ABSTRACT
Background: Infections are more common in malnourished children, as result of impaired immunity. Unexplained fever and failure to thrive are the common presenting features of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. In malnourished children, UTI is mostly asymptomatic and is leading to pyelonephritis and renal scarring. The study was done with the aim to evaluate and find out the prevalence of urinary tract infection in malnourished children between 6 months to 5 year and to find out the causative organism and antibiotic sensitivity pattern.Methods: A total of 180 cases of malnourished children were enrolled and clean catch midstream urine sample was collected for urine culture, according to WHO criteria of malnutrition. Children with urinary tract abnormality were excluded from the study. Renal USG was done in all urine culture positive cases.Results: Total of 174 cases was present after exclusion. Of 174 children, 27 (15.5%) children were having UTI. In this study, 37% of children are asymptomatic. E. coli is the commonest organism causing UTI 16 (59%). Other organism are Klebsiella pneumonia 4 (14.9%), Proteus mirabilis 3 (11.1%), and Pseudomonas 3 (11.1%). The order of antimicrobial sensitivity pattern was amikacin (100%)> ciprofloxacin (81.4%)> cefotaxime (7%). Other common drugs have developed resistance to these organisms.Conclusions: Our observations conclude that malnourished children with fever of unknown origin are at risk of UTI. Hence, urine analysis and culture tests are to be done to all malnutrition cases for assisting to diagnose the bacterial infection and providing the appropriate treatment.
ABSTRACT
Background: Intractable epilepsy is the pragmatic problem during the treatment of active epilepsy in children. Several risk factors are associated with incidence of intractable/recurrent epilepsy. The current study was done to identify the risk and prognostic factors associated with recurrent epilepsy (RE).Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 152 children with idiopathic or symptomatic epilepsy who are on two or more AEDs and who were in follow up in Neurology OPD and inpatients in medical ward at ICH&HC, Chennai. All patients underwent relevant investigations to identify the possible risk factors for incidence of RE in study population. Karyotyping was done for idiopathic cases.Results: Male preponderance was seen in the study (M:F-2:1). Risk factors such as male sex, age onset of seizures, type of seizures, developmental delay, CNS congenital anomalies, h/o perinatal injury, neuroabnormality, abnormal MRI and EEG was found to have statistically significant association with incidence of RE. No significant association was observed for the factors microcephaly, behavioural abnormalities, h/o febrile seizures and h/o status epilepticus with incidence of RE. No chromosomal abnormalities were detected in idiopathic cases.Conclusions: Early identification, risk factor analysis and understanding in the dynamics of the disease helps the physician in initiating the appropriate treatment, thereby avoiding the wrong therapy, low dose therapy and infrequent therapy. Above all identification of the risk factors helps in parental counseling and prepare them for expected outcome.