Integrating healthcare for follow-up of adult COVID-19 patients in an outpatient clinic: A matter of cooperation

RATIONALE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

A large number of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) need outpatient follow-up after hospitalization. As these patients may experience a broad range of symptoms, as do patients infected with the related SARS-CoV-1 virus, we set up a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic involving pulmonologists, internists, and geriatricians. Patients were allocated to a specialist based on symptoms reported on a self-developed questionnaire of expected symptoms of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this outpatient clinic.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, the medical records of patients who presented to the outpatient clinic for follow-up after hospitalization for COVID-19 up to 31 August 2020, were reviewed.

RESULTS

In total, 266 patients were seen at the outpatient clinic at least once. Overall, 100 patients were seen by a pulmonologist, 97 by an internist, and 65 by a geriatrician. A referral between these 3 medical specialists was needed for only 14 patients (5.3%). Fifty patients were seen by a psychologist, mostly those with a HADS score >10. Only 5 (2.2%) of the 221 patients who were not directly referred to a psychologist based on triage needed psychological support. Forty-eight patients (18%) were also seen by a physiatrist.

CONCLUSION

Identifying which medical specialist (pulmonologist, internist, and/or geriatrician) should see patients attending a post-COVID outpatient clinic based on patient-reported symptoms proved an effective approach to managing the flow of post-COVID patients.

[Symptomatic hypocalcaemia on denosumab use]

BACKGROUND

Bone resorption inhibitors such as denosumab may induce symptomatic hypocalcaemia if a vitamin D deficiency is present. Amongst other causes, this type of deficiency may arise following bariatric surgery.

CASE DESCRIPTION

We describe a 51-year-old woman who, a few years after undergoing bariatric surgery, developed symptomatic hypocalcaemia after she started taking denosumab.

CONCLUSION

An adequate calcium and vitamin D status is a general condition before prescribing medication to treat osteoporosis. Therefore we recommend that before starting treatment with a bone resorption inhibitor that not only the calcium but also the vitamin D status should be determined, and if necessary, optimised.

Long-term response rates of successful hepatitis B vaccination in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND

Data on long-term response rates after successful primary hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination in HIV-infected patients are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the durability of an effective anti-HBs titer up to 5 years after primary vaccination in a cohort of 155 HIV-infected adults.

METHODS

From a previous multicenter HBV vaccination trial we selected patients with an anti-HBs titer of ≥10 IU/l 28 weeks after the first vaccination. The anti-HBs titer was measured in annually stored plasma samples up to 5 years after vaccination. Patients with decreasing anti-HBs titers <10 IU/I were defined as transient responders (TR) and with persistent anti-HBs titers ≥10 IU/I as long-term responders (LTR^).

RESULTS

We included 155 patients, 87 were TR and 68 LTR. Mean age, percentage of female participants and duration of HAART use at primary vaccination were similar in LTR and TR. Anti-HBs level after primary vaccination was the strongest predictor for the durability of anti-HBs. Anti-HBs >100-1000 IU/I and >1000 resulted in an OR 8.3, 95% CI 3.38-20.16; p<0.0001 and OR 75.6, 95% CI 13.41-426.45; p<0.0001 versus anti-HBs titer of 10-100 IU/I after primary vaccination respectively. The mean time to loss of an effective anti-HBs titer was 2.0, 3.7 and 4.4 years respectively, for patients with an anti-HBs titer of 10-100 IU/I, >100-1000 IU/I and >1000 IU/I at primary vaccination. An undetectable HIV-RNA load and use of HAART during vaccination and at follow-up were, though not significantly, associated a higher long-term persistence of an effective antibody titer.

CONCLUSION

The durability of an effective anti-HBs level appears to be significantly related to the height of the antibody titers after the primary immunization procedure. Schedules to improve the vaccination response in HIV-infected patients therefore seem to be justified. Whether a HBV booster is indicated remains to be elucidated.