Background: Patients with cancer are considered at high risk for the novel respiratory illness coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). General measures to keep COVID-19-free cancer divisions have been adopted worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of triage to identify COVID-19 among patients with cancer.
Methods: From March 20 to April 17, 2020, data were collected from patients who were treated or followed at the authors' institution in a prospective clinical trial. The primary endpoint was to estimate the cumulative incidence of COVID-19-positive patients who were identified using a triage process through the aid of medical and patient questionnaires. Based on a diagnostic algorithm, patients with suspect symptoms underwent an infectious disease specialist's evaluation and a COVID-19 swab. Serologic tests were proposed for patients who had symptoms or altered laboratory tests that did not fall into the diagnostic algorithm but were suspicious for COVID-19.
Results: Overall, 562 patients were enrolled. Six patients (1%) were diagnosed with COVID-19, of whom 4 (67%) had the disease detected through telehealth triage, and 2 patients (33%) without suspect symptoms at triage had the disease detected later. Seventy-one patients (13%) had suspect symptoms and/or altered laboratory tests that were not included in the diagnostic algorithm and, of these, 47 patients (73%) underwent testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibody: 6 (13%) were positive for IgG (n = 5) or for both IgM and IgG (n = 1), and antibody tests were negative in the remaining 41 patients.
Conclusions: The triage process had a positive effect on the detection of COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Telehealth triage was helpful in detecting suspect patients and to keep a COVID-19-free cancer center. The overall incidence of COVID-19 diagnosis (1%) and antibody positivity (13%) in patients with suspect symptoms was similar to that observed in the general population.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33366 | DOI Listing |
Pediatr Infect Dis J
January 2025
From the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Background: The World Health Organization classified coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic by March 11, 2020. Children had a milder disease than adults, and many were asymptomatic. The pandemic could be seen as a natural experiment with several changes, including time spent at home.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm Fam Physician
January 2025
University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville.
Jaundice is an indication of hyperbilirubinemia and is caused by derangements in bilirubin metabolism. It is typically apparent when serum bilirubin levels exceed 3 mg/dL and can indicate serious underlying disease of the liver or biliary tract. A comprehensive medical history, review of systems, and physical examination are essential for differentiating potential causes such as alcoholic liver disease, biliary strictures, choledocholithiasis, drug-induced liver injury, hemolysis, or hepatitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm Fam Physician
January 2025
Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada.
Vision loss affects more than 7 million Americans and impacts quality of life, independence, social functioning, and overall health. Common and dangerous conditions causing sudden vision loss include acute angle-closure glaucoma, retinal detachment, retinal artery occlusion, giant cell arteritis, and optic neuritis. Acute angle-closure glaucoma features ocular pain, headache, and nausea; treatment includes pilocarpine eye drops, oral or intravenous acetazolamide, and intravenous mannitol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm Fam Physician
January 2025
Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Moore, Georgia.
Dysuria, a feeling of pain or discomfort during urination, is often caused by urinary tract infection but can also be due to sexually transmitted infection, bladder irritants, skin lesions, and some chronic pain conditions. History is most often useful for finding signs of sexually transmitted infection, complicated infections, lower urinary symptoms in males, and noninfectious causes. Most patients presenting with dysuria should have a urinalysis performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurology
February 2025
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Background And Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to be associated with increased plasma phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) concentrations, potentially confounding the utility of plasma p-tau217 measurements as a marker of amyloid pathology in individuals with suspected Alzheimer disease (AD). In this study, we quantitatively investigate the relationship of plasma p-tau217 concentrations vs estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in individuals with CKD with and without amyloid pathology.
Methods: This was a retrospective examination of data from 2 observational cohorts from either the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging or the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center cohorts.
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