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Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Care for Students Diagnosed with PANDAS: An Education and Referral Intervention
Boyd TM, Moyer SM, Lambert D. Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Care for Students Diagnosed with PANDAS: An Education and Referral Intervention. The Journal of School Nursing. 2022;0(0). doi:10.1177/10598405221129553

Implications: This project has implications for school nursing. The results of this project suggest that an interdisciplinary education program assisted school staff to increase their knowledge on PANDAS. An increase in knowledge about PANDAS may assist school staff to identify students who may be exhibiting PANDAS behaviors and better utilize district resources, including school nurses, who can assess and care for this student population. This interdisciplinary collaboration amongst school nurses, counselors, psychologists, and principals enhances the learning environment and helps strengthen the success of students at school (Johnson, 2017; Kocoglu & Emiroglu, 2017; NASN, n.d., 2017; Yoder, 2020). Students with chronic health conditions and concerning symptoms that necessitate primary or specialty health care referrals benefit from school nurse adoption of systematic referral documentation strategies.

Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.

Szewczyk-Dąbrowska, A., Budziar, W., Harhala, M. et al. Correlation between COVID-19 severity and previous exposure of patients to Borrelia spp.. Sci Rep 12, 15944 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20202-x

Also, read Medical News Today article.

  • In this study, all hospitalized COVID-19 patients tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi-specific IgG, with significantly higher levels in severe cases.
  • Patients with a history of Borrelia exposure showed increased susceptibility to severe COVID-19 upon SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Severe COVID-19 patients also exhibited higher levels of IgGs specific to Anaplasma antigens, suggesting a potential link between increased COVID-19 risks and tick bites and related infections.
  • Testing for Borrelia-specific IgM revealed higher positivity in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to mild/asymptomatic patients and those not infected with SARS-CoV-2. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of COVID-19 hospitalization increased with each positive read for a Lyme disease-related antigen for IgG antibodies.
  • Multivariate analysis highlighted specific Borrelia antigens associated with increased odds of hospitalization for both IgG and IgM antibodies. These findings suggest a potential connection between Borrelia exposure and the severity of COVID-19 outcomes.