Childhood Urinary Tract Infection in Abakaliki: Etiological Organisms and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common childhood infection in the Tropics which causes significant illness and is frequently missed; probably because of its non-specific presentation and similarity with other common illnesses. Objectives: To determine the prevalence; common etiological agents; and the susceptibility of these pathogens to the commonly available antimicrobial agents in this center. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out at the Children's Outpatient Clinic and Children's Emergency Ward of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (EBSUTH). The study was carried out between January 1; 2007 and December 31; 2009. Results: One hundred ten subjects of the 3625 children seen in the center during the period of study had UTI giving a case prevalence rate of 3.0. Majority of the patients (59; 53.6) were less than 2 years of age with a male:female ratio of 1:1.3. Fever was the commonest presenting symptom and the commonest organisms isolated in urine were Klebsiella (27; 24.5); and Staphylococcus aureus (24; 21.8). The drugs that were most sensitive to these organisms were Gentamicin (50; 45.5); Ceftriaxone (49; 44.5); and Ciprofloxacin (36; 32.7). Conclusion: The study revealed a high prevalence of UTI among children. Klebsiella was the commonest causative organism isolated in the urine. Gentamicin; Ceftriaxone; and Ciprofloxacin were the antimicrobials with the highest sensitivity to all the isolated microorganisms

Non-Traumatic Childhood Coma in Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital; Abakaliki; South Eastern Nigeria

Background: Coma is a medical emergency; and optimal management; especially in a resource-poor setting; would depend on the knowledge of its etiology and predictors of outcome. This communication reviews the etiology and outcome of non-traumatic childhood coma in Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (EBSUTH); Abakaliki. Objective: To determine the incidence; etiology and outcome of non-traumatic coma in children seen at the EBSUTH; Abakaliki. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of records of all children admitted to the children emergency ward of EBSUTH in coma of a non-traumatic origin between 1 st of January and 31 st of December; 2007. Results: Forty children presented with coma out of 673 children admitted during the study period; giving an incidence rate of 5.9. The majority of the children (62.5) were aged between 1 and 5 years of age; and 79.5of them were deeply comatose on admission. Most of the cases (85) of non-traumatic coma were due to infective causes; mainly cerebral malaria (47.5); pyogenic meningitis (17.5) and septicemia (10). Twenty-four (60) children recovered while 13 (32.5) died. Conclusion : Infections were the predominant causes of non-traumatic coma in EBSUTH. In view of the high mortality among this group of patients; efforts at the control of malaria and other infections would significantly reduce the incidence of non-traumatic coma in this study site