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

Part of Acute Abdominal Conditions 10 items

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meera Kotagal

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]

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov shows its articles on its own site.

Read the article on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗

Article · Jan 2023 · 1 min read

In brief

Retrospective analysis of 8,143 pediatric intussusception cases across US hospitals reveals a 36% decline in diagnoses during 2020 coinciding with COVID-19 mitigation measures, with incidence returning to baseline in 2021. The findings suggest a potential link between reduced viral circulation from masking/distancing and decreased intussusception rates, supporting the viral etiology hypothesis for this common pediatric emergency.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.

Meera Kotagal

Statements in this article

The study included children ages 0-17 years with a primary diagnosis of intussusception (ICD-10: K56.1) from January 2018 to December 2021.
EstablishedMaterials And Methods
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).
ResearchResults
Patient age was similar across years with a mean age of 2.3 years in 2018, 2.1 years in 2019, 2.3 years in 2020, and 2.3 years in 2021.
ResearchResults
There was no significant change in the proportion of patients who underwent imaging in 2020 (96%) compared to 2018 (96%, P = 0.21), 2019 (97%, P = 0.80), or 2021 (96%).
ResearchResults