RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The impact of long-term Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the pediatric population is still not well understood. This study was designed to estimate the magnitude of COVID-19 long-term morbidity 3-6 months after the date of diagnosis. METHODS: A retrospective study of all Clalit Health Services members in Israel aged 1-16 years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Controls, who had no previous diagnosis of COVID-19, were one-to-one matched to 65,548 COVID-19-positive children and teens, and were assigned the infection dates of their matches as their index date. Matching included age, sex, socio-economic score, and societal sector. Individuals were excluded from the study if they had severe medical conditions before the diagnosis such as cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and/or abnormal physiological development. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate the associations between COVID-19 and the use of medical services. The analysis focused on the 3-6 months after the infection date. Adjustments were made for demographics and for the use of medical services 6-12 and 3-6 months before the infection date. The latter was necessary because of observed disparities in medical service utilization between the groups before the COVID-19 diagnosis, despite the matching process. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were only found for referrals for mental health services [adjusted relative-risk (RR) 1·51, 95%CI 1·15 - 1·96; adjusted risk-difference (RD) 0·001, 95%CI 0·0006 - 0·002], and medication prescriptions of any kind (RR 1·03, 95%CI 1·01-1·06; RD 0·01 95%CI 0·004 - 0·02). CONCLUSIONS: The significant increase in medication prescriptions and mental health service referrals support the hypothesis that COVID-19 is associated with long-lasting morbidities in children and adolescents aged 1-16 years. However, the risk difference in both instances was small, suggesting a minor impact on medical services.
RESUMO
Endocarditis is an uncommon presentation of Kingella kingae infection in children. A previously healthy 17 month old child was referred to our emergency department for evaluation of fever lasting eleven days, aphthous stomatitis and a new systolic murmur. Within a few hours of admission, antibiotic therapy was initiated for a presumptive diagnosis of bacteremia and within 24 hours after admission, gram negative coccobacilli were growing in the blood culture. In addition, echocardiography demonstrated a mycotic aneurysm of the ascending aorta with a mobile vegetation. The presumptive diagnosis of Kingella kingae endocarditis was made. Further evaluation by MRI revealed frontal and occipital cerebral infarcts. Due to the presence of presumed septic emboli in conjunction with progressive left ventricular dysfunction, the child was urgently taken to the operating room where aggressive debridement of the infected tissue was performed and the aortic aneurysm was repaired. The patient had an uneventful post-operative course. This case emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion when evaluating children with community acquired infection. In addition, it also demonstrates the importance of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of K. kingae endocarditis.
