Combined effects of levetiracetam and sodium valproate on paediatric patients with epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Some patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported to exhibit neurological symptoms such as seizures and impaired consciousness. Our study reviews reported cases to assess the pharmacological approach to managing seizures in SARS-CoV-2 patients and associated outcomes. Methods: A systematic review of case reports on the incidence of seizures following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among patients that reported use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in management was performed by using the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis) guidelines. Databases used included EMBASE, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. Data was presented as qualitative and descriptive data. Results: In total, 67 articles were selected for full-text assessment, of which 19 were included in the final review. Patients had a median age of 54 years, most of whom were male. Remdisivir, dexamethasone, Laminavir, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and Lopinavir-ritonavir were common agents used in the management of COVID-19. Most patients presented with either generalized tonic-clonic seizures or status epilepticus. Most patients received levetiracetam as drug choice or as part of their regimen. Other AEDs commonly prescribed included midazolam and sodium valproate. Some patients received no antiepileptic drug therapy. Most of the patients who died had more than one comorbidity. Also, most of the patients who died received COVID-19 treatment drugs. None of the patients who received midazolam as drug choice or as part of their regimen developed recurrent seizures in contrast to patients who received levetiracetam and sodium valproate as drug choice or as part of their regimen. Interestingly, none of the patients who received no AEDs suffered recurrent seizures or died. Conclusions: Standard guidelines for managing seizures in COVID-19 patients may be required. A limitation of this review is that it involved the use of case reports with no controls and a small number of patients.

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Available evidence of antibiotic resistance from extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in paediatric patients in 20 countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Bulletin of the World Health Organization ◽

10.2471/blt.18.225698 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (7) ◽

pp. 486-501B ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yanhong Jessika Hu ◽

Anju Ogyu ◽

Benjamin J Cowling ◽

Keiji Fukuda ◽

Herbert H Pang

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Extended Spectrum ◽

Paediatric Patients

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Prevalence and characteristics of fever in adult and paediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis of 17515 patients

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249788 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0249788

Author(s):

Md Asiful Islam ◽

Shoumik Kundu ◽

Sayeda Sadia Alam ◽

Tareq Hossan ◽

Mohammad Amjad Kamal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Clinical Feature ◽

High Grade ◽

High Grade Fever ◽

Paediatric Patients ◽

Pooled Prevalence ◽

Significant Difference

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a pandemic disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 started to spread globally since December 2019 from Wuhan, China. Fever has been observed as one of the most common clinical manifestations, although the prevalence and characteristics of fever in adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall pooled prevalence of fever and chills in addition to fever characteristics (low, medium, and high temperature) in both adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients. Methods The protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020176327). PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases were searched between 1st December 2019 and 3rd April 2020 without language restrictions. Both adult (≥18 years) and paediatric (<18 years) COVID-19 patients were considered eligible. We used random-effects model for the meta-analysis to obtain the pooled prevalence and risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic and Cochran’s Q test. Robustness of the pooled estimates was checked by different subgroups and sensitivity analyses. Results We identified 2055 studies, of which 197 studies (n = 24266) were included in the systematic review and 167 studies with 17142 adults and 373 paediatrics were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the pooled prevalence of fever in adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients were 79.43% [95% CI: 77.05–81.80, I2 = 95%] and 45.86% [95% CI: 35.24–56.48, I2 = 78%], respectively. Besides, 14.45% [95% CI: 10.59–18.32, I2 = 88%] of the adult COVID-19 patients were accompanied with chills. In adult COVID-19 patients, the prevalence of medium-grade fever (44.33%) was higher compared to low- (38.16%) and high-grade fever (14.71%). In addition, the risk of both low (RR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.69–3.22, p<0.00001, I2 = 84%) and medium grade fever (RR: 2.79, 95% CI: 2.21–3.51, p<0.00001, I2 = 75%) were significantly higher compared to high-grade fever, however, there was no significant difference between low- and medium-grade fever (RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.94–1.44, p = 0.16, I2 = 87%). 88.8% of the included studies were of high-quality. The sensitivity analyses indicated that our findings of fever prevalence for both adult and paediatric patients are reliable and robust. Conclusions The prevalence of fever in adult COVID-19 patients was high, however, 54.14% of paediatric COVID-19 patients did not exhibit fever as an initial clinical feature. Prevalence and risk of low and medium-grade fevers were higher compared to high-grade fever.

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