Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center
Introduction: There is a reallocation of health-care services across the world in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in the disruption of routine care to children with chronic rheumatological diseases. We studied the treatment adherence and disease status of these children during the C...
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SAGE Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Rheumatology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.indianjrheumatol.com/article.asp?issn=0973-3698;year=2021;volume=16;issue=2;spage=133;epage=138;aulast=Mahadevan |
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| author | Sabarinath Mahadevan Balakrishnan Navaneethan G S Nikhila S Sreenath M Mahabaleshwar S Vishnupriya T N Tamilselvam N Ponnien Selvan |
| author_facet | Sabarinath Mahadevan Balakrishnan Navaneethan G S Nikhila S Sreenath M Mahabaleshwar S Vishnupriya T N Tamilselvam N Ponnien Selvan |
| author_sort | Sabarinath Mahadevan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: There is a reallocation of health-care services across the world in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in the disruption of routine care to children with chronic rheumatological diseases. We studied the treatment adherence and disease status of these children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We did a cross-sectional observational study of children (<16 years) with rheumatological diseases. Parents of seventy consecutive children with rheumatological diseases were interviewed through the telephone to assess the treatment adherence and disease status from April 2020 to July 2020.
Results: In our study cohort, 44.3' (n = 31) had juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 52.9' (n = 37) had childhood lupus childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), 1.4' (n = 1) had juvenile scleroderma, and 1.4' (n = 1) had childhood vasculitis. About 38.6' (n = 27) had poor compliance due to reasons like difficulty in transportation (88.6') (n = 24), financial constraints (88.6') (n = 24), fear of acquiring COVID-19 by attending the study center (55.5') (n = 15), and fear of taking immunosuppressive drugs (18.5') (n = 5). Thirty percent (n = 21) respondents reported flare of symptoms. Common flare symptoms reported were joint pain (25.7') (n = 18), skin rashes (1.4') (n = 1), and oral ulcers (1.4') (n = 1). One patient with cSLE required admission for acute pancreatitis. Nearly 4.3' (n = 3) experienced influenza like illness. One patient with cSLE developed swab-positive mild COVID-19 illness. cSLE patients experienced significantly less flare symptoms compared to patients with other rheumatological illness (P = 0.03, odds ratio = 0.32, confidence interval = 0.1–0.9). Almost 98.6' (n = 68) of parents were not aware of electronic consultation portals.
Conclusion: Although COVID-19 causes less symptomatic disease in children, this study highlights the indirect effects of pandemic like financial constraints and parental misconceptions on children with rheumatological diseases. Furthermore, the awareness about electronic portals in consultation needs to be increased. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fd1d5ed172994328b41315fdc166097c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0973-3698 0973-3701 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Rheumatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-fd1d5ed172994328b41315fdc166097c2025-01-02T06:04:09ZengSAGE PublishingIndian Journal of Rheumatology0973-36980973-37012021-01-0116213313810.4103/injr.injr_267_20Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care centerSabarinath MahadevanBalakrishnan NavaneethanG S NikhilaS SreenathM MahabaleshwarS VishnupriyaT N TamilselvamN Ponnien SelvanIntroduction: There is a reallocation of health-care services across the world in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in the disruption of routine care to children with chronic rheumatological diseases. We studied the treatment adherence and disease status of these children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We did a cross-sectional observational study of children (<16 years) with rheumatological diseases. Parents of seventy consecutive children with rheumatological diseases were interviewed through the telephone to assess the treatment adherence and disease status from April 2020 to July 2020. Results: In our study cohort, 44.3' (n = 31) had juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 52.9' (n = 37) had childhood lupus childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), 1.4' (n = 1) had juvenile scleroderma, and 1.4' (n = 1) had childhood vasculitis. About 38.6' (n = 27) had poor compliance due to reasons like difficulty in transportation (88.6') (n = 24), financial constraints (88.6') (n = 24), fear of acquiring COVID-19 by attending the study center (55.5') (n = 15), and fear of taking immunosuppressive drugs (18.5') (n = 5). Thirty percent (n = 21) respondents reported flare of symptoms. Common flare symptoms reported were joint pain (25.7') (n = 18), skin rashes (1.4') (n = 1), and oral ulcers (1.4') (n = 1). One patient with cSLE required admission for acute pancreatitis. Nearly 4.3' (n = 3) experienced influenza like illness. One patient with cSLE developed swab-positive mild COVID-19 illness. cSLE patients experienced significantly less flare symptoms compared to patients with other rheumatological illness (P = 0.03, odds ratio = 0.32, confidence interval = 0.1–0.9). Almost 98.6' (n = 68) of parents were not aware of electronic consultation portals. Conclusion: Although COVID-19 causes less symptomatic disease in children, this study highlights the indirect effects of pandemic like financial constraints and parental misconceptions on children with rheumatological diseases. Furthermore, the awareness about electronic portals in consultation needs to be increased.http://www.indianjrheumatol.com/article.asp?issn=0973-3698;year=2021;volume=16;issue=2;spage=133;epage=138;aulast=Mahadevanchildhood lupuscompliancejuvenile arthritis |
| spellingShingle | Sabarinath Mahadevan Balakrishnan Navaneethan G S Nikhila S Sreenath M Mahabaleshwar S Vishnupriya T N Tamilselvam N Ponnien Selvan Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center Indian Journal of Rheumatology childhood lupus compliance juvenile arthritis |
| title | Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| title_full | Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| title_fullStr | Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| title_full_unstemmed | Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| title_short | Treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| title_sort | treatment adherence and disease status among children with rheumatological diseases during covid 19 pandemic a cross sectional study from a tertiary care center |
| topic | childhood lupus compliance juvenile arthritis |
| url | http://www.indianjrheumatol.com/article.asp?issn=0973-3698;year=2021;volume=16;issue=2;spage=133;epage=138;aulast=Mahadevan |
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