Recent Publications by CFE Educators

A 48-year-old male with HIV/AIDS presented with an enlarging nodular lesion on the base of his penis. Histology revealed changes consistent with chronic viral infection and culture grew herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). The lesion was refractory to valacyclovir and intralesional (IL) cidofovir therapy. Urology excised the mass and the defect was repaired primarily with good cosmetic result. Post-operative pathology confirmed HSV-2 despite the unusual appearance of the lesion consisting of nodular mass without gross ulceration.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an angioproliferative disease that is caused by human herpesvirus 8. The epidemic form of KS is associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and is common in HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts less than 200 cells/mm. We present the case of a 63-year-old man with well-controlled HIV and normal CD4 count developing atypical nasal KS associated with intranasal steroid use.

IMPORTANCE

Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease in adults; preclinical associations between hypertension and cardiovascular disease are seen in childhood. Nicotine is a known toxin, but its association with pediatric hypertension is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that tobacco exposure is associated with the presence of elevated blood pressure in US children and adolescents and that this association is dose dependent.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study used data from the 2007 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a population-based nationally representative sample of US children and adolescents. Children were eligible if they were aged 8 to 19 years at the time of participation in the main NHANES study. Exclusion criteria included those of the main NHANES study, inability to complete testing, or missing questionnaires. Of the 10 143 participants in NHANES aged 8 to 19 during the study years, 8520 were included in the analysis. Analysis was conducted from October 12, 2019, to July 9, 2020.

EXPOSURES

Tobacco exposure, defined as serum cotinine levels greater than 0.05 µg/L, or reporting living with a smoker or smoking themselves.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Elevated blood pressure, classified as greater than 90% for a child's age, sex, and height according to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines. The a priori hypothesis that there is a positive association between tobacco exposure and elevated blood pressure in the study population was tested. Analysis included logistic regression with adjustment for possible confounders. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 8520 children were included in the analysis, representing 41 million US children. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 13.1 (0.05) years, 51% (95% CI, 49%-52%) were male, and 58% (95% CI, 54%-62%) were non-Hispanic White individuals. Participants with any tobacco smoke exposure were more likely than those without exposure to be older (mean [SD] age, 13.3 [0.07] years vs 12.8 [0.06] years), male (53% [95% CI, 51%-55%] vs 49% [95% CI, 47%-50%]), and non-Hispanic Black individuals (19% [95% CI, 16%-22%] vs 10% [95% CI, 8%-12%]). The odds of having elevated blood pressure was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.06-1.61) for any tobacco exposure after adjustment; odds were similar across subgroups and remained significant in multiple sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study suggests that tobacco exposure is associated with elevated blood pressure in US children and adolescents. This modifiable risk factor represents a target for further research into reducing hypertension in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

To identify differentiation features of chemosensory dysfunction in COVID-19 infection and their primary drivers.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional cohort comparison.

METHODS

A national anonymous survey was used to query participants regarding nasal symptoms and chemosensory dysfunction including sensitivity levels, and presence or absence of distortions and phantoms within the 6-week time window surrounding their COVID-19 testing and survey completion.

RESULTS

Three-hundred and sixty-four respondents who reported COVID-19 positive (COVID+; n = 176) or COVID-19 negative (COVID-; n = 188) test results completed the survey. The COVID+ cohort had higher occurrence rates for: (a) chemosensory sensitivity impairments (67.0% vs 30.3%;   .01), where the rate of complete loss of smell (anosmia) or taste (ageusia) was higher (35.8% vs 4.8%;   .01), and (b) chemosensory distortions (39.8% vs 19.1%;   .01), where the rate of anosmia or ageusia with distortions was also higher in the COVID+ cohort (19.9% vs 2.7%;   .01). Occurrence rates in the two cohorts were similar for chemosensory phantoms (COVID+ 17.0%, COVID- 18.6%; = .70) and nasal discharge or stuffiness in the presence of sensitivity impairment (COVID+ 63.6%, COVID- 52.6%; = .17).

CONCLUSION

Chemosensory dysfunction in COVID-19 is associated with higher rates of smell or taste sensitivity impairments and distortions. Higher rates of anosmia and ageusia drive these key findings. Chemosensory phantoms and nasal symptoms in the presence of sensitivity impairment occur at rates that should demand clinical attention, but they do not appear to be specific to COVID-19 positivity.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2b.

OBJECTIVE

Since 2010, the rheumatology community has developed guidelines and tools to improve healthcare transition. In this study, we aimed to compare current transition practices and beliefs among Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) rheumatology providers with transition practices from a provider survey published in 2010.

METHODS

In 2018, CARRA members completed a 25-item online survey about healthcare transition. Got Transition's Current Assessment of Health Care Transition Activities was used to measure clinical transition processes on a scale of 1 (basic) to 4 (comprehensive). Bivariate analyses were used to compare 2010 and 2018 survey findings.

RESULTS

Over half of CARRA members completed the survey (202/396), including pediatric rheumatologists, adult- and pediatric-trained rheumatologists, pediatric rheumatology fellows, and advanced practice providers. The most common target age to begin transition planning was 15-17 years (49%). Most providers transferred patients prior to age 21 years (75%). Few providers used the American College of Rheumatology transition tools (31%) or have a dedicated transition clinic (23%). Only 17% had a transition policy in place, and 63% did not consistently address healthcare transition with patients. When compared to the 2010 survey, improvement was noted in 3 of 12 transition barriers: availability of adult primary care providers, availability of adult rheumatologists, and pediatric staff transition knowledge and skills ( 0.001 for each). Nevertheless, the mean current assessment score was 2 for each measurement.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates improvement in certain transition barriers and practices since 2010, although implementation of structured transition processes remains inconsistent.