Lost at Sea in Search of a Diagnosis: A Case of Unexplained Bleeding.

Scurvy results from a dietary deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and is rarely thought of in modern day medicine. It now almost always occurs in pediatric patients with behavioral diagnoses, nutritionally restricted diets, and food allergies. Symptoms of scurvy include ecchymoses, bleeding gums, and arthralgias. Here, we present a 17-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder and a diet severely deficient in ascorbic acid due to textural aversion and food preferences. He presented with recurrent arthritis, hemarthrosis, bruising, and anemia. His vitamin C level was low, and his symptoms improved promptly after treatment with ascorbic acid.

Management and outcomes in secondary diabetes among pediatric patients hospitalized with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

OBJECTIVES: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening disorder marked by massive cytokine release from macrophage and T-cell activation. Hallmarks include fever, splenomegaly, cytopenias, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogemia, and elevations in ferritin and soluble IL-2 receptor. Given the association of HLH with inflammation and glucocorticoid therapy, the development of hyperglycemia is not unexpected. Descriptions of the prevalence of secondary diabetes in youth diagnosed with HLH are lacking. METHODS: Retrospective review from 2010 through 2019 of hospitalized youth 0-21 years diagnosed with HLH. The primary outcome of interest was the development of secondary diabetes, defined as a serum glucose 200 mg/dL or higher necessitating insulin therapy. RESULTS: Of 28 patients with HLH, 36 % (n=10) developed secondary diabetes. The only risk factor associated with secondary diabetes was an infectious cause of HLH (60 % vs. 27.8 %, p 0.041). Intravenous regular insulin was used in 80 % of patients with a mean duration of 9.5 days (2-24 days). Most (70 %) needed insulin within 5 days of starting steroids. Stays in the ICU were longer (median 20 vs. 3 days, p 0.007) and intubation more likely (90 vs. 45 %, p 0.041) among those with secondary diabetes. Mortality was high (16-30 %) regardless of insulin use (p 0.634). CONCLUSIONS: One-third of hospitalized pediatric patients with HLH developed secondary diabetes requiring insulin therapy. Insulin is typically started within 5 days of initiating steroids, limited to IV infusions, and often is not needed by discharge. Secondary diabetes was associated with longer ICU stays and heightened risk of intubation.

Primary thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized children: A multi-center retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hospital acquired venous thromboembolism in children is associated with significant morbidity/mortality. Prevention strategies include sequential compression devices and prophylactic anticoagulation but these interventions carry risk and are poorly studied in children. Objectives were to evaluate primary thromboprophylaxis use in hospitalized children over time and the associated bleeding risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of hospitalized patients aged 10-18 years within the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database from January 2008-September 2015. Factors associated with thromboprophylaxis receipt and bleeding were identified using generalized linear mixed effects models. RESULTS: Of 1,075,383 hospitalizations, 10,544 (1%) received prophylactic enoxaparin and 58,768 (5%) received mechanical compression. Mechanical thromboprophylaxis increased slightly over time (4.3% in 2008, 6.2% in 2015), enoxaparin use did not (0.8% in 2008, 1.2% in 2015). Patients aged 16-18 were more likely than younger children (10-12) to receive pharmacologic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-3.3) or mechanical thromboprophylaxis (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 2.9-3). Patients on rehabilitation medical service were more likely to receive prophylactic enoxaparin (aOR 53, 95% CI 44.1-64.5). 5.6% (589/10,544) of patients receiving enoxaparin prophylaxis had bleeding. Thromboprophylaxis use by hospital varied with a range of 0.25-3.3% for enoxaparin and 2-26.2% for mechanical compression. CONCLUSION: Thromboprophylaxis is infrequently utilized in hospitalized children. Pharmacologic prophylaxis with enoxaparin remains low and has not substantially increased over time. Significant variability exists across hospitals and services in the administration of both mechanical and pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis highlighting the need for further evidence to standardize practice.