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Indolfi C, Klain A, Dinardo G, D’Addio E, Ferrara S, Decimo F, Ciprandi G, Tosca MA, Miraglia del Giudice M. COVID-19 Pediatric Follow-Up: Respiratory Long COVID-Associated Comorbidities and Lung Ultrasound Alterations in a Cohort of Italian Children. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:166. [PMID: 38397278 PMCID: PMC10887372 DOI: 10.3390/children11020166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
In children, the factors that influence COVID-19 disease and its medium- and long-term effects are little known. Our investigation sought to evaluate the presence of comorbidity factors associated with respiratory long COVID manifestations in children and to study ultrasound abnormalities following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Children, who arrived at the 'Respiratory Diseases of Pediatric Interest Unit' at the Department of Woman, Child, and General and Specialized Surgery of the University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', were selected during the timeframe from September 2021 to October 2022. The children were diagnosed with a SARS-CoV-2 infection that occurred at least one month before the visit. All patients followed a COVID-19 follow-up protocol, developed by the Italian Society of Pediatric Respiratory Diseases (SIMRI), which included: collection of data regarding SARS-CoV-2 illness and history of known respiratory and allergic diseases; physical examination; BMI assessment; baseline spirometry and after bronchodilation test; six-minute walking test; and lung ultrasound (LUS). In a cohort of 104 participants with respiratory long COVID symptoms (64.7% male, average age 8.92 years), 46.1% had fever with other symptoms, and 1% required hospitalization. BMI analysis showed 58.4% of the cohort was overweight. The LUS was positive in 27.0% of cases. A significant BMI association was observed with COVID-19 symptoms and LUS score (p-value < 0.05). No associations were found with asthma or atopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiana Indolfi
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Angela Klain
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Giulio Dinardo
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Elisabetta D’Addio
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Serena Ferrara
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Fabio Decimo
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
| | - Giorgio Ciprandi
- Department of Medicine, Allergy Clinic, Casa di Cura Villa Montallegro, 16145 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Maria Angela Tosca
- Pediatric Allergy Center, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Michele Miraglia del Giudice
- Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.I.); (G.D.); (E.D.); (S.F.); (F.D.); (M.M.d.G.)
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Jaramillo M, Thyvalikakath TP, Eckert G, Srinivasan M. Characteristics of Chemosensory Perception in Long COVID and COVID Reinfection. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12103598. [PMID: 37240704 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12103598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging data suggest an increasing prevalence of persistent symptoms in individuals affected by coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to determine the relative frequency of altered taste and smell in COVID reinfection (multiple COVID positive tests) and long COVID (one COVID positive test). We sent an electronic survey to patients in the Indiana University Health COVID registry with positive COVID test results, querying if they were experiencing symptoms consistent with long COVID including altered chemosensory perceptions. Among the 225 respondents, a greater long COVID burden and COVID reinfection was observed in women. Joint pain was reported as the most common symptom experienced by 18% of individuals in the long COVID cohort. In the COVID reinfection cohort >20% of individuals reported headache, joint pain, and cough. Taste perception worse than pre-COVID was reported by 29% and 42% of individuals in the long COVID and COVID reinfection cohorts, respectively. Smell perception worse than pre-COVID was reported by 37% and 46% of individuals in long COVID and COVID reinfection cohorts, respectively. Further, Chi-square test suggested significant association between pre-COVID severity of taste/smell perception and headache in both cohorts. Our findings highlight the prevalence of persistent chemosensory dysfunction for two years and longer in long COVID and COVID reinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikki Jaramillo
- Department of Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Thankam P Thyvalikakath
- Department of Dental Public Health and Dental Informatics, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - George Eckert
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Mythily Srinivasan
- Department of Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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