Nutritional rickets in Ghanaian children

Eighteen (18) Ghanaian children with nutritional rickets seen in the Department of Child Health; Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) from 1985-1994 are reported. Their ages ranged from 14 months to 44 months. Their mean age at presentation is 29.4 months. There were eight (8) boys and ten (10) girls. None of these 18 children was receiving the daily recommended allowance (DRA) of Vitamin D. They all had characteristic diagnostic X-ray findings in their wrist and ankle bones. The product of their serum calcium (Ca2+) and serum inorganic phosphate (Pi) that is (Ca2+ x Pi) was less than 30 in all of them and all had markedly raised serum alkaline phosphatase levels

A case report of physical child abuse in Ghana

A case of a two year old Ghanaian male child diagnosed as a case of physical child abuse and neglect

Posterior urethral valves induced micturition syncope in a Ghanaian boy

A case report of a five year old boy who suffered a fainting attack whilst at school. Both clinical evaluation and laboratory investigations were unrevealing of any neurologic; cardiovascular or metabolic disorders as the underlying cause. A complaint by his mother of inordinate straining during micturition and a history of recurrent urinary retention which had necessitated several urinary bladder catheterization pointed further studies into his renal function. Persisting posterior urethral valves were discovered from his classic micturiting cystourethrogram as the likely principal cause of his syncopal attack. He was treated by surgery

"Cardiac lesions in ""Trisomy 21"" Ghanaian children."

In a period of over 21 years; from January 1972 - April 1993; fifty (50) cases of Down's Syndrome patients with congenital heart diseases were registered in the paediatric cardiac clinic at the Department of Child Health; Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH); Accra; Ghana. There were in all 1317 patients; registered with congenital heart diseases (CHD). The frequency ratio of Down's Syndrome patients with CHD against phenotypical normal patients with CHD is 1:26.3. Their ages at registration ranged from new-born to 8 years. Twenty-nine (58 per cent) were males and females were 21 (42 per cent). Eighty-two per cent (82 per cent) presented in early infancy. Three cases (6 per cent) in this group died. The two commonest lesions diagnosed in them were atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD). Sixty per cent (60 per cent) were in congestive heart failure (CHF) and 76 per cent reported because of cyanosis. These findings are in consonance with world-wide literature reports

Two Ghanaian girls with solitary left kidneys

Case reports on two Ghanaian girls with congenital solitary left kidneys are presented. Case I presented with an acquired renal pathology - acute glomerulonephritis (AGN). Case II was referred as an acute renal failure (ARF). She was anuric with obstructive uropathy and an intra abdominal left-sided mass. They were both incidental discoveries by abdominal ultrasound and intravenous urogram

Staphylococcus aureus causes honeycomb lung in a Ghanaian child

This is a case report of Honeycomb Lung seen in an 18 months old Ghanaian child who was on admission for Staphylococcal pneumonia of the right lung. She was initially diagnosed as having a typical right lobar pneumonia and treated with routine antimicrobials used in the Child Health Department of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). Her failure to respond appropriately; a repeat chest x-ray was requested. This revealed the honeycomb changes in both her lungs. Cloxacillin was added to her medications and postural drainage was recommended. This improved her clinical condition significantly. No other etiology known to be associated with honeycomb lung was detectable in the patient. She recovered completely after six-weeks of anti-staphylococcal antibiotics. Honeycomb lung has never been reported in the Ghanaian literature