Background. Seizures are a common cause of evaluation in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Several studies about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ED attendances report a considerable reduction in general pediatric care. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the admission to the pediatric ED for seizures. Materials and methods. We performed a retrospective study to assess the rate of ED admission for seizures at the pediatric ED of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan between January 2017 and December 2021, comparing the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021).
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
1,000
Pediatric Emergency Department Clinica de Marchi, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Milan, Italy
During the study period, 1,091 patients with seizures were admitted to pediatric ED, 776 before the pandemic and 315 during the pandemic. In particular, the evaluation rates per month were 20.4 before the pandemic and 14.3 afterward
Time frame: the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021)
Patients with a history of previous seizures showed a greater decrease in the monthly number of ED visits compared to those with a first seizure. An increased rate of unprovoked seizures and a decreased rate of provoked ones were observed in the pandemic
Time frame: the pre-pandemic (from January 2017 to February 2020) and pandemic periods (from March 2020 to December 2021)
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