Brittany Elyse Vargas

Pediatricians may have a new aid to better predict peanut allergies among infants with atopic dermatitis.

Researchers have developed a scorecard to help pediatricians identify and assess the severity of atopic dermatitis in infants of various skin tones and to then predict risk of allergies to peanuts. Their study of the implementation of the scorecard was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

Infants with atopic dermatitis or eczema are six times more likely to have an egg allergy and eleven times more likely to have a peanut allergy at age 12 months than are infants without atopic dermatitis.

The scorecard reflects recent directives from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to help combat the public health problem.

“When the NIAID prevention of peanut allergy guidelines first came out, it asked pediatricians to serve as frontline practitioners in implementing them by identifying children at risk for peanut allergy and guiding families on what to do next,” said Waheeda Samady, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Chicago. “The impetus for the study was to further support pediatricians in this role.”

Although pediatricians are trained to identify and even treat mild to moderate cases of atopic dermatitis, little emphasis has gone to categorizing the condition on the basis of severity and to correlating peanut allergy risk.

The predictive scorecard captures 14 images from one infant of mixed race, two White infants, two Black infants, and two Hispanic infants.

To create the card, two in-house pediatric dermatologists assessed 58 images from 13 children and categorized images from 0 (no signs of atopic dermatitis) to 4 (severe signs of atopic dermatitis). After a first pass on categorization, the doctors agreed on 84% of images.

Of 189 pediatricians who used the card, fewer than half reported that they “sometimes,” “very often,” or “always” used the scorecard for atopic dermatitis evaluation. A little fewer than three-quarters reported that their ability to diagnose and categorize atopic dermatitis improved.

“Severity staging of atopic dermatitis is not something that the general pediatrician necessarily performs on a day-to-day basis,” said Kawaljit Brar, MD, professor of pediatrics in the division of allergy and immunology at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York.

Dr. Brar explained that children who are identified as being at high risk are often referred to specialists such as her, who then perform allergy screenings and can determine whether introduction of food at home is safe or whether office feedings supervised by an allergist are necessary. Researchers have found that early introduction to peanuts for children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis could prevent peanut allergy.

“This represents a wonderful initiative to educate pediatricians so that they understand which patients require screening for peanut allergy and which patients don’t and can just get introduced to peanuts at home,” Dr. Brar said.

The atopic dermatitis scorecard reflects a growing recognition that varying skin tones show levels of severity incongruously.

“Many of us in clinical practice have recognized that our education has not always been inclusive of patients with varying skin tones,” Dr. Samady said. “When we looked for photos of patients with different skin tones, we simply could not find any that we thought were appropriate. So we decided to take some ourselves, and we’re currently continuing to take photos in order to improve the scorecard we currently have.”

The study was funded by the National Institute of Health and Food Allergy Research and Education. Dr. Samady and Dr. Brar reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Pediatricians may have a new aid to better predict peanut allergies among infants with atopic dermatitis.

Researchers have developed a scorecard to help pediatricians identify and assess the severity of atopic dermatitis in infants of various skin tones and to then predict risk of allergies to peanuts. Their study of the implementation of the scorecard was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

Infants with atopic dermatitis or eczema are six times more likely to have an egg allergy and eleven times more likely to have a peanut allergy at age 12 months than are infants without atopic dermatitis.

The scorecard reflects recent directives from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to help combat the public health problem.

“When the NIAID prevention of peanut allergy guidelines first came out, it asked pediatricians to serve as frontline practitioners in implementing them by identifying children at risk for peanut allergy and guiding families on what to do next,” said Waheeda Samady, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Chicago. “The impetus for the study was to further support pediatricians in this role.”

Although pediatricians are trained to identify and even treat mild to moderate cases of atopic dermatitis, little emphasis has gone to categorizing the condition on the basis of severity and to correlating peanut allergy risk.

The predictive scorecard captures 14 images from one infant of mixed race, two White infants, two Black infants, and two Hispanic infants.

To create the card, two in-house pediatric dermatologists assessed 58 images from 13 children and categorized images from 0 (no signs of atopic dermatitis) to 4 (severe signs of atopic dermatitis). After a first pass on categorization, the doctors agreed on 84% of images.

Of 189 pediatricians who used the card, fewer than half reported that they “sometimes,” “very often,” or “always” used the scorecard for atopic dermatitis evaluation. A little fewer than three-quarters reported that their ability to diagnose and categorize atopic dermatitis improved.

“Severity staging of atopic dermatitis is not something that the general pediatrician necessarily performs on a day-to-day basis,” said Kawaljit Brar, MD, professor of pediatrics in the division of allergy and immunology at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York.

Dr. Brar explained that children who are identified as being at high risk are often referred to specialists such as her, who then perform allergy screenings and can determine whether introduction of food at home is safe or whether office feedings supervised by an allergist are necessary. Researchers have found that early introduction to peanuts for children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis could prevent peanut allergy.

“This represents a wonderful initiative to educate pediatricians so that they understand which patients require screening for peanut allergy and which patients don’t and can just get introduced to peanuts at home,” Dr. Brar said.

The atopic dermatitis scorecard reflects a growing recognition that varying skin tones show levels of severity incongruously.

“Many of us in clinical practice have recognized that our education has not always been inclusive of patients with varying skin tones,” Dr. Samady said. “When we looked for photos of patients with different skin tones, we simply could not find any that we thought were appropriate. So we decided to take some ourselves, and we’re currently continuing to take photos in order to improve the scorecard we currently have.”

The study was funded by the National Institute of Health and Food Allergy Research and Education. Dr. Samady and Dr. Brar reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Pediatricians may have a new aid to better predict peanut allergies among infants with atopic dermatitis.

Researchers have developed a scorecard to help pediatricians identify and assess the severity of atopic dermatitis in infants of various skin tones and to then predict risk of allergies to peanuts. Their study of the implementation of the scorecard was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

Infants with atopic dermatitis or eczema are six times more likely to have an egg allergy and eleven times more likely to have a peanut allergy at age 12 months than are infants without atopic dermatitis.

The scorecard reflects recent directives from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to help combat the public health problem.

“When the NIAID prevention of peanut allergy guidelines first came out, it asked pediatricians to serve as frontline practitioners in implementing them by identifying children at risk for peanut allergy and guiding families on what to do next,” said Waheeda Samady, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Chicago. “The impetus for the study was to further support pediatricians in this role.”

Although pediatricians are trained to identify and even treat mild to moderate cases of atopic dermatitis, little emphasis has gone to categorizing the condition on the basis of severity and to correlating peanut allergy risk.

The predictive scorecard captures 14 images from one infant of mixed race, two White infants, two Black infants, and two Hispanic infants.

To create the card, two in-house pediatric dermatologists assessed 58 images from 13 children and categorized images from 0 (no signs of atopic dermatitis) to 4 (severe signs of atopic dermatitis). After a first pass on categorization, the doctors agreed on 84% of images.

Of 189 pediatricians who used the card, fewer than half reported that they “sometimes,” “very often,” or “always” used the scorecard for atopic dermatitis evaluation. A little fewer than three-quarters reported that their ability to diagnose and categorize atopic dermatitis improved.

“Severity staging of atopic dermatitis is not something that the general pediatrician necessarily performs on a day-to-day basis,” said Kawaljit Brar, MD, professor of pediatrics in the division of allergy and immunology at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in New York.

Dr. Brar explained that children who are identified as being at high risk are often referred to specialists such as her, who then perform allergy screenings and can determine whether introduction of food at home is safe or whether office feedings supervised by an allergist are necessary. Researchers have found that early introduction to peanuts for children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis could prevent peanut allergy.

“This represents a wonderful initiative to educate pediatricians so that they understand which patients require screening for peanut allergy and which patients don’t and can just get introduced to peanuts at home,” Dr. Brar said.

The atopic dermatitis scorecard reflects a growing recognition that varying skin tones show levels of severity incongruously.

“Many of us in clinical practice have recognized that our education has not always been inclusive of patients with varying skin tones,” Dr. Samady said. “When we looked for photos of patients with different skin tones, we simply could not find any that we thought were appropriate. So we decided to take some ourselves, and we’re currently continuing to take photos in order to improve the scorecard we currently have.”

The study was funded by the National Institute of Health and Food Allergy Research and Education. Dr. Samady and Dr. Brar reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Remote monitoring of infant weight reduced the number of office visits among newborns, according to a new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

The pilot trial compared the frequency of office visits for healthy babies born at 37 weeks’ gestation or later. One group of 20 infants had their weight monitored at home by parents, and another group of 20 infants received usual care, which included two in-person office visits over the first 6 weeks of life.

Researchers found that visits for infants in the intervention group decreased by 25% after the first week of life and by 23% after the second week.

The remote method can help alert physicians earlier to insufficient weight because parents report gains or losses three times a week over the 6 weeks, resulting in more data for providers. 

“You’re going to see fewer visits with people who have scales because the docs are getting the information they need, which is: ‘Is this baby doing okay or not?’ ” said Diane DiTomasso, PhD, RN, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, who was not involved with the study. “I think it’s a very necessary study because, to my knowledge, nobody has done a randomized controlled trial on this topic.”

Keeping infants at home can also protect babies from infections they might catch in the clinic.

“There are a lot of other kids in an office setting, and kids like touching things,” said Anirudha Das, MD, MPH, a neonatologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s and the lead author of the study. “When there are a lot of other kids, there are a lot of viruses. It’s a very dangerous environment.”

Parents in the intervention group were given scales and asked to enter their infant’s weight into a patient portal app three times per week for 6 weeks. Physicians then determined if in-office visits were necessary. 

The benefits of home weight checks can include helping to allow for breastfeeding for a longer duration. 

Weight is more closely monitored for breastfed infants. Waiting weeks for office checks can heighten parental anxiety and lead to prematurely stopping breastfeeding. With regular at-home checks, parents receive up-to-date information from physicians that can alleviate concerns and empower them with more control over the process, according to Dr. DiTomasso.

Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer in later life, and a lower risk of breast cancer for breastfeeding parents.

Office weight checks can also alleviate a significant and unnecessary burden for parents, Dr. Das said.

“You shouldn’t have to put your baby in a car, possibly in freezing temperatures, hire someone to take care of your other kids, drive to the hospital, pay for parking, and walk to the office for a weight check,” Dr. Das said.

Dr. Das noted that, because of technical errors, parents weren’t able to use remote monitoring and had in-person visits during the first 5 days of life. The intervention group had more visits during that period than the usual-care group. 

The study was funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The authors and Dr. Das reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Remote monitoring of infant weight reduced the number of office visits among newborns, according to a new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

The pilot trial compared the frequency of office visits for healthy babies born at 37 weeks’ gestation or later. One group of 20 infants had their weight monitored at home by parents, and another group of 20 infants received usual care, which included two in-person office visits over the first 6 weeks of life.

Researchers found that visits for infants in the intervention group decreased by 25% after the first week of life and by 23% after the second week.

The remote method can help alert physicians earlier to insufficient weight because parents report gains or losses three times a week over the 6 weeks, resulting in more data for providers. 

“You’re going to see fewer visits with people who have scales because the docs are getting the information they need, which is: ‘Is this baby doing okay or not?’ ” said Diane DiTomasso, PhD, RN, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, who was not involved with the study. “I think it’s a very necessary study because, to my knowledge, nobody has done a randomized controlled trial on this topic.”

Keeping infants at home can also protect babies from infections they might catch in the clinic.

“There are a lot of other kids in an office setting, and kids like touching things,” said Anirudha Das, MD, MPH, a neonatologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s and the lead author of the study. “When there are a lot of other kids, there are a lot of viruses. It’s a very dangerous environment.”

Parents in the intervention group were given scales and asked to enter their infant’s weight into a patient portal app three times per week for 6 weeks. Physicians then determined if in-office visits were necessary. 

The benefits of home weight checks can include helping to allow for breastfeeding for a longer duration. 

Weight is more closely monitored for breastfed infants. Waiting weeks for office checks can heighten parental anxiety and lead to prematurely stopping breastfeeding. With regular at-home checks, parents receive up-to-date information from physicians that can alleviate concerns and empower them with more control over the process, according to Dr. DiTomasso.

Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer in later life, and a lower risk of breast cancer for breastfeeding parents.

Office weight checks can also alleviate a significant and unnecessary burden for parents, Dr. Das said.

“You shouldn’t have to put your baby in a car, possibly in freezing temperatures, hire someone to take care of your other kids, drive to the hospital, pay for parking, and walk to the office for a weight check,” Dr. Das said.

Dr. Das noted that, because of technical errors, parents weren’t able to use remote monitoring and had in-person visits during the first 5 days of life. The intervention group had more visits during that period than the usual-care group. 

The study was funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The authors and Dr. Das reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Remote monitoring of infant weight reduced the number of office visits among newborns, according to a new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

The pilot trial compared the frequency of office visits for healthy babies born at 37 weeks’ gestation or later. One group of 20 infants had their weight monitored at home by parents, and another group of 20 infants received usual care, which included two in-person office visits over the first 6 weeks of life.

Researchers found that visits for infants in the intervention group decreased by 25% after the first week of life and by 23% after the second week.

The remote method can help alert physicians earlier to insufficient weight because parents report gains or losses three times a week over the 6 weeks, resulting in more data for providers. 

“You’re going to see fewer visits with people who have scales because the docs are getting the information they need, which is: ‘Is this baby doing okay or not?’ ” said Diane DiTomasso, PhD, RN, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, who was not involved with the study. “I think it’s a very necessary study because, to my knowledge, nobody has done a randomized controlled trial on this topic.”

Keeping infants at home can also protect babies from infections they might catch in the clinic.

“There are a lot of other kids in an office setting, and kids like touching things,” said Anirudha Das, MD, MPH, a neonatologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s and the lead author of the study. “When there are a lot of other kids, there are a lot of viruses. It’s a very dangerous environment.”

Parents in the intervention group were given scales and asked to enter their infant’s weight into a patient portal app three times per week for 6 weeks. Physicians then determined if in-office visits were necessary. 

The benefits of home weight checks can include helping to allow for breastfeeding for a longer duration. 

Weight is more closely monitored for breastfed infants. Waiting weeks for office checks can heighten parental anxiety and lead to prematurely stopping breastfeeding. With regular at-home checks, parents receive up-to-date information from physicians that can alleviate concerns and empower them with more control over the process, according to Dr. DiTomasso.

Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer in later life, and a lower risk of breast cancer for breastfeeding parents.

Office weight checks can also alleviate a significant and unnecessary burden for parents, Dr. Das said.

“You shouldn’t have to put your baby in a car, possibly in freezing temperatures, hire someone to take care of your other kids, drive to the hospital, pay for parking, and walk to the office for a weight check,” Dr. Das said.

Dr. Das noted that, because of technical errors, parents weren’t able to use remote monitoring and had in-person visits during the first 5 days of life. The intervention group had more visits during that period than the usual-care group. 

The study was funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The authors and Dr. Das reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

High school students are injuring themselves more severely even as overall injury rates have declined, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The study compared injuries from a 4-year period ending in 2019 to data from 2005 and 2006. The overall rate of injuries dropped 9%, from 2.51 injuries per 1,000 athletic games or practices to 2.29 per 1,000; injuries requiring less than 1 week of recovery time fell by 13%. But, the number of head and neck injuries increased by 10%, injuries requiring surgery increased by 1%, and injuries leading to medical disqualification jumped by 11%. 

“It’s wonderful that the injury rate is declining,” said Jordan Neoma Pizzarro, a medical student at George Washington University, Washington, who led the study. “But the data does suggest that the injuries that are happening are worse.”

The increases may also reflect increased education and awareness of how to detect concussions and other injuries that need medical attention, said Micah Lissy, MD, MS, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Dr. Lissy cautioned against physicians and others taking the data at face value. 

“We need to be implementing preventive measures wherever possible, but I think we can also consider that there may be some confounding factors in the data,” Dr. Lissy told this news organization. 

Ms. Pizzarro and her team analyzed data collected from athletic trainers at 100 high schools across the country for the ongoing National Health School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study.

Athletes participating in sports such as football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball were included in the analysis. Trainers report the number of injuries for every competition and practice, also known as “athletic exposures.”

Boys’ football carried the highest injury rate, with 3.96 injuries per 1,000 AEs, amounting to 44% of all injuries reported. Girls’ soccer and boys’ wrestling followed, with injury rates of 2.65 and 1.56, respectively. 

Sprains and strains accounted for 37% of injuries, followed by concussions (21.6%). The head and/or face was the most injured body site, followed by the ankles and/or knees. Most injuries took place during competitions rather than in practices (relative risk, 3.39; 95% confidence interval, 3.28-3.49; P < .05).

Ms. Pizzarro said that an overall increase in intensity, physical contact, and collisions may account for the spike in more severe injuries.

“Kids are encouraged to specialize in one sport early on and stick with it year-round,” she said. “They’re probably becoming more agile and better athletes, but they’re probably also getting more competitive.” 

Dr. Lissy, who has worked with high school athletes as a surgeon, physical therapist, athletic trainer, and coach, said that some of the increases in severity of injuries may reflect trends in sports over the past two decades: Student athletes have become stronger and faster and have put on more muscle mass. 

“When you have something that’s much larger, moving much faster and with more force, you’re going to have more force when you bump into things,” he said. “This can lead to more significant injuries.”

The study was independently supported. Study authors report no relevant financial relationships. 

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

High school students are injuring themselves more severely even as overall injury rates have declined, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The study compared injuries from a 4-year period ending in 2019 to data from 2005 and 2006. The overall rate of injuries dropped 9%, from 2.51 injuries per 1,000 athletic games or practices to 2.29 per 1,000; injuries requiring less than 1 week of recovery time fell by 13%. But, the number of head and neck injuries increased by 10%, injuries requiring surgery increased by 1%, and injuries leading to medical disqualification jumped by 11%. 

“It’s wonderful that the injury rate is declining,” said Jordan Neoma Pizzarro, a medical student at George Washington University, Washington, who led the study. “But the data does suggest that the injuries that are happening are worse.”

The increases may also reflect increased education and awareness of how to detect concussions and other injuries that need medical attention, said Micah Lissy, MD, MS, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Dr. Lissy cautioned against physicians and others taking the data at face value. 

“We need to be implementing preventive measures wherever possible, but I think we can also consider that there may be some confounding factors in the data,” Dr. Lissy told this news organization. 

Ms. Pizzarro and her team analyzed data collected from athletic trainers at 100 high schools across the country for the ongoing National Health School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study.

Athletes participating in sports such as football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball were included in the analysis. Trainers report the number of injuries for every competition and practice, also known as “athletic exposures.”

Boys’ football carried the highest injury rate, with 3.96 injuries per 1,000 AEs, amounting to 44% of all injuries reported. Girls’ soccer and boys’ wrestling followed, with injury rates of 2.65 and 1.56, respectively. 

Sprains and strains accounted for 37% of injuries, followed by concussions (21.6%). The head and/or face was the most injured body site, followed by the ankles and/or knees. Most injuries took place during competitions rather than in practices (relative risk, 3.39; 95% confidence interval, 3.28-3.49; P < .05).

Ms. Pizzarro said that an overall increase in intensity, physical contact, and collisions may account for the spike in more severe injuries.

“Kids are encouraged to specialize in one sport early on and stick with it year-round,” she said. “They’re probably becoming more agile and better athletes, but they’re probably also getting more competitive.” 

Dr. Lissy, who has worked with high school athletes as a surgeon, physical therapist, athletic trainer, and coach, said that some of the increases in severity of injuries may reflect trends in sports over the past two decades: Student athletes have become stronger and faster and have put on more muscle mass. 

“When you have something that’s much larger, moving much faster and with more force, you’re going to have more force when you bump into things,” he said. “This can lead to more significant injuries.”

The study was independently supported. Study authors report no relevant financial relationships. 

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

High school students are injuring themselves more severely even as overall injury rates have declined, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The study compared injuries from a 4-year period ending in 2019 to data from 2005 and 2006. The overall rate of injuries dropped 9%, from 2.51 injuries per 1,000 athletic games or practices to 2.29 per 1,000; injuries requiring less than 1 week of recovery time fell by 13%. But, the number of head and neck injuries increased by 10%, injuries requiring surgery increased by 1%, and injuries leading to medical disqualification jumped by 11%. 

“It’s wonderful that the injury rate is declining,” said Jordan Neoma Pizzarro, a medical student at George Washington University, Washington, who led the study. “But the data does suggest that the injuries that are happening are worse.”

The increases may also reflect increased education and awareness of how to detect concussions and other injuries that need medical attention, said Micah Lissy, MD, MS, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Dr. Lissy cautioned against physicians and others taking the data at face value. 

“We need to be implementing preventive measures wherever possible, but I think we can also consider that there may be some confounding factors in the data,” Dr. Lissy told this news organization. 

Ms. Pizzarro and her team analyzed data collected from athletic trainers at 100 high schools across the country for the ongoing National Health School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study.

Athletes participating in sports such as football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball were included in the analysis. Trainers report the number of injuries for every competition and practice, also known as “athletic exposures.”

Boys’ football carried the highest injury rate, with 3.96 injuries per 1,000 AEs, amounting to 44% of all injuries reported. Girls’ soccer and boys’ wrestling followed, with injury rates of 2.65 and 1.56, respectively. 

Sprains and strains accounted for 37% of injuries, followed by concussions (21.6%). The head and/or face was the most injured body site, followed by the ankles and/or knees. Most injuries took place during competitions rather than in practices (relative risk, 3.39; 95% confidence interval, 3.28-3.49; P < .05).

Ms. Pizzarro said that an overall increase in intensity, physical contact, and collisions may account for the spike in more severe injuries.

“Kids are encouraged to specialize in one sport early on and stick with it year-round,” she said. “They’re probably becoming more agile and better athletes, but they’re probably also getting more competitive.” 

Dr. Lissy, who has worked with high school athletes as a surgeon, physical therapist, athletic trainer, and coach, said that some of the increases in severity of injuries may reflect trends in sports over the past two decades: Student athletes have become stronger and faster and have put on more muscle mass. 

“When you have something that’s much larger, moving much faster and with more force, you’re going to have more force when you bump into things,” he said. “This can lead to more significant injuries.”

The study was independently supported. Study authors report no relevant financial relationships. 

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.