RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the demographic and clinical features of pediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) syndromes and identify admission variables predictive of disease severity. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, and prospective study of pediatric patients hospitalized with acute SARS-CoV-2 infections and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) at 8 sites in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. RESULTS: We identified 281 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections and divided them into 3 groups based on clinical features. Overall, 143 (51%) had respiratory disease, 69 (25%) had MIS-C, and 69 (25%) had other manifestations including gastrointestinal illness or fever. Patients with MIS-C were more likely to identify as non-Hispanic black compared with patients with respiratory disease (35% vs 18%, P = .02). Seven patients (2%) died and 114 (41%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. In multivariable analyses, obesity (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.26-9.10, P = .02) and hypoxia on admission (OR 4.01; 95% CI 1.14-14.15; P = .03) were predictive of severe respiratory disease. Lower absolute lymphocyte count (OR 8.33 per unit decrease in 109 cells/L, 95% CI 2.32-33.33, P = .001) and greater C-reactive protein (OR 1.06 per unit increase in mg/dL, 95% CI 1.01-1.12, P = .017) were predictive of severe MIS-C. Race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status were not predictive of disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: We identified variables at the time of hospitalization that may help predict the development of severe SARS-CoV-2 disease manifestations in children and youth. These variables may have implications for future prognostic tools that inform hospital admission and clinical management.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19/epidemiología , Hospitalización , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Síndrome de Respuesta Inflamatoria Sistémica/epidemiología , Adolescente , Biomarcadores/análisis , Proteína C-Reactiva/análisis , COVID-19/sangre , Niño , Preescolar , Connecticut/epidemiología , Femenino , Humanos , Hipoxia/epidemiología , Lactante , Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos , Recuento de Linfocitos , Masculino , Análisis Multivariante , New Jersey/epidemiología , New York/epidemiología , Obesidad Infantil/epidemiología , Polipéptido alfa Relacionado con Calcitonina/sangre , Estudios Prospectivos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Síndrome de Respuesta Inflamatoria Sistémica/sangre , Troponina/sangre , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical profiles and risk factors for critical illness in hospitalized children and adolescents with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). STUDY DESIGN: Children 1 month to 21 years of age with COVID-19 from a single tertiary care children's hospital between March 15 and April 13, 2020 were included. Demographic and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: In total, 67 children tested positive for COVID-19; 21 (31.3%) were managed as outpatients. Of 46 admitted patients, 33 (72%) were admitted to the general pediatric medical unit and 13 (28%) to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Obesity and asthma were highly prevalent but not significantly associated with PICU admission (P = .99). Admission to the PICU was significantly associated with higher C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and pro-B type natriuretic peptide levels and platelet counts (P < .05 for all). Patients in the PICU were more likely to require high-flow nasal cannula (P = .0001) and were more likely to have received Remdesivir through compassionate release (P < .05). Severe sepsis and septic shock syndromes were observed in 7 (53.8%) patients in the PICU. Acute respiratory distress syndrome was observed in 10 (77%) PICU patients, 6 of whom (46.2%) required invasive mechanical ventilation for a median of 9 days. Of the 13 patients in the PICU, 8 (61.5%) were discharged home, and 4 (30.7%) patients remain hospitalized on ventilatory support at day 14. One patient died after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy because of metastatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a higher than previously recognized rate of severe disease requiring PICU admission in pediatric patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19.
Asunto(s)
Betacoronavirus , Infecciones por Coronavirus/epidemiología , Enfermedad Crítica , Hospitalización , Unidades de Cuidado Intensivo Pediátrico/estadística & datos numéricos , Neumonía Viral/epidemiología , Adenosina Monofosfato/análogos & derivados , Adenosina Monofosfato/uso terapéutico , Adolescente , Alanina/análogos & derivados , Alanina/uso terapéutico , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Asma/epidemiología , Nitrógeno de la Urea Sanguínea , Proteína C-Reactiva/análisis , COVID-19 , Niño , Preescolar , Infecciones por Coronavirus/sangre , Infecciones por Coronavirus/tratamiento farmacológico , Creatinina/sangre , Disnea/virología , Femenino , Hospitales Pediátricos , Humanos , Lactante , Recién Nacido , Masculino , Péptido Natriurético Encefálico/sangre , Ciudad de Nueva York/epidemiología , Pandemias , Obesidad Infantil/epidemiología , Recuento de Plaquetas , Neumonía Viral/sangre , Neumonía Viral/tratamiento farmacológico , Polipéptido alfa Relacionado con Calcitonina/sangre , Respiración Artificial/estadística & datos numéricos , Estudios Retrospectivos , SARS-CoV-2 , Sepsis/epidemiología , Choque Séptico/epidemiología , Centros de Atención Terciaria , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Molecules composed of beta-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and deacetylated glucosamine units play key roles as surface constituents of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. GlcNAc is the monomeric unit of chitin and chitooligomers, which participate in the connection of capsular polysaccharides to the cryptococcal cell wall. In the present study, we evaluated the role of GlcNAc-containing structures in the assembly of the cryptococcal capsule. The in vivo expression of chitooligomers in C. neoformans varied depending on the infected tissue, as inferred from the differential reactivity of yeast forms to the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in infected brain and lungs of rats. Chromatographic and dynamic light-scattering analyses demonstrated that glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), the major cryptococcal capsular component, interacts with chitin and chitooligomers. When added to C. neoformans cultures, chitooligomers formed soluble complexes with GXM and interfered in capsular assembly, as manifested by aberrant capsules with defective connections with the cell wall and no reactivity with a monoclonal antibody to GXM. Cultivation of C. neoformans in the presence of an inhibitor of glucosamine 6-phosphate synthase resulted in altered expression of cell wall chitin. These cells formed capsules that were loosely connected to the cryptococcal wall and contained fibers with decreased diameters and altered monosaccharide composition. These results contribute to our understanding of the role played by chitin and chitooligosaccharides on the cryptococcal capsular structure, broadening the functional activities attributed to GlcNAc-containing structures in this biological system.