Severe Fatal ARDS Due to Untreated Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis in a 67-Year-Old Man: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Anaplasmosis, or human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is a tick-borne diseased caused by a gram-negative, intracellular bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. HGA usually presents with mild symptoms but can be more severe. This report describes a 67-year-old male resident of rural Pennsylvania, admitted to the hospital after a fall, who developed fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) following transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by a tick bite (Ixodes scapularis). CASE REPORT A 67-year-old man, resident of rural Pennsylvania, with history of diabetes mellitus, presented after falling from a 7-foot-tall ladder, sustaining right-sided hemopneumothorax, multiple right rib fractures, and unstable T12 vertebra fracture. He required tube thoracostomy and underwent T9-L2 posterior spinal fusion surgery. His initial labs showed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated transaminase levels. His course was complicated by cardiac arrest and acute respiratory failure, consistent with severe ARDS. He received high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation, prone positioning, and neuromuscular paralysis to improve refractory hypoxemia. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for bacterial, fungal, viral pathogens, Covid-19, respiratory viral panel, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Chlamydia pneumoniae were negative. his family withdrew medical care, knowing the patient's own wishes, and the patient died. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Anaplasma DNA came back positive after the patient's death. His peripheral smear was then examined, showing morulae inside the cytoplasm of infected neutrophils.   CONCLUSIONS This report describes the atypical presentation of a case of HGA and highlights that in parts of the world where tick-borne diseases are endemic, disease awareness, high index of clinical suspicion, and early diagnosis and management are required.

Race- and Neighborhood-Related Disparities Spanning the COVID-19 Pandemic: Trajectories of Combined Glycemic Control and BMI in Youth With Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To use combined glycemic (HbA1c) and BMI z-score (BMIZ) trajectories spanning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to identify high-risk subgroups of adolescents with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort of adolescents 10-19 years old with type 1 and type 2 diabetes with one or more visits at a large pediatric hospital from January 2018 through February 2020 (prepandemic) and April 2020 through August 2021 (pandemic). Group-based trajectory models were used to identify latent classes of combined BMIZ and HbA1c trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate predictors of class membership, including Area Deprivation Index (ADI) (socioeconomic status proxy). RESULTS: The cohort included 1,322 youth with type 1 diabetes (93% White and 7% Black) and 59 with type 2 diabetes (53% Black and 47% White). For type 1 diabetes, six trajectory classes emerged. Black youth were more likely to be in the class with worsening glycemic control and concurrent BMIZ decrease at pandemic onset (relative risk ratio [RRR] vs. White: 3.0 [95% CI 1.3-6.8]) or in the class with progressively worsening glycemic control and obesity (RRR 3.0 [95% CI 1.3-6.8]), while those from the most deprived neighborhoods (RRR ADI tertile 3 vs. 1: 1.9 [95% CI 1.2-2.9]) were more likely to be in the class with stable obesity and glycemic control. For type 2 diabetes, three distinct trajectories emerged, two of which experienced worsening glycemic control with concurrent BMIZ decline at pandemic onset. CONCLUSIONS: Race and neighborhood deprivation were independently associated with distinct glycemic and BMIZ trajectory classes in youth with diabetes, highlighting persistent and widening disparities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.