Impact of Persistent Alopecia on Quality of Life in Childhood Cancer and Transplant Survivors.

Background: While alopecia associated with chemotherapy, radiation, or hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (C/R/HSCT) is transient in most children, prior reports indicate nearly one in seven childhood cancer survivors suffer from persistent alopecia after their treatment is completed. The objective of our study was to better characterize the impact of C/R/HSCT-associated persistent alopecia on patient quality of life.

Procedure: A cross-sectional cohort study of patients with a history of C/R/HSCT who were seen at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital Dermatology from August 2023 to February 2024 for any indication was conducted.

Racial and Ethnic Composition of Populations Served by Freestanding Children's Hospitals and Disparities in Outcomes of Pediatric Lupus.

Objective: Health disparities may be driven by hospital-level factors. We assessed whether racial and ethnic composition of populations hospitals serve explain or modify disparities in hospital outcomes of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study of patients 5 to 26 years old with SLE at 47 children's hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System (2006-2021), race and ethnicity were assessed at the patient level and hospital level (proportion of total admissions composed of Black or Hispanic patients, respectively).

Updated Case Definition of MIS-C and Implications for Clinical Care.

Objectives: A broad, surveillance case definition was implemented when multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) emerged in 2020. In 2023, a revised MIS-C case definition was constructed to improve specificity and reduce misclassification with other pediatric inflammatory conditions. This study aims to describe the impact of the updated definition on the classification of patients with MIS-C and Kawasaki Disease (KD).

An examination of characteristics, social supports, caregiver resilience and hospital readmissions of children with medical complexity.

Background: Children with medical complexity (CMC) account for 1% of children in the United States. These children experience frequent hospital readmissions, high healthcare costs and poor health outcomes. A link between CMC caregiver social support, resilience and hospital readmissions has never been fully investigated.