among the most common dermatoses, and preventive measures for HPV transmission should become important part of public health efforts in children.