Blood eosinophilia is associated with unfavorable hospitalization outcomes in children with bronchiolitis

The Epidemiology of Annular Pancreas in the United States: A Population-based Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Annular pancreas is a rare congenital condition where the second part of the duodenum is encircled by pancreatic tissue. There is a scarcity of data on its natural history therefore, we aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of annular pancreas and identify underlying associations using a large database.

METHODS

A multi-institutional database (Explorys) was surveyed. A cohort of patients with a Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms diagnosis of "MRI, CT, EUS and/or ERCP" between April 2015 and April 2020 was identified. Subsequently a cohort of patients with history of "annular pancreas" was identified.

RESULTS

There were a total of 40,075,980 individuals in the database with 6,162,600 (15.38%) who had an magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and/or endoscopic ultrasound. There were 210 (3.4/100,000) had a diagnosis of annular pancreas. When compared with the control group, patients with annular pancreas were more likely to have a history of alcohol use, smoking, acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, gastritis, duodenitis, jaundice, and gastrointestinal outlet obstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the largest study evaluating the epidemiology of annular pancreas. We found the estimated prevalence rate of annular pancreas to be 3.4/100,000 in those who had abdominal imaging. Annular pancreas was more likely to be diagnosed in patients with symptoms pertaining to acute or chronic pancreatitis, biliary, and gastric outlet obstruction.

Eosinophilia during Hantavirus infection: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

There are emerging eosinophil-related considerations concerning viral infections. The role of eosinophils has poorly been evaluated during Hantavirus infection.

METHODS

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of eosinophilia (defined as an eosinophil count above 500 cells/mm³) during haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in a large cohort of patients, and to identify factors associated with eosinophilia.

RESULTS

Among 387 patients hospitalized for HFRS, 98 (25.3%) had eosinophilia. By univariate analysis, eosinophilia was significantly associated with more severe thrombocytopenia, high C-reactive protein level, white blood cell count and neutrophil count and lower nephrotoxic drug intake. As there was a collinearity between white blood cell count and C-reactive protein level, only C-reactive protein level with platelet count and nephrotoxic drug intake were entered in the multivariable analysis. Elevated C-reactive protein concentrations remained independently associated with eosinophilia.

CONCLUSION

Eosinophilia during HFRS affects one quarter of patients, and supports the role of eosinophils in antiviral immunity against hantavirus infection.

Blood eosinophils, specific immunoglobulin E, and bronchiolitis severity

BACKGROUND

Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization for United States infants. Blood eosinophil and serum specific IgE (sIgE) levels are separately linked to clinical severity but few studies have examined these biomarkers together.

OBJECTIVE

Among infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis, we investigated the association between (1) blood eosinophilia and severity, (2) sIgE sensitization and severity, and (3) interaction between the two biomarkers on severity.

METHODS

We enrolled 1016 infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis between 2011 and 2014 across 17 U.S. hospitals into a prospective cohort study. Of those, 873 (86%) had eosinophils measured and all had sIgE levels from blood collected at hospitalization. We investigated higher bronchiolitis severity using intensive care therapy as the outcome (i.e., intensive care unit admission, intubation, and/or receipt of continuous positive pressure ventilation).

RESULTS

Among 873 infants in the analytic cohort, 18% had blood eosinophilia of ≥3%, and 20% were positive for sIgE. With regard to bronchiolitis severity, 15% received intensive care therapy. In unadjusted analyses, eosinophils ≥3% was not associated with intensive care therapy, while sIgE was associated with a significantly higher risk (odds ratio [OR]: 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.92; p = .01). In a multivariable model for intensive care therapy, eosinophilia remained unassociated with severity, and sIgE remained associated (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.05-2.45; p = .03). Also, sIgE did not modify the association between eosinophil level and intensive care therapy (pinteraction  = .14).

CONCLUSION

Blood eosinophilia of ≥3% was not associated with bronchiolitis severity. By contrast, sIgE was independently associated with bronchiolitis severity and did not modify the association between eosinophil level and severity.

Immune biomarkers predicting bronchiolitis disease severity: A systematic review

Bronchiolitis is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in infancy, with highly variable clinical presentations ranging from mild disease safely managed at home to severe disease requiring invasive respiratory support. Identifying immune biomarkers that can predict and stratify this variable disease severity has important implications for clinical prognostication/disposition. A systematic literature search of the databases Embase, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library was performed. English language studies that assessed the association between an immune biomarker and bronchiolitis disease severity among children aged less than 24 months were included. 252 distinct biomarkers were identified across 90 studies. A substantial degree of heterogeneity was observed in the bronchiolitis definitions, measures of disease severity, and study designs. 99 biomarkers showed some significant association with disease severity, but only 18 were significant in multiple studies. However, all of these candidate biomarkers had comparable studies that reported conflicting results. Conclusion: The heterogeneity among included studies and the lack of a consistently significant biomarker highlight the need for consensus on bronchiolitis definitions and severity measures, as well as further studies assessing their clinical utility both in isolation and in combination.

Hyponatremia and Hypotonic Intravenous Fluids Are Associated With Unfavorable Outcomes of Bronchiolitis Admissions

OBJECTIVES

Hyponatremia has been associated with unfavorable outcomes when present at admission in children with bronchiolitis. Delayed hyponatremia may be a modifiable risk factor for severe disease that is influenced by intravenous fluid (IVF) tonicity. We hypothesized that both hyponatremia and prescription of severely hypotonic IVF are associated with unfavorable outcomes, and that prescription of severely hypotonic IVF is associated with subsequent hyponatremia.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively extracted for 1557 pediatric inpatients with bronchiolitis. Any day on which a subject was prescribed IVF with sodium <70 mEq/L was termed "IVF <70." All other days on which IVF was prescribed were termed "IVF ≥70." Any blood sodium ≤135 mEq/L defined hyponatremia for that day. All other days with sodium available were labeled normonatremia. Variables were compared with Spearman correlation, Wilcoxon rank test, or χ². Significant results had P < .05.

RESULTS

Blood sodium levels correlated negatively with hospital length of stay (r = -0.477, P < .0001). On each of the first 4 days of hospitalization, significantly increased hospital length of stay was observed in patients with hyponatremia (n = 134 [25.7% of subjects with available sodium data]) versus patients with normonatremia (n = 387 [74.3%]), and in patients prescribed IVF <70 (n = 348 [46.3% of subjects prescribed IVF]) versus patients prescribed IVF ≥70 (n = 403 [53.7%]). Patients prescribed IVF <70 had increased rates of hyponatremia on the subsequent day versus patients prescribed IVF ≥70 (50.0% vs 26.9%, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

In children hospitalized with bronchiolitis, hyponatremia may be a modifiable risk factor for severe disease that may be mitigated by avoiding use of severely hypotonic IVF.

Blood Eosinophil Count and Outcomes in Severe Uncontrolled Asthma: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) is associated with increased asthma exacerbations. Whether high blood eosinophil counts are related to this burden is uncertain.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the relationship of blood eosinophil counts to asthma exacerbations, utilization, and cost in patients with SUA.

METHODS

Patients with persistent asthma (age ≥ 12 years) were identified administratively with SUA in phase I by evidencing (1) 2 or more asthma exacerbations; (2) 6 or more medium- or high-dose dispensed canisters of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) as monotherapy or with long-acting β₂-agonist; and (3) 3 or more dispensed non-ICS controllers. Of the 541 patients with SUA invited to participate in the prospective phase II follow-up study, 261 (48.2%) had blood tests (index date) to determine eosinophil count and other atopic biomarkers. The relationship of blood eosinophil cutoff points to asthma exacerbations and direct costs 1 year after the index date were determined by multivariable regression.

RESULTS

A blood eosinophil cutoff point of greater than or equal to 400 cells/mm³ compared with less than 400 cells/mm³, but not 150 cells/mm³ or 300 cells/mm³, was a risk factor in the outcome year in adjusted analyses for 2 or more asthma exacerbations (risk ratio, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.02-2.35; P =.04) and any asthma emergency department visit or hospitalization (risk ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.16-4.55; P =.02), but not for rate of asthma exacerbations or incremental total direct asthma costs per patient ($202; 95% CI, -286 to 691).

CONCLUSIONS

A high blood eosinophil count was an independent risk factor for 2 or more asthma exacerbations or any asthma emergency department visit or hospitalization, but not direct costs in patients with SUA, possibly constrained by limited power.

Pediatric Pulmonology year in review 2015: Part 1

Our journal covers a broad range of research and scholarly topics related to children's respiratory disorders. For updated perspectives on the rapidly expanding knowledge in our field, we will summarize the past year's publications in our major topic areas, as well as selected publications in these areas from the core clinical journal literature outside our own pages. The current review covers articles on neonatal lung disease, pulmonary physiology, and respiratory infection. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:733-739. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.