As more data is collected, hematologists will be able to gain more insight into the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pediatric patients with hematological malignancies. Material and methods: We analysed 21 cases of COVID-19 in pediatric patients with onco-hematological diseases treated in the Western Ukrainian Pediatric Medical Center from March 2020 through May 2021. The majority of patients (71.4%) were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. All patients from the analyzed cohort had an asymptomatic, mild or moderate course of coronavirus-19 infection. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 were fever, cough, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dermatitis. Severe severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 increased the risk of liver toxicity and venous thrombosis. Results and conclusion: Our analysis showed that pediatric patients with hematological malignancies need the same treatment approach for COVID-19 as for other infective complications.
On Feb 24, 2022, Russian military forces began a coordinated invasion of Ukraine. Russian assaults resulted in widespread damage to densely populated residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure, including power stations, transportation hubs, schools, and health care facilities. As a result, more than 10 million refugees have fled Ukraine, approximately 50% fleeing to Poland. Attacks on Ukraine's health system and pharmaceutical supply chains created challenges for the provision of critical services for people with injuries and chronic illnesses. Among the most vulnerable patients are children with cancer and blood disorders, who require timely access to diagnostic, therapeutic, and supportive care for survival. The war has resulted in acute interruption of medical care, threatening the lives of thousands of Ukrainian children.
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Hemophilia A is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of plasma coagulation FVIII, which may be inherited or arise from a spontaneous mutation. FVIII deficiency leads to a decrease in normal hemostasis and is manifested by spontaneous or induced bleeding. As a result of hemorrhages in the central nervous system, neurological complications are possible. In such cases, doctors should be on the alert so as not to miss another accompanying pathology. Neurodegenerative disease with iron accumulation in the brain is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of hereditary progressive disorders of the central nervous system with pronounced iron accumulation in the basal ganglia, which have a specific picture on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in combination with characteristic clinical signs. The aim is to describe a clinical case of a combination of two complex hereditary diseases in a 10-year-old boy, hemophilia A of moderate severity, complicated by an inhibitor, and a progressive neurodegenerative disease with accumulation of iron in the brain, with associated neurodegeneration associated with the protein of the mitochondrial membrane. The publication reports for the first time a clinical case of a combination of two complex hereditary diseases in a 10-year-old boy, confirmed by molecular genetic studies: hemophilia A of moderate severity, complicated by an inhibitor with the detection of a large deletion of exons 23-26 in the gene, and progressive neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, with the presence of a pathogenic mutation of the C19orf12 gene, variant c.204_214del (p.Gly69Argfs*10) in a homozygous state, autosomal recessive type of inheritance, Mitochondrial-membrane Protein-Associated Neurodegeneration. Coagulopathy is controlled by prophylactic administration of emicizumab subcutaneously. Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation in the child was manifested by: Friedreich's foot, equinus feet, positive Babinski symptom, high tendon reflexes, optic nerve atrophy; partial dysplasia of both eyes; with myopia of both eyes, impaired accommodation, progressively increasing paresthesias in both legs, impaired gait, ataxic gait, coordination difficulties, muscle atrophy of both legs, visual impairment, rapid fatigue with preserved intelligence and mental development. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a moderate bilateral symmetrical lesion of the globus pallidus. Our report confirms that the use of molecular genetic studies plays an important decisive role in the verification of the disease, often determining its type and possible complications. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.
The work describes a case of rare neonatal systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma with an initial damage of the scalp, limbs, back and abdomen, multiple damages of the parenchyma of both lungs, spleen and liver with the development of a severe form of congenital cholestatic hepatitis. The diagnosis was established on the basis of histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of the skin nodules. The child on the background of therapy under the Langerhans cell histiocytosis III program achieved a partial response, which was manifested by a reduction of granulomatous formations on the skin, elimination of liver failure, but retained hepatosplenomegaly, specific lesions of the lung parenchyma, liver, and left kidney. Against the background of cytostatic therapy, the patient developed secondary pancytopenia, perianal ulcerative-necrotic dermatitis with lesions on buttocks, stomatitis, protein-energy deficiency, acute liver failure. coagulopathy, disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, acute renal failure, respiratory failure of III degree, cardiovascular insufficiency of III degree, pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, cerebral coma of II-III degree, enterocolitis, intestinal paresis. Despite multicomponent intensive care, the child's condition progressively deteriorated, and the patient died. The aspects of differential diagnosis of neonatal systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma are discussed.
Rett syndrome is one of the most common causes of mental retardation in girls. The aim of our work was to study a spectrum of genetic heterogeneity and various clinical manifestations of Rett syndrome in girls Western Ukraine. There were used clinical, molecular and genetic methods. We observed seven girls with Rett syndrome aged from 6 months to 15 years who were diagnosed and followed-up at the Institute of Hereditary Pathology, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv for three years (2019–2021) and underwent molecular genetic analyses confirmed by next-generation sequencing. In this study, patients with Rett syndrome had individual clinical heterogeneity and age variability due to different mutations. Mental retardation was not observed among siblings in families with Rett syndrome. We identified seven different pathogenic mutations among seven girls, including two deletions and one duplication of the MECP2 gene. Microcephaly was observed in two girls with MECP2 c.880C>T (p.Arg294*) and MECP2 Gain (Entire coding sequence) at birth. The following developmental disabilities were found in five girls: lack of independent sitting, lack of independent gait (regression of development). Among musculoskeletal disorders, there were diagnosed scoliosis, X-shaped deformation of the lower extremities and muscular hypotonia. A two-year-old girl with Rett syndrome, along with other clinical symptoms, had breathing problems - hyperventilation (rapid shallow breathing). In cases with unknown cause of delayed developmental disability and mental retardation the patients should be referred for medical genetic counselling