Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33299672›Full record

ArticleNeurology. Clinical practice2020

Comparison of children with acute flaccid myeltis before and after 2014.

Lydia Marcus, Sumit Singh, Jayne Ness

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology. Clinical practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Lydia MarcusDepartment of Pediatrics (LM, JN), University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Pediatric Radiology Associates (SS), University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Sumit SinghDepartment of Pediatrics (LM, JN), University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Pediatric Radiology Associates (SS), University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Jayne NessDepartment of Pediatrics (LM, JN), University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Pediatric Radiology Associates (SS), University of Alabama at Birmingham.
University of Alabama at Birmingham · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo observe whether cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) before and since August 1, 2014, had important differences and to further characterize patients with AFM regarding clinical, laboratory, imaging, and treatment findings.

methodsAll pediatric patients with AFM at our institution were reviewed. Demographic, clinical, and diagnostic data were collected through medical record review. Patients with onset before August 1, 2014, and after that date were compared and when applicable compared with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

resultsSixteen patients were included, 6 in the pre-2014 and 10 in the post-2014 group. The mean age in the pre-2014 group was 7.4 years and in the post-2014 group was 6.4 years. Initial symptoms were similar in both groups, as were functional and motor abilities at disease nadir and the most recent follow-up. Post-2014 patients had a higher mean CSF white blood cell count (57) and neutrophil count (30%) compared with pre-2014 patients (3.2 and 0.5%, respectively). Eighty percent of post-2014 patients had positive enterovirus/rhinovirus testing, with 57% of specimens positive for enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). On acute imaging, a triad of brainstem, cervical cord gray matter involvement, and ventral nerve root/cauda equina (CE) thickening/enhancement was found in 5 patients.

conclusionThe groups had more similarities than differences but with a more inflammatory picture in the post-2014 patients. The constellation of cervical cord gray matter, brainstem, and nerve root/CE thickening should raise suspicion for AFM in the appropriate clinical setting. Most post-2014 patients had associated enterovirus infections, and over half tested for EV-D68 were positive. There was minimal clinical improvement in both groups despite various immunotherapies.

Identifiers

PMID33299672
PMCPMC7717641
OpenAlexW2992035942

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.