Pediatric Urgent Care

Thousands of cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (and dozens of resultant deaths) moved COVID-19 infection among pediatric patients from “no big deal” to cause for serious concern. It didn’t take long for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) plus corticosteroids to emerge as a viable treatment. The question of whether that was the best option followed shortly thereafter—with the answer being not necessarily, according to an article just published by JAMA Pediatrics. The retrospective cohort study …

JUCM News has featured data on increases in depression and anxiety among adults over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as alarming news about burnout among healthcare providers. Lost in the discussion up to this point has been relevant clinical literature about how children are faring—which is to say, not good, according to a new article published by JAMA Pediatrics. Even before the pandemic took hold in 2019, the piece points out, nearly …

Many families, and probably some clinicians, have relied on the notion that COVID-19 poses less risk for serious outcomes in young children than it does for adults. The problem is, that idea has been shown in multiple studies and data sets to be exaggerated. Now a new study published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report adds more evidence that vigilance may be more important than ever, considering the ongoing emergence of new variants and uncertain …

As JUCM News has reported, each week brings a new wave of school systems doing away with mask mandates in concert with still-falling caseloads of COVID-19. While that’s generally regarded as good news, some parents and school officials are collectively holding their breath to see if we see a new spike in positive tests or absenteeism. Ongoing efforts to ensure as many eligible children as possible get vaccinated have the potential to help in this …

Parents presenting with children whose symptoms are suspicious for acute otitis media (AOM) are aplenty in urgent care, as well as in other settings. Unfortunately, too many of those parents expect—or even demand—a prescription for an antibiotic before leaving. And, in fact, often they’ll get just that whether it’s truly warranted or not. An article just published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests it’s time to remind ourselves, collectively, that such a kneejerk reaction may not be …

One of the few serious threats to otherwise healthy children with COVID-19 is the risk for potentially deadly multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). While the numbers pale in comparison to the overall death toll from SARS-CoV-2, thousands of children have been hospitalized due to MIS-C, with scores dying in the United States alone. The hope that vaccination might offer some degree of protection is now coming to fruition, at least in adolescents. According to a Research …

Parents are familiar with the sound—a barking cough emanating from their young child that they’re probably inclined to dismiss as “just croup.” Maybe they’ll call to see how soon the pediatrician can fit them in or even wait a day or two to see if it subsides. Now, though, there’s evidence that a croup-like cough could actually be a sign of COVID-19 infection in children under 5 years of age, according to an article just …

While still relatively rare, there have been 6,400 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) related to COVID-19 in the United States—including 55 deaths—since the pandemic began, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With records for pediatric and adult infection continuing to be broken on a daily basis in some states and municipalities, it stands to reason that risk for MIS-C could also be increasing. The possibly good news …

The longer the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the more consequences emerge—including among pediatric patients. Most recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study indicating that infection with SARS-CoV-2 is associated not only with worsened symptoms of already-diagnosed diabetes, but also with increased risk for newly diagnosed diabetes in patients under 18 years of age. In comparing cases of pediatric patients with COVID-19 (n=80,893) with those who did not (n=404,465), the researchers found a …