NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Research led by investigators at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine, identifies symptoms that can predict how severely children will be affected by COVID-19. The research, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, shows that children with respiratory disease and those with Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19, experienced the most severe illness.

“Much of the discussion to date around COVID-19 suggests that children don’t typically suffer serious illness,” said lead author, Danielle Fernandes, M.D., attending physician, Division of Hospital Medicine, CHAM, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Einstein. “Our study shows that children with COVID-19, like adults, can experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe, and tragically, children can die from the disease.”

The investigators assessed 281 children hospitalized with COVID-19 disease at eight medical centers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut between March and May of this year. Half the children had respiratory disease with symptoms including cough, wheezing, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. The remaining 50% of patients were equally divided between children who experienced MIS-C and children who exhibited a range of symptoms, including gastrointestinal issues and fever. Of the three groups, children with MIS-C were most likely to require intensive care, but only children with respiratory illness passed away from COVID-19.

The eight participating hospitals in the tri-state area serve diverse patient populations, however the majority of hospitalized patients in this study were Hispanic or Black. In contrast to studies involving adults with COVID-19, the researchers found that race or ethnicity did not influence how children with COVID-19 fared following hospitalization. Additionally, the study showed:

• Children with obesity and those with low oxygen levels at the time of admission were more likely to have severe respiratory disease and require prolonged intensive care;
• One in five children with severe respiratory disease required intubation and mechanical ventilation;
• Children with lower lymphocytes, a subset of white blood cells, and those with higher levels of C-reactive protein, a test commonly used to evaluate inflammation, were more likely to have severe MIS-C;
• Children with MIS-C were more likely to be non-Hispanic Black
• Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status was not associated with more severe disease

“We hope that pediatric providers will use these warning signs to predict which children may need enhanced monitoring and treatment that could prevent them from becoming severely ill or dying,” said Dr. Fernandes.

The paper is titled “SARS-CoV-2 Clinical Syndromes and Predictors of Disease Severity in Hospitalized Children and Youth.” Co-authors include members of The Tri-State Pediatric COVID-19

Research Consortium from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Children’s

Hospital at Montefiore, Yale School of Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center, Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Neptune City, SUNY Downstate Medical Center University Hospital and Stony Brook University Renaissance Hospital

About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is one of New York’s premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D. students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

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SOURCE Montefiore Health System; Albert Einstein College of Medicine

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Did you know that older Americans (over 65) are one of the groups at greatest risk of dying in a fire? Seniors are 16% of the population, but they account for 77% of the deaths from clothing fires.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants to sound the alarm on this sobering statistic, by reminding our senior community to stay vigilant about fire safety.

“All clothing can burn,” says CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “And the loose clothing often favored by seniors can catch fire especially easily,” he added.

Whether it’s a dangling sleeve over the stove top, or food left unattended – cooking accidents are the leading cause of fires in the home. But you may be surprised to know that burning trash, grass and debris outdoors is also a leading cause of clothing fire injuries to seniors. Using space heaters improperly also tops the list. So, what is catching fire? The leading clothing item ignited and causing these injuries is pants, followed by shirts, night gowns and robes.  Here’s how the numbers break down.

CPSC estimates there were about 1,100 emergency room visits per year associated with senior clothing fire injuries from 2015 to 2019. This includes both fires in the home and outdoor fires.

• An estimated 22% of these injuries are from cooking fires;
• 21% are from burning trash/grass/debris; and
• 12% are from space heater fires.

According to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), there are an estimated annual average of 60 clothing fire deaths to seniors per year. Of these clothing fire deaths to senior citizens:

• 24% are from “Range, Oven” fires;
• 23% are from smoking material-ignited fires; and
• 11% are from heater fires.

CPSC is releasing a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) to warn older consumers about this hazard, and to show how these types of fires can be prevented.

The vast majority of these fires are highly preventable. Here’s how you can be fire safe:

• All Clothing Burns: Keep all clothing away from flames and ignition sources. Loose clothing can catch fire easily.
• Cook with Care: Keep sleeves and dangling clothing components away from the cooktop.
• Outdoor Fire Safety: When burning trash and yard debris, keep a safe distance from any outdoor fire, and keep lighter fluid off clothing. Follow CDC guidelines regarding outdoor burning during the COVID 19 pandemic.
• Space Heater Safety: Loose pants and robes in close proximity to a space heater can catch fire. Space heaters need space.
• If You Smoke: Smoking materials can ignite clothing. Don’t smoke while drowsy; safely extinguish smoking material.
• Extra Precaution: Have a fire extinguisher nearby, and place working smoke alarms on every floor outside sleeping areas and inside bedrooms.

If clothing does catch fire, according to the CDC and the National Fire Prevention Association, stop (don’t run), drop and roll. Cover your face. Roll until the fire is out. If you’re not able to drop, use something like a blanket to put out the flames. Run cool water on your burn until emergency responders arrive.

Resources:
Senior Safety Education Center 
Sound the Alarm NSN Poster 
Multigenerational Fire Safety Tool Kit 
Fire Safety Education Center  
NSN Posters

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For lifesaving information:
– Visit CPSC.gov.
– Sign up to receive our e-mail alerts.
– Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC. 
– Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
– Call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
– Contact a media specialist.

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SOURCE CPSC