A fatal course of COVID-19 during the Omicron surge: can you estimate your patients' SARS-CoV-2 immune status?

We present a case of an ultimately fatal course of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) in an 81-year-old female patient during the Omicron surge. The patient did not represent the typical patient at risk for severe COVID-19 with significant causes of immunodeficiency. However, she had been skeptical about the vaccination for severe acute respiratory syndrome virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and had refused it. Moreover, there had been no previous COVID-19 episodes. Our case report illustrates that with regard to SARS-CoV-2, immunologically naive patients are still at risk for severe and/or even fatal courses of COVID-19. We call to implement both, recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations as well as for antiviral treatment.

Acute kidney injury and tools for risk-stratification in 456 patients with hantavirus-induced nephropathia epidemica.

BACKGROUND: Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most common species of hantavirus in Central Europe. Nephropathia epidemica (NE), caused by PUUV, is characterized by acute kidney injury (AKI) and thrombocytopenia. The major goals of this study were to provide a clear clinical phenotyping of AKI in patients with NE and to develop an easy prediction rule to identify patients, who are at lower risk to develop severe AKI. METHODS: A cross-sectional prospective survey of 456 adult patients with serologically confirmed NE was performed. Data were collected from medical records and prospectively at follow-up visit. Severe AKI was defined by standard criteria according to the RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage kidney disease) classification. Fuller statistical models were developed and validated to estimate the probability for severe AKI. RESULTS: During acute NE, 88% of the patients had AKI according to the RILFE criteria during acute NE. A risk index score for severe AKI was derived by using three independent risk factors in patients with normal kidney function at time of diagnosis: thrombocytopenia [two points; odds ratios (OR): 3.77; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.82, 8.03], elevated C-reactive protein levels (one point; OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.42, 6.58) and proteinuria (one point; OR: 3.92; 95% CI: 1.33, 13.35). On the basis of a point score of one or two, the probability of severe AKI was 0.18 and 0.28 with an area under the curve of 0.71. CONCLUSION: This clinical prediction rule provides a novel and diagnostically accurate strategy for the potential prevention and improved management of kidney complications in patients with NE and, ultimately, for a possible decrease in unnecessary hospitalization in a high number of patients.

Predictors of a severe course and mortality in patients with COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: Severe and critical forms of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Numerous research studies have been conducted around the world to investigate various variables (demographic, clinical, laboratory, etc.) in an attempt to understand the relationships between them and the course and outcome of patients with COVID-19 infection and pneumonia.

The Predictive Performance of Risk Scores for the Outcome of COVID-19 in a 2-Year Swiss Cohort.

Various scoring systems are available for COVID-19 risk stratification. This study aimed to validate their performance in predicting severe COVID-19 course in a large, heterogeneous Swiss cohort. Scores like the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), CURB-65, 4C mortality score (4C), Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology score (COVID-SEIMC), and COVID Intubation Risk Score (COVID-IRS) were assessed in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. Predictive accuracy for severe course (defined as all-cause in-hospital death or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV)) was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC). The new 'COVID-COMBI' score, combining parameters from the top two scores, was also validated. This study included 1,051 patients (mean age 65 years, 60% male), with 162 (15%) experiencing severe course. Among the established scores, 4C had the best accuracy for predicting severe course (AUC 0.76), followed by COVID-IRS (AUC 0.72). COVID-COMBI showed significantly higher accuracy than all established scores (AUC 0.79, p = 0.001). For predicting in-hospital death, 4C performed best (AUC 0.83), and, for IMV, COVID-IRS performed best (AUC 0.78). The 4C and COVID-IRS scores were robust predictors of severe COVID-19 course, while the new COVID-COMBI showed significantly improved accuracy but requires further validation.

COVID-19 vaccine booster significantly decreases the risk of intensive care unit hospitalization in heart failure patients during the Omicron variant wave: A population-based study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) patients are at higher risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Omicron variant has many novel mutations including those in the spike protein, leading to questions about vaccine effectiveness. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine with or without a booster (i.e., after the third dose) during the Omicron variant wave. Methods: Chronic heart failure patients in the Czech Republic were included in the analysis. COVID-19 infection was monitored from January 1st 2022 to March 31st 2022. The analysis was conducted on data collected in the National Health Information System. Vaccine effectiveness of vaccinated (with or without booster) vs. unvaccinated patients was analyzed for incidence of COVID-19, COVID-19-related hospitalizations, COVID-19 related intensive care unit admissions, and COVID-19 related mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment. Findings: From a total 165,453 HF patients in the Czech Republic, 9,728 contracted COVID-19 (22.9% of them not vaccinated, 23.2% vaccinated and 53.8% vaccinated and boosted). Risk of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization was 7.6% in the unvaccinated group, 4.8% in the vaccinated group and 2.9% in the boosted group. The calculated effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in prevention of ICU hospitalization in the vaccinated group was 41.9 and 76.6% in the boosted group. Interpretation: The results demonstrated moderate vaccine effectiveness in the prevention of severe COVID-19 in vaccinated but not boosted HF patients. Much stronger effectiveness was found in those who were vaccinated and boosted.

Lethal human metavirus pneumonia in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) causes a flu-like disease in humans. Most infections occur in early childhood, but reinfections during life are common. The clinical course of these infections are usually mild and do not require hospitalization. However, this is not the case for older and/or comorbid patients, especially if lymphoma is a concurrent disease. Here, we report on a case of an 81-year-old man, who suffered from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. During the first coronavirus disease (COVID) wave, he was admitted to the emergency department with respiratory symptoms. Initially, he was suspected as having SARS-CoV­2 infection, but a broad diagnostic approach revealed a HMPV infection. The patient showed remarkable, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and worsened within a few days. Consequently, he had to be admitted to the intensive care unit, where he was mechanically ventilated. Clinically, the patient worsened further and died on day 5 after admission. Severe HMPV infections are rare. However, patients suffering from hematological diseases are at high risk, which is exemplified in this case report.

How many adults with temporal epilepsy have a mild course and do not require epilepsy surgery?

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults and commonly requires surgical treatment. While an overwhelming preponderance of literature supports the notion that a large percentage of patients with TLE benefit from surgery, there is a paucity of outcome data on patients who demonstrate a sustained response to pharmacological treatment. In this study, we present an adult cohort of patients with TLE, with the purpose of identifying the proportion of patients with a mild course of the disease, as well as potential risk factors. A prospective cohort study of all patients with TLE assessed and followed by the Saskatchewan Epilepsy Program, from 1 March 2007 to Jan 29(th) 2014. Patients were dichotomized as having a mild (seizure freedom without surgical intervention) or severe (surgical intervention required and/or failure to achieve seizure remission) course. Descriptive statistics, odds ratios and confidence intervals were calculated to identify predictors of seizure freedom. The cohort consisted of 159 patients. Mean patient age at last follow-up visit was 46±14.4 (range: 19-88) years. Mean follow-up period was 43.4±22.6 (6 to 84) months. Forty-six patients (29%) demonstrated mild-course TLE while 113 (71%) had a severe course of TLE. Patients with a mild course of TLE were more likely to be older (p = 0.002), have late-onset epilepsy (p < 0.001) with shorter evolution (p < 0.001). A good response to the first antiepileptic drug (OR: 6.8; 95% CI: 2.5-19; p < 0.001) was associated with a mild course of TLE. Although a majority of patients with TLE eventually require surgery, operative treatment is not necessary for all patients. This study identifies prognostic factors that may help patients and clinicians characterize long-term outcome.

New Niemann-Pick type C1 gene mutation associated with very severe disease course and marked early cerebellar vermis atrophy.

Niemann-Pick type C is an autosomal recessive lipid storage disease caused by mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2 gene. In childhood-onset Niemann-Pick type C, the usual course is slowly progressive, with normal cerebral magnetic resonance at onset. Here the authors present the case of a patient carrying 2 compound heterozygous NPC1 mutations: the known nonsense mutation (p.Trp833X) in exon 16 and a novel missense mutation (p.Ile609Phe) in exon 12. At onset, the patient presented ataxia, cognitive decline, and epilepsy, with early cerebral atrophy and marked cerebellar vermis atrophy. The course of the disease was rapid, and the patient died within 1-2 years of onset. A possible phenotype-genotype correlation is discussed. This case further expands the clinical spectrum and the genetic heterogeneity of Niemann-Pick type C due to NPC1 mutations.