Racial Differences in the Diagnosis of Lyme Disease in Children.

2023

1129-1131

03/2023

1537-6591

Black children with Lyme disease compared with children of other races were less likely to have an erythema migrans lesion diagnosed (adjusted odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, .14-.79) but more likely to have a swollen joint (adjusted odds ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.13-6.36) after adjustment for age and local Lyme incidence.

10.1093/cid/ciac863

Clin Infect Dis

36314085

Predicting Adverse Outcomes for Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections in Emergency Departments.

2021

2021 Jan 05

1097-6833

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To assess the performance of a hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) severity score among children with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections and HUS by stratifying them according to their risk of adverse events. The score has not been previously evaluated in a North American acute care setting.</p>

<p><strong>STUDY DESIGN: </strong>We reviewed medical records of children &lt;18 years old infected with STEC and treated in one of 38 participating EDs in North America between 2011 and 2015. The HUS severity score [hemoglobin (g/dL) plus two-times serum creatinine (mg/dL)] was calculated using first available laboratory results. Children with scores &gt;13 were designated as high-risk. We assessed score performance to predict severe adverse events (ie, dialysis, neurologic complication, respiratory failure and death) using discrimination and net benefit (i.e. threshold probability), with subgroup analyses by age and day-of-illness.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 167 children had HUS, of whom 92.8% (155/167) had relevant data to calculate the score; 60.6% (94/155) experienced a severe adverse event. Discrimination was acceptable overall (AUC 0.71, 95% CI 0.63, 0.79) and better among children &lt;5 years old (AUC 0.77, 95% CI 0.68, 0.87). For children &lt;5 years, greatest net benefit was achieved for a threshold probability &gt;26%.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The HUS severity score was able to discriminate between high- and low-risk children &lt;5 years old with STEC-associated HUS at a statistically acceptable level; however, it did not appear to provide clinical benefit at a meaningful risk threshold.</p>

10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.12.077

J Pediatr

33417918

Height of fever and invasive bacterial infection.

2020

2020 Aug 20

1468-2044

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>We aimed to evaluate the association of height of fever with invasive bacterial infection (IBI) among febrile infants &lt;=60 days of age.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>In a secondary analysis of a multicentre case-control study of non-ill-appearing febrile infants &lt;=60 days of age, we compared the maximum temperature (at home or in the emergency department) for infants with and without IBI. We then computed interval likelihood ratios (iLRs) for the diagnosis of IBI at each half-degree Celsius interval.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>The median temperature was higher for infants with IBI (38.8°C; IQR 38.4-39.2) compared with those without IBI (38.4°C; IQR 38.2-38.9) (p&lt;0.001). Temperatures 39°C-39.4°C and 39.5°C-39.9°C were associated with a higher likelihood of IBI (iLR 2.49 and 3.40, respectively), although 30.4% of febrile infants with IBI had maximum temperatures &lt;38.5°C.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Although IBI is more likely with higher temperatures, height of fever alone should not be used for risk stratification of febrile infants.</p>

10.1136/archdischild-2019-318548

Arch. Dis. Child.

32819913

Predicting Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and Renal Failure in Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Infected Children.

2019

2019 May 24

1537-6591

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections are leading causes of pediatric acute renal failure. Identifying hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) risk factors is needed to guide care.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>We conducted a multicenter, historical-cohort study to identify features associated with development of HUS (primary outcome) and need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) (secondary outcome) in STEC-infected children without HUS at initial presentation. Children &lt;18 years who submitted STEC-positive specimens between January 2011 and December 2015 at a participating study institution were eligible.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Of 927 STEC-infected children, 41 (4.4%) had HUS at presentation; of the remaining 886, 126 (14.2%) developed HUS. Predictors of HUS included younger age (OR: 0.77; 95%CI: 0.69, 0.85/year), leukocyte count ≥13.0x103/μL (2.54; 1.42, 4.54), higher hematocrit (1.83; 1.21, 2.77/5% increase) and serum creatinine (10.82; 1.49, 78.69/1 mg/dL increase), platelet count &lt;250 ×103/μL (1.92; 1.02, 3.60), lower serum sodium (1.12; 1.02, 1.23/1 mmol/L decrease), and intravenous fluid administration initiated ≥4 days following diarrhea onset (2.50; 1.14, 5.46). A longer interval from diarrhea onset to index visit was associated with reduced HUS risk (0.70; 0.54, 0.90). RRT predictors included female sex (2.27; 1.14, 4.50), younger age (0.83; 0.74, 0.92/year), lower serum sodium (1.15; 1.04, 1.27/mmol/L decrease), higher leukocyte count ≥13.0x103/μL (2.35; 1.17, 4.72) and creatinine (7.75; 1.20, 50.16/1 mg/dL increase) concentrations, and initial intravenous fluid administration ≥4 days following diarrhea onset (2.71; 1.18, 6.21).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The complex nature of STEC infection renders predicting its course a challenge. Risk factors we identified highlight the importance of avoiding dehydration and performing close clinical and laboratory monitoring.</p>

10.1093/cid/ciz432

Clin. Infect. Dis.

31125419