RESUMO
Background: Functional Somatic Disorders (FSDs) are characterized by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be explained by other somatic or psychiatric conditions. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a non-allergic FSD characterized by odour intolerance and various somatic symptoms being attributed to the influence of toxic environmental chemicals in low, usually harmless doses. The pathophysiology of FSDs are still not clear. Smell and taste complaints were also among the notable symptoms characterizing the covid epidemic and the latest evidence suggests overlaps between long COVID and FSDs. Method(s): The study includes advanced analysis of MRI-derived functional and structural connectomes acquired on a 3 T MR scanner. Furthermore, it includes questionnaires and paraclinical tests, e.g. the Sniffin' Stick olfactory test, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Sino-Nasal Outcome test 22. The pilot part of the project included 6 MCS patients who were compared with 6 matched healthy participants. Later follow-up included analysis of 8 multiorgan FSD and 4 post-COVID patients. Result(s): The MCS group showed important brain structural connectivity differences in 34 tracts. Notably, for MCS patients, the olfactory cortex (especially in the right hemisphere) showed decreased connectivity with regions in the emotional system. Conclusion(s): We plan to extend these findings with whole-brain modelling of the functional connectivity in the patient groups. Long-term this could be used as a 'fingerprint' which could help with diagnosis and treatment monitoring in FSDs as well as with new diagnoses such as long-COVID.Copyright © 2023
RESUMO
Background It is not known whether children born very preterm have an increased risk of severe symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) relates to more severe sympto-matology. We aimed to describe the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the severity of symptoms in a sample of children with and without BPD born at a gestational age below 32 weeks, between 2006 and 2019 in the Zurich area, in comparison to their siblings born at term (≥ 37 weeks). Methods Parents were invited to complete an online survey for their preterm child as well as for a term sibling of similar age, between May 2021 and January 2022. The survey included questions about SARS-CoV-2 confirmed infec-tion, symptoms and treatment. Results The survey was completed for 654 preterm children (270 with prior BPD) and for 189 term children aged 2 to 15 years. 28 (7%) preterm children without BPD, 15 (6%) preterm children with BPD and 22 (12%) term chil-dren were infected by SARS-CoV-2. Out of the infected, the proportion of children with respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, shortness of breath) was higher in premature children with BPD (67%), than in preterm children without BPD (25%) and slightly higher than in those born at term (59%). In all groups, the majority of children had only mild symptoms. No child had to be hospitalised and only one preterm child with BPD required oxygen. Conclusion Very preterm children with BPD may be more likely to experience respir-atory symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, similar to chil-dren born at term, most very preterm children with and without BPD de-veloped mild symptoms only.
RESUMO
The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda calls for health data to be disaggregated by age. However, age groupings used to record and report health data vary greatly, hindering the harmonisation, comparability, and usefulness of these data, within and across countries. This variability has become especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was an urgent need for rapid cross-country analyses of epidemiological patterns by age to direct public health action, but such analyses were limited by the lack of standard age categories. In this Personal View, we propose a recommended set of age groupings to address this issue. These groupings are informed by age-specific patterns of morbidity, mortality, and health risks, and by opportunities for prevention and disease intervention. We recommend age groupings of 5 years for all health data, except for those younger than 5 years, during which time there are rapid biological and physiological changes that justify a finer disaggregation. Although the focus of this Personal View is on the standardisation of the analysis and display of age groups, we also outline the challenges faced in collecting data on exact age, especially for health facilities and surveillance data. The proposed age disaggregation should facilitate targeted, age-specific policies and actions for health care and disease management.