Impact of Social Distancing on Intussusception Incidence in Children

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on pediatric intestinal intussusception in the United States

BACKGROUND

Masking and social distancing to mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus curbed the spread of other viruses. Given a potential link between viral illnesses and ileocolic intussusception, the purpose of this study is to characterize trends in incidence, diagnosis and management of pediatric intussusception in the United States in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional retrospective study used the Pediatric Hospital Information System and included children (ages 0-17 years) with a primary diagnosis of intussusception (ICD-10 [International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision]: K56.1) from January 2018 to December 2021. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were used to characterize and compare proportions pre-COVID (2018 and 2019) to 2020 and 2021.

RESULTS

Eight thousand one hundred forty-three encounters met inclusion criteria. Intussusception diagnoses declined in 2020 (n = 1,480) compared to 2019 (n = 2,321) and 2018 (n = 2,171) but returned to pre-COVID levels in 2021 (n = 2,171). Patient age was similar across years (mean age in years: 2018: 2.3; 2019: 2.1; 2020: 2.3; 2021: 2.3). There was no significant change in the proportion of patients who underwent imaging in 2020 (96% [1,415/1,480]) compared to the other years in the study (2018: 96% [2,093/2,171], P = 0.21; 2019: 97% [2,253/2,321], P = 0.80; 2021: 96% [1,415/1,480], P = 0.85). There was a statistically significant but minimal increase in the proportion of cases treated with surgery in 2020 compared to 2019 (2020: 17.8% vs. 2019: 15%, P = 0.02); however, this was not replicated in the pairwise comparison of 2020 to 2018 (2020: 17.8% vs. 2018: 16.4%, P = 0.23). There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of cases treated with surgery in 2020 compared to 2021 (2020: 17.8% vs. 2021: 14%, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Pediatric intussusception diagnoses decreased at a national level in 2020 compared to previous years, with a rebound increase in 2021. This may reflect a secondary benefit of public health interventions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The association between the restriction of daily life and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea: a nationwide based survey

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to substantial daily life changes for people worldwide. We investigated the association between daily life restrictions and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the Korea Community Health Survey. Daily life restrictions were evaluated using a questionnaire to population into three restriction categories: no/slightly, moderately, and severely. Depression was assessed by the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the demographic characteristics of individuals with and without depression. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between the severity of daily life restrictions and the prevalence of depression. The prevalence of depression was 2.4% in the total population: 5.7% in the severely restricted group and 2.7% in the moderately restricted group. After adjusting for age, sex, educational level, income, marital status, and employment status, the severely restricted group was more likely to have depression than was the no change/slightly restricted group (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 2.16-2.67, p < 0.001). Employers with severely restricted daily life exhibited a higher OR for depression compared to the no/slightly restricted group (OR = 3.24, 95% CI 2.37-4.45, p < 0.001). It is necessary to consider the mental health of vulnerable affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on Clinicopathological Spectrum of Pityriasis Rosea in Korea

BACKGROUND

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a papulosquamous eruption with generally unknown origin but suspected to be related to viral etiologies. The clinicopathological spectrum of several disorders with viral etiologies has been altered after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The author group could experience coherent histological alterations in PR after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate how the clinicopathological findings of PR were changed after the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Patients (n = 11) diagnosed with PR based on the clinical manifestations and skin biopsies between February 2018 and October 2019 and 11 patients in February 2020 and October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed by investigating the medical records.

RESULTS

The patients with PR during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated statistically significant histopathological alterations from classic brisk and dense infiltration pattern to dormant and sparse infiltration and psoriasiform-dominant patterns (P = 0.019). PR was associated with more frequent pruritus during the pandemic period (P = 0.027).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, PR demonstrated a significant histopathological alteration with more frequent pruritus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comparative results about clinicopathological findings of PR will provide a useful reference for dermatologists in the diagnostic process of PR in the COVID-19 pandemic.