Weight loss is frequently a popular topic in the United States, with 73.6% of the population over the age of 20 years overweight and 42.5% obese.

However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic appears to be accelerating this. A quick search on Instagram reveals 59,600 results for the hashtag “#quarantine15.” Many of these results display people either sharing that they have gained weight during the pandemic or how they have managed to stave off the weight or even lose weight. Weight gain during the pandemic is not just a vanity concern on social media but is increasingly becoming a health concern that could lead to long-term health consequences for adults and children alike.

Survey results released by biotechnology company Gelesis in December 2020 showed that 71 million Americans had gained weight during the pandemic, and 63% had found it more difficult to maintain healthy lifestyle habits.

 The 71 million figure is extrapolated from an online survey among 1012 adults in the United States from October 26, 2020, to November 3, 2020. 2 Nonetheless, this shows that a significant number of Americans may be struggling to maintain a healthy weight during the pandemic. The disruption of daily lives, food insecurity, physical restrictions, and stress all play a role in gaining weight. Many people are also increasing their unhealthy snacking habits.

According to the results of an online cross-sectional survey between April 2020 and June 2020, participants reported increased consumption of salty snacks (37.4%) and sweets (43.8%),

Children are not immune to the pandemic weight gain. Prior to the pandemic, more than 20% of children ages 6 years and older were obese.1 Evidence is starting to show that limited access to healthy food and places to be physically active can increase a child’s risk for obesity.

Here are some tips to maintain a healthy weight:

 That means avoiding snacking while watching television or simply out of boredom. This can quickly increase calorie intake.

 Any snacks between meals should also be nutrient-dense. Avoid foods that are devoid of nutritional value. For example, a piece of whole fruit or raw vegetables with a side of hummus provide macro and micronutrients that make an individual feel full.

 Individuals who are given larger portions tend to eat more.5 The results of one study showed that increasing portions by 75% increased food intake by a mean 27% and 

 Adults can practice making appropriate portions by checking out MyPlate.gov and adhering to the recommended portion sizes. They should also be aware of the portions they are giving to children.

Drinking more water has myriad direct and indirect benefits. Drinking water instead of sweetened beverages can reduce overall caloric intake, but it also can help improve alertness, cognition, metabolism, and workouts; remove waste from the body; and suppress the appetite.

 Individuals should drink between 8 and 16 glasses of water each day, though amount should also be dictated by thirst and the color of urine. If the urine appears dark or concentrated, that indicates dehydration. Healthy urine is colorless or light yellow.

Meals should be full of nutritious foods. It may sound obvious, but many foods are overly processed and stripped of nutrients. This leads to calorie-laden food with little nutritional value. Ideally, the food should be a rich source of healthy macronutrients (healthy fats and sources of carbohydrates and high-quality protein) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins), as well as lower in calories. Foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value, such as candies, chips, and sweetened beverages, lead to weight gain and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Foods that are high in fiber and protein provide vital nutrients but also help ward off hunger. Avoid both regular and sugar-free soda, as it is a huge culprit behind weight gain.

Studies have shown that insufficient sleep can increase hunger and lead to weight gain. How much sleep should people get?

 Newborn should sleep 14 to 17 hours a day, babies who are 12 months of age should sleep 10 hours at night and nap for 4 hours each day, two-year-olds should sleep 11 to 12 hours at night and have 1-to-2-hour afternoon nap each day, children age 3 to 5 years should sleep 10 to 13 hours a day, those 6 to 13 years of age should sleep between 9 and 11 hours each night, teenagers age 14 to 17 should sleep between 8 and 10 hours each night, and adults should get 7 to 9 hours’ worth of shut eye each night.

Fiber has many benefits, including helping with bowel regularity and a feeling of fullness. It can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. Additionally, foods that are naturally high in fiber generally are healthier and offer other nutritional benefits. For example, fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber but also are lower in calories and have antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Legumes are high in fiber and are also great sources of protein. Nuts and seeds are high in fiber, healthy fatty acids, minerals, protein, and vitamins.

 When individuals are stressed, it can lead to a rise in hormone levels that can cause craving fatty or sugary food and overeating. There are many ways to reduce stress, including asking for help, creating a relaxing nighttime routine, eating healthy, exercising, finding time for leisure, meditating, practicing yoga, prioritizing quality sleep, setting personal boundaries, spending time with family and friends, and taking a break from negative news.

 Both children and adults need to be physically active and should be active every day. Before the pandemic, 80% of Americans were not getting enough physical activity.

 Humans are meant to be active, and there is extensive research on the negative health consequences of being sedentary. Physical activity has myriad benefits, including reducing the risk of death from heart 

, and reducing anxiety, dementia, and depression. Physical activity also improves cognition and sleep. How much exercise is suggested? Children ages 3 to 5 years should be active throughout the day, while those who are 6 to 17 years should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise each day.

 Adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

Try an evidence-based diet or weight loss strategy.

 Avoid crash diets and dangerous trends. It is important that a diet be well-balanced and realistic for the long term. Crash diets tend to fail and lead to rebound weight gain, and there is no need to lose weight quickly. The key is to create a healthy lifestyle. One good plan to follow is the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on regularly consuming beans, flavorful herbs and spices, fruits, legumes, nuts, olive oil, vegetables, and whole grains; fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week; cheese, eggs, poultry, and yogurt in moderation; and red meats and sweets sparingly.

 Other diets may lead to more or faster weight loss, but many are lacking in nutrients and not sustainable. Individuals who are interested in intermittent fasting or low-carbohydrate diets should consult a health care professional for guidance to see if these methods are appropriate or safe for them and how to incorporate these into a healthy, well-rounded diet.

CDC. Obesity and overweight. Updated January 11, 2021. Accessed February 18, 2021. 

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm

New survey finds 71 million Americans have gained weight throughout the pandemic [news release]. Boston, MA; December 22, 2020: Gelesis. Accessed February 17, 2021. 

https://www.gelesis.com/2020/12/22/new-survey-finds-71-million-americans-have-gained-weight-throughout-the-pandemic/

Bin Zarah A, Enriquez-Marulanda J, Andrade JM. Relationship between dietary habits, food attitudes and food security status among adults living within the United States three months post-mandated quarantine: a cross-sectional study. 

. 2020;12(11):3468. doi:10.3390/nu12113468

State of Childhood Obesity. Impact‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌COVID-19 pandemic‌ ‌on‌ ‌childhood‌ ‌obesity‌‌. Accessed February 18, 2021. 

https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/stories/impact-of-the-pandemic-on-childhood-obesity/

Zuraikat FM, Roe LS, Sanchez CE, Rolls BJ. Comparing the portion size effect in women with and without extended training in portion control: a follow-up to the Portion-Control Strategies Trial. 

. 2018;123:334-342. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.01.012

Johns Hopkins University. Yes, drinking more water may help you lose weight. The Hub. January 15, 2020. Accessed February 19, 2021. 

https://hub.jhu.edu/at-work/2020/01/15/focus-on-wellness-drinking-more-water/

Olson EJ. How many hours of sleep are enough for good health? Mayo Clinic. June 6, 2019. Accessed February 18, 2021. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898

Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 

2018;320(19):2020–2028. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet

Articles

Weight gain during the pandemic is becoming a real health concern that could lead to long-term consequences for both adults and children. #quarantine15

Weight gain during the pandemic is becoming a real health concern that could lead to long-term consequences for both adults and children.

Help Patients Avoid the Quarantine 15

A new study has found that antibodies that guard against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can transfer from mothers to babies while in the womb, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

, the discovery adds to growing evidence that suggests that pregnant women who generate protective antibodies after contracting the COVID-19 virus often convey some of that natural immunity to their fetuses. The findings also support that vaccinating mothers-to-be may have benefits for their newborns, according to the study authors.

“Since we can now say that the antibodies pregnant women make against COVID-19 have been shown to be passed down to their babies, we suspect that there’s a good chance they could pass down the antibodies the body makes after being vaccinated as well,” said senior study author Yawei Jenny Yang, MD, an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, in a press release.

The research team analyzed blood samples from 88 women who gave birth at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center between March and May 2020 during the time in which New York City was the global epicenter of the pandemic. All of the women had COVID-19 antibodies in their blood, indicating that they had contracted the virus at some point, even though 58% of those women had no symptoms, according to the study authors.

Further, although antibodies were detected in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women, the researchers observed that the concentration of antibodies was significantly higher in symptomatic women. They also found that the general pattern of antibody response was similar to the response seen in other patients, confirming that pregnant women have the same kind of immune response to the virus as the larger patient population, which was not previously known due to women’s immune system changes throughout pregnancy.

In addition, the vast majority of the babies born to these women (78%) had detectable antibodies in their umbilical cord blood. The researchers said they found no evidence that any of the infants had been directly infected with the virus and all were COVID-19-negative at the time of birth, further indicating that the antibodies had crossed the placenta, the organ that provides oxygen and nutrients to a growing baby during pregnancy, into the fetal bloodstream. Newborns with symptomatic mothers also had higher antibody levels than those whose mothers had no COVID-19 symptoms, according to the study authors.

These data imply that pregnant women could pass along vaccine-generated antibodies in the same way, potentially shielding both mother and child from future infection. However, it is not yet known exactly how protective these antibodies might be or how long that protection might last.

Study co-author Laura Riley, MD, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, is still advising pregnant patients who decide to get vaccinated to continue to follow current safety guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease.

Follow-up investigations are enrolling pregnant women who receive the vaccine, as well as vaccinated mothers who are breastfeeding, to assess the antibody response in these groups after vaccination. This information could help guide maternal vaccination strategies moving forward, according to the study authors.

Researchers learn that pregnant women pass along protective COVID antibodies to their babies. Weill Cornell Medicine. 

https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/02/researchers-learn-that-pregnant-women-pass-along-protective-covid-antibodies-to-their

. Published February 22, 2021. Accessed February 24, 2021.

The discovery adds to growing evidence that suggests that pregnant women who generate protective antibodies after contracting the COVID-19 virus often convey some of that natural immunity to their fetuses. 

Study: Pregnant Women Pass Along Protective COVID-19 Antibodies to Babies

interviewed Donald Wood, PhD, the recently elected president and CEO of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), on muscular dystrophy research and care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and beyond.

Would you mind discussing further the Task Force on Genetics, and the importance and impact of its findings on understanding muscular dystrophy?

 Well to your audience, there was a time probably before many of you were born when we didn't know how to do research into human genetics because we couldn't actually study human DNA. The first time we were allowed to study human DNA was back in the 70s—that's last century folks. Then in the 80s, the Muscular Dystrophy Association created the Task Force on Genetics, whose specific aim was to identify the genetic cause of muscular dystrophy.

No one had ever identified a gene underlying a human disease without knowing what that gene did. When we started looking for the gene, we didn't know if the gene was expressed in muscle—even though muscle was hurt, the gene could have been expressed in nerve. There were even some theories that the gene somehow disoriented capillarity, and so it could have been in that area. We didn't know what area it was in.

So, the Task Force on Genetics set up a program which I oversaw, and we had a strategy for going after the genes underlying Duchenne muscular dystrophy. There are a lot more diseases, but we knew that Duchenne muscular dystrophy was an x-linked disorder, so it was on the x chromosome, and anyway, without going through all the details, that was our focus.

We held a conference in Cold Spring Harbor in 1983 to develop the overall strategies. In 1986, I was on a stage with Jerry Lewis and Dr. Lou Kunkel's lab that had discovered the gene underlying Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the very first gene underlying a human disease ever discovered without knowledge of the gene protein. The gene protein came next, so we have in the 70-year history of the Muscular Dystrophy Association created history in terms of human genetic diseases, and it's been my great, good fortune to have been involved every step of the way.

Videos

Contemporary Clinic® interviewed Donald Wood, PhD, the recently elected president and CEO of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, on the history of the Task Force on Genetics, and the importance and impact of its findings on understanding muscular dystrophy.

How the Groundbreaking Discovery of the Gene Underlying Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Changed the Field

interviewed Bethany Hall, MSN, the owner of Healing Connection, on how understanding the role nurse practitioners have in understanding and approaching care for children with complex developmental trauma (CDT).

In this discussion, Hall discusses the cumulative nature of the economic and social burden of childhood trauma, making trauma competent caregiving in the field of nursing critical.

What is the role of trauma competent caregiving in the field of nursing, and what role do nurse practitioners have in understanding and approaching care for children with CDT?

So, I love nurses. I was a nurse before I was a nurse practitioner. Nurses are, in my opinion, the hearts and hands of the medical community. So, nurses spend a lot more time in a patient bedside in building a rapport with patients than any of us as nurse practitioners or physicians do. So, they have a unique opportunity as they raise their own education and awareness to build rapport with these patients, to be advocates for them, to help train the other people around them, and how to approach a child that has experienced trauma, to do things like increase their feeling of safety, to make their surroundings more comfortable, to help them know that they have a voice in their medical care, that they can speak out about how they're feeling or how their medications are making them feel, or interacting with their other activities of daily living.

So, the more nurses are educated, I think they can do great work with the patients one-on-one, and in their multiple interactions with patients. As far as nurse practitioners and physicians, I think the more we understand that there is meaning behind the behavior of our patients, the better we can create plans that are holistic in nature and that take into account the changes that have occurred in these children as a result of trauma in their brains, their bodies, and their biology.

So, I mentioned earlier I think this is changing somewhat. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris has written a book called 

 and basically [it] catalogs her journey of educating herself on childhood trauma, how she created her pediatric practice, and how she changed it to really create a holistic and family-based approach that takes into account a child's [Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)] score. So, in her practice now, utilizing the ACE score is just like getting a vital sign, so it's just like a blood pressure, every child gets their ACE score. That really helps drive care, helps them make sure that if there are problems in the family, that if the child is still in the midst of trauma that they're experiencing, then providing resources to the parents.

Oftentimes children who have parents who are neglectful or abusive, it is a direct result of their parents’ experiences as children. So, she takes a family-based approach of saying how can we help you to heal from your trauma so that you can be a better parent to your child, and how can we give you resources—if it's food, clothing, or safety as far as a living situation—how can we help you and give you resources because, when we can help the parents, then we help the children, and we really improve health outcomes across the board. So, I think the more that we educate ourselves, the better we can do, and from a public health standpoint, the need for us to educate ourselves as nurse practitioners can't be overstated.

So, the cumulative economic and social burden of childhood trauma is extremely high, and I think it's something that we just don't realize as a medical community. I have here based on the data from a variety of sources I was looking up right before our interview a conservative annual cost of childhood abuse and neglect is estimated at about 103.8 billion dollars, so that includes like the direct cost associated with hospitalizations like I was talking about with the emergency department mental health care for these children—child welfare systems, law enforcement—to kind of create these systems that we need around them. But it also includes indirect costs related to the secondary or long-term effects of their abuse, which again then you're talking about special education services, juvenile delinquency services, long-term mental health care, criminal justice system, loss of productivity to society.

So, it's our job—I feel like the onus is on us as a medical community to understand that this is a public health crisis that's gone unnoticed for a long period of time as we live through this pandemic. That's only likely to increase. So, the impact on parents and their ability to parent well and the impact on these children with compounded stressors that may or may not be able to be discussed and given space to help them work through these things, so that they don't become traumatic is often not there. So, I think it can't be overstated the role that we have as nurse practitioners to educate ourselves and then to become champions among our colleagues in this area.

Contemporary Clinic® interviewed Bethany Hall, MSN, the owner of Healing Connection, on the role of trauma competent caregiving in the field of nursing.

Understanding and Approaching Care for Children with Complex Developmental Trauma

New research suggests that ‘smart’ asthma inhaler sensors may improve control of asthma in children as well as improving the quality of life for caregivers. According to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, this intervention should be considered to help engage diverse populations of pediatric asthma patients.

More than 25 million Americans are diagnosed with asthma and most are prescribed inhalers that are designed to prevent and treat asthma attacks. Most patients can achieve disease control with effective management and live symptom-free. However, patients with moderate-to-severe disease, asthma control may also require use of ‘controller’ medications as well as occasional use of ‘rescue’ medications.

Connected inhalers, or ‘smart’ inhalers, use Bluetooth sensors that attach to participants’ asthma inhalers to detect medication use, and they share data with physicians. According to the study results, the data could help improve treatment decisions, and these inhalers could also promote adherence to recommended controller medication use and proactively detect worsening of asthma symptoms.

“Emerging connected technologies can help improve patient health, with this randomized-controlled clinical trial showing that pediatric asthma patients with access to inhaler sensors report better asthma control and quality of life than patients who only received a standardized asthma education curriculum,” said study lead Ruchi Gupta, MD, in a statement.

The study included 252 children with moderate or persistent asthma who were recruited from 5 clinics. They were 24% non-Hispanic white, 23% non-Hispanic Black, and 40% Hispanic, while 60% were on public insurance. The study lasted 1 year and had assessments at enrollment, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months.

Study participants were evaluated based on an Asthma Control Test questionnaire, which measured their asthma symptom control on a scale from 0 (poor control) to 27 (well-controlled). According to the Lurie children’s hospital, average scores among those who received the intervention increased by 10.1% over the course of the study. The researchers noted the greatest improvements among non-Hispanic Black participants.

Caregivers were assessed with their own questionnaire, which measured how the sensor-based monitoring adherence affected their day-to-day involvement. They reported improved quality of life after the first month of the study due to easier asthma management, which was sustained through the year-long trial.

“This study is another clear example that digital health is here to stay, as it allows for us to stay connected to patients living with chronic disease, provide a level of automated watchfulness, and intercept disease in a timely measure,” said Deneen Vojta, MD, chief physician executive for Optum Labs, in a statement. “This is a terrific example of moving from the best care out there today to the best care possible.”

“Smart” Asthma Inhaler Sensors Improve Pediatric Asthma Control [news release]. Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; February 17, 2021. Accessed February 18, 2021. 

https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/news-stories/smart-asthma-inhaler-sensors-improve-pediatric-asthma-control/

Investigators found the greatest improvements among non-Hispanic Black participants, suggesting that the intervention could help engage diverse populations of pediatric asthma patients.

Study Finds Sensor-Based Inhalers Improve Asthma Control in Children

Contemporary Clinic spoke with pediatric nurse practitioner Brenda Cassidy, DNP, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, from NAPNAP about how health care professionals can pay attention to the red flags of human/child trafficking victims.

Cassidy also discusses the dangers of online predators during the COVID-19 pandemic and what she hopes to see for the future of HCPs in this area.

Contemporary Clinic spoke with pediatric nurse practitioner Brenda Cassidy, DNP, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, from NAPNAP about how health care professionals can pay attention to the red flags of human/child trafficking victims.

Spotting the Red Flags of Human Trafficking in the Healthcare Setting

interviewed Lea Davis, PhD, an associate professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, on a recent study she co-authored that was published in 

 on the epidemiology of functional seizures among adults treated at a university hospital.

During the discussion, Davis addressed the difference between functional seizures and epileptic seizures in patients, and how providers can identify this difference.

What exactly is the difference between functional seizures and epileptic seizures in patients, and what methods are available to identify the difference?

 So, the seizure itself can look very similar. Functional seizures often look like grand mal seizures, and they can be really difficult to distinguish from epileptic seizures, even for experts who are well-trained in understanding functional seizures. Really the gold standard for being able to diagnose functional seizures is a video EEG, which means that somebody is under video observation, and they have the cap with all the wires attached to their scalp to measure electrical activity, and this can often take 2 or 3 days of a person being under observation, where they're basically just waiting for a typical seizure—a seizure like the kind that the patient typically experiences, and then they look to see [if] those seizures also correspond with electrical activity in the brain that is a signature of epilepsy or not. If it does not correspond with aberrant brain activity that is indicative of epilepsy, then it's classified as a functional seizure.

Contemporary Clinic® interviewed Lea Davis, PhD, of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, on the difference between functional seizures and epileptic seizures, and how providers can identify the difference.

Identifying the Difference Between Functional Seizures and Epileptic Seizures

interviewed Carrie Cuttler, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Washington State University, on a recent study she co-authored that was published in the 

 on the use of cannabis in treating symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In this discussion, Cuttler addresses the short-term versus long-term effects of cannabis on OCD, and how these may impact patients with OCD who use cannabis.

In the study, you noted that cannabis may have some beneficial short-term effects, but potentially less long-term effects on OCD. What do you mean by short-term versus long-term effects, and how might these differing effects impact how cannabis could potentially be used to treat patients with OCD?

 Yeah, so by short-term effects, I really mean the acute effects. So, I mean the effects of the drug when people are under the immediate influence of cannabis. And again, our results show that people perceived and reported approximate 50% reductions in these OCD symptoms from immediately before too shortly after inhaling cannabis.

Now by long-term effects, I mean like the more lasting effects of the drug after its acute effects have worn off, so when the person's no longer under the immediate influence of the drug. To examine these effects, we actually tracked people's baseline ratings of their symptoms over time. So, we just looked at their ratings immediately before cannabis use to self-medicate and looked at this as a function of the repeated use of cannabis over time. 

We found that these baseline ratings of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors really stayed pretty constant over time, which either means people just self-medicate once their symptoms hit a certain threshold, which is certainly possible, or it could mean that the repeated use of cannabis over time does little to treat the core symptoms of OCD. Instead, these findings are suggesting that using cannabis might simply kind of just maintain these symptoms over time.

In other studies, I've actually found a similar pattern of results. Collectively, they indicate that cannabis is really serving as a band-aid in that it's temporarily masking these symptoms, but it's not addressing the root core issues that are underlying these problems. 

So, people experiencing these symptoms may turn to cannabis, and they may find that yeah it effectively reduces their symptoms in the short term while they're intoxicated or under the influence, so it's negatively reinforcing in that way—it's taking away a bad feeling and making them want to keep using it, but it's not decreasing these symptoms in the long-term. It's not addressing the root core issue. Instead, it's really just maintaining these symptoms over time. 

So, when the effects of the drug wear off in 1 to 4 hours, the symptoms are going to return, leading them to potentially use more cannabis, and then eventually increasing the risk for becoming dependent on it. As such, people with OCD should really be seeking out therapy to learn how to effectively reduce their symptoms in the long-term.

Contemporary Clinic® interviewed Carrie Cuttler, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Washington State University, on the short-term versus long-term effects of cannabis on OCD.

The Short-term Versus Long-term Effects of Cannabis Use for Patients With OCD

New research has found that peanut allergies affect more American adults than previously believed, with about 1 in 6 adults developing the allergy after age 18.

Peanut allergies affect at least 4.5 million adults in the United States but is often considered a pediatric concern according to a press release. For example, the study authors pointed out that the 

 a peanut allergy therapy for initiation in pediatric patients between the ages of 4 and 17 in 2020, although there are currently no FDA-approved therapies for patients with adult-onset food allergy.

According to Northwestern University, the new study provides the first detailed estimates of peanut allergies among adults in the United States, which was previously unknown. The findings demonstrate that peanut allergy may be more common than previously thought, and although young adults are the most affected, peanut allergies impact adults of all ages.

“Currently, the sole FDA-approved peanut allergy therapy­—Palforzia—is only indicated for pediatric patients,” said senior study author Ruchi Gupta, MD, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. “Given the high prevalence of peanut allergy among US adults, additional therapies are needed to help address this growing burden of disease.”

The investigators found that 2.9% of adults report a current peanut allergy, whereas just 1.8% report a physician-diagnosed peanut allergy or a history of peanut-allergic reaction symptoms. Furthermore, the researchers found that 2 in 3 adults with peanut allergy have at least 1 other food allergy. This was most commonly tree nuts, but more than 1 in 5 are also allergic to shellfish.

The findings also suggest that many individuals who report peanut allergies and experience potentially severe allergic reactions are not obtaining clinical diagnosis of their allergies, according to the investigators.

“Clinical confirmation of suspected food allergies, no matter when their reported onset, is critical to reduce the risk of unnecessary allergen exposure as well as to ensure patients receive essential counseling and prescription of emergency epinephrine,” said co-first author Dawn Lei, MD, a clinical instructor of pediatrics at Feinberg, in a prepared statement.

The investigators concluded that additional efforts are needed in order to ensure proper diagnosis and management among adults with peanut allergy. Co-first author Christopher Warren, PhD, director of population health at Feinberg, explained that there is a link between lack of awareness about adult peanut allergy and the lack of diagnoses.

“Unlike allergies such as milk or egg, which often develop early in life and are outgrown by adolescence, peanut allergy appears to affect children and adults to a similar degree,” Warren said, in a prepared statement. “Our study shows many adults are not outgrowing their childhood peanut allergies, and many adults are developing peanut allergies for the first time. Worryingly, despite reporting similar rates of severe reactions and annual food allergy-related emergency room visits, patients with adult-onset peanut allergy were less likely to report a physician-diagnosis as well as a current epinephrine prescription.”

Peanut allergy affects even more US adults than children [news release]. EurekAlert; February 9, 2021. 

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/nu-paa020421.php

Study findings suggest that many individuals who report peanut allergies and experience potentially severe allergic reactions are not obtaining clinical diagnosis of their allergies.

The findings also suggest that many individuals who report peanut allergies and experience potentially severe allergic reactions are not obtaining clinical diagnosis of their allergies.

Study: Peanut allergies Affect More US Adults Than Children

A new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that wearing a tight-fitting mask or wearing a cloth mask over a medical mask significantly limited the spread of severe acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Universal masking is recommended to slow the spread of COVID-19, whether with a cloth mask or a medical mask, such as an N-95 mask. However, ensuring that these masks fit properly is key in order to prevent air from leaking around the edges. Investigators tried 2 approaches: layering a cloth mask over a medical mask and wearing a medical mask with knotted ear loops and tucked-in sides.

A knotted and tucked medical procedure mask can be created by bringing together the corners and ear loops on each side, knotting the loops where they attach to the mask, and tucking in and flattening the extra material in order to minimize the side gaps.

The report noted that other recent studies have examined the use of mask fitters to improve the fit of cloth and medical procedure masks. Fitters can be solid or elastic and are worn over the mask. The study results suggest that when fitters are secured over a medical mask, they can increase the wearer’s protection by 90% or more for aerosols in the size range considered to be the most important for transmitting SARS-CoV-2, according to the CDC.

Other studies have found that knotting and tucking a medical mask or wearing a nylon sleeve around the neck and pulling it up over the mask could significantly improve protection by fitting the mask more tightly to the wearer’s face. Double masking is another method to improve the fit of medical masks while maximizing the filtration properties of the materials they are constructed from.

The first CDC experiment examined how effectively various mask combinations reduced the number of particles emitted during a cough. According to the report, they assessed a 3-ply medical procedure mask alone, a 3-ply cotton mask alone, and the 3-ply cloth mask covering the 3-ply medical mask. They found that the unknotted medical procedure mask alone blocked 42% of the particles from a simulated cough, the cloth mask alone blocked 44.3% of the particles, and the combination of the cloth mask and the medical mask blocked 92.5%.

In the second experiment, investigators examined how effectively the 2 modifications to medical procedure masks reduced exposure to aerosols emitted while breathing. They used 10 mask combinations, including various configurations of no mask, double masks, and unknotted or knotted medical procedure masks. The experiment involved a cough simulator and an unmasked elastomeric headform to examine how the mask combinations impact those around the person coughing.

They found that adding a cloth mask over the medical procedure mask or knotting and tucking the medical mask reduced the cumulative exposure of the unmasked receiver by 82.2% and 62.9%, respectively. When the source of the cough was unmasked and the receiver was fitted with the double mask or the knotted mask, the receiver’s cumulative exposure was reduced by 83% and 64.5%, respectively.

Finally, when the source and receiver were both fitted with double masks or knotted masks, the cumulative exposure of the receiver was reduced by 96.4% and 95.9%, respectively.

Brooks J, Beezhold D, Noti J, et al. Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure, 2021 [news release]. CDC; February 10, 2021. 

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7007e1.htm?s_cid=mm7007e1_w

Investigators also recommended a method of knotting and tucking in the sides of a medical mask, in order to minimize the leakage of air around the edges.

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