Increases seen in isolated intracranial abscess and sinusitis complicated by intracranial abscess during early COVID-19 pandemic<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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\n\tWEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Cases of pediatric isolated intracranial abscess and sinusitis complicated by intracranial abscess increased during the early COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in the Aug. 5 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNoting reports of increased rates of intracranial bacterial infections diagnosed during or after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and reports of pathogens, including Streptococcus <\/em>species with more severe disease, possibly in association with SARS-CoV-2 infection, Daliya Khuon, M.D., from the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital of Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and colleagues examined this trend nationally during the the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted through the Emergency Infections Network (EIN) of the Infectious Diseases Society of America relating to intracranial infections and invasive Streptococcus<\/em> spp. infections in patients aged 18 years or younger during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe researchers found that 47 of the 109 respondents reported observing an increase in intracranial infections. In a follow-up survey of 64 EIN respondents, mean increases of 100.9 and 76.7 percent were seen for isolated intracranial abscess and sinusitis complicated by intracranial abscess, respectively, during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Decreases were seen in orbital cellulitis, sinusitis, and mastoiditis by an average of 14.5, 31.9, and 24.7 percent, respectively; there was a 116.7 percent decrease in mastoiditis complicated by intracranial abscess.\n<\/p>\n \n\t“Intracranial infections require prompt and intensive medical management; therefore, defining the pathogenesis, relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and other risk factors, can both raise public awareness and help medical providers diagnose and appropriately manage affected patients,” the authors write.\n<\/p>\n