Study of clinical profile of sepsis in neonates

Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome of systemic illness that affect this very delicate group in the first month of life. The aim of the present work was to detect the different clinical profiles of neonatal sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] in a tertiary level pediatric hospital of ministry of health in Alexandria over one year [2003]. Total number of neonates admitted was 700 over 1 year, out of them 186 cases [26.5%] were initially diagnosed as neonatal sepsis. Only 128 neonates [68.32%] were proved to have sepsis, while the remaining cases 58 [31.18%] suffered from conditions that mimic sepsis

study of the association between delayed type hypersensitivity reaction to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and atopy in asthmatic children

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is an inverse association between Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and atopy among children living in rural and semi urban areas in El Behira governorate, Egypt. All the studied children were BCG vaccinated in their newborn period. In Tuberculin testing, indurations greater than or equal to 5 mm were accepted as positive. For atopy, the most common aeroallergens were used in skin intradermal testing, and reactions >/= 3 mm were accepted as positive. Among 150 studied children whose ages ranged from 4-8 years, 89 patients were purified protein derivative [PPD] negative whereas in 61 patients PPD was positive. Among the PPD negative patients skin intradermal test was positive for atopy in 51.6% [n = 46], while among the PPD positive patients skin intradermal test was positive in 52.4% [n = 32]. As the two groups were compared for having positive intradermal skin test reaction, no statistically significant difference was detected between them [P>0.05]. Conclusions: In this study no statistically significant difference was detected between Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection as indicated by positive PPD positivity and atopy tested by skin intradermal injection of common aeroallergens

Prevalence of nasal and sinus diseases in atopic asthmatic children in Behera

Most patients with asthma also have rhinitis, and the same inflammatory cells and mechanisms are present in bronchial and nasal mucosa, thus leading to the concept of "one airway, one disease". The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of rhinitis and sinusitis in children with varying severities of bronchial asthma and its relation to the degree of asthma severity among children residing in semi urban semi rural areas in Behira, Egypt. Our study was a matched case control cross sectional study. It included one hundred asthmatic children whose ages ranged from 5-12 years, attendants of the allergy and chest diseases, pediatric outpatient clinic, and 100 matched controls, attending pediatric outpatient clinic in Damanhour Medical National Institute during the period from the first of February 2004 to 31[st]of August 2004. Asthmatic children were judged atopic or non atopic on the basis of skin tests to common allergens and were graded as having mild, moderate and severe asthma. All children were subjected to complete physical and medical examinations, radiography of chest and paranasal sinuses, pulmonary function test. Laboratory investigations included complete blood picture and examination of nasal secretions for eosinophils. In the present study, there was significantly higher prevalence of both allergic rhinitis [63%] and sinusitis [19%] among allergic asthmatic children than controls [9% and 6% respectively] with a statistically significant difference at p< 0.01. Other nasal diseases among asthmatics were insignificantly different from controls. The chronic severe asthmatics had higher rate of sinusitis [62.5%] than other asthmatic children [12%] in children with frequent moderate and 8.8% in those with mild asthma with a statistically significant difference at p< 0.01. Proper examination of the upper airways including nose and paranasal sinus should be an essential and routine part when evaluating a child with bronchial asthma, even if symptoms of the upper respiratory tract diseases are not present

Incidence of urinary tract infection in protein calorie malnutrition

Infection and malnutrition are usually a common association and it is not easy to define which is the cause and which is the effect. The present study aimed to find out the incidence of urinary tract infection [UTI] in malnourished infants and children. Pyuria [5 pus cells/HPF] was found in 15 cases out of 60 malnourished patients [25%], but only 5 cases [8.3%] out of them had positive urine cultures with colony count 10[6] or more. These five cases had significant pyuria [> 15 pus cells/HPF] while non of the healthy group had abnormal urinary changes