ABSTRACT
A retrospective chart review of the case notes of all children aged 6 months to 8 years presenting with fever and seizures to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) between January 2000 and December 2004 was conducted. Descriptive analyses were performed. Fifty-nine children (median age 1.58 years, range 0.58 to 6.83 years) were entered into the study. The main laboratory abnormalities were metabolic acidosis (23%), anaemia (10%), leukocytosis (35%) and hypomagnesaemia (3%). These were not significantly associated with meningitis or an underlying bacterial infection. There were no significant episodes of hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia or hypoglycaemia. Meningitis was uncommon and occurred in only two (3.4%) children both younger than 16 months of age and who had other abnormal clinical signs. This study demonstrated that routine performance of haematological and biochemical investigations in children presenting with seizures and fever were of limited value. Lumbar punctures in children older than age 18 months with no other abnormal clinical signs were also found to be of low yield. Current American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommendations that serum electrolytes, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, complete blood count and blood glucose should not be performed routinely in a child with a first simple febrile seizure can be safely applied to this study population.
Se llevó a cabo un estudio retrospectivo de las historias clínicas en busca de notas sobre los casos de todos los niños de 6 meses a 8 años de edad que se presentaron con fiebre y convulsiones en el Hospital Universitario de West Indies (HUWI) entre enero de 2000 y diciembre de 2004. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos. Cincuenta y nueve niños (edad mediana (1.58 años, rango 0.58 a 6.83 años) formaron parte de este estudio. Las principales anormalidades halladas mediante el laboratorio fueron: acidosis metabólica (23%), anemia (10%), leucocitosis (35%), e hipomagnesemia (3%). Éstas no estuvieron significativamente asociadas con meningitis o alguna infección bacteriana subyacente. No hubo episodios significativos de hiponatremia, hipocalcemia o hipoglicemia. La meningitis fue poco común, ocurriendo sólo en dos niños (3.4%), ambos con menos de 16 meses de edad y con otros signos clínicos anormales. Este estudio demostró que el trabajo de rutina realizado en las investigaciones hematológicas y bioquímicas en los niños que se presentaron con fiebre y convulsiones, tuvo un valor limitado. También se halló que las punciones lumbares realizadas a niños de más de 18 meses sin ningún otro signo clínico anormal, tuvieron poco valor. Las recomendaciones actuales de la Academia Americana de Pediatría (AAP) en cuanto a que las pruebas de electrolitos en suero, las mediciones de calcio, fosfato, magnesio, el conteo sanguíneo completo, y la prueba de glucosa en sangre, no deben ser realizadas rutinariamente en un niño con una primera simple convulsión febril, pueden ser aplicadas con seguridad a esta población bajo estudio.
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Acidosis/diagnosis , Anemia/diagnosis , Fever/diagnosis , Leukocytosis/diagnosis , Magnesium Deficiency/diagnosis , Seizures/diagnosis , Acidosis/complications , Anemia/complications , Clinical Chemistry Tests , Diagnosis, Differential , Fever/etiology , Hematologic Tests , Leukocytosis/complications , Magnesium Deficiency/complications , Meningitis , Risk Factors , Seizures/etiology , West IndiesABSTRACT
Long-term backyard smelting of lead in a district known as Mona Commons, Kingston, Jamaica, has produced lead burdens as high as 30 000 mg/kg in soils near to the smelter, and indoor dust loadings of 373 microg/f2 in the residents' home. The blood lead levels (BPb) of 107 children from the district were in the range 2.2-202 microg/dL. Fifty-nine per cent of these had BPb levels above 10 microg/dL and the population mean was an unacceptably high 25.1 microg/dL. The highest levels were observed for five siblings, two of whom presented with lead encephalopathy. This severe chronic exposure to lead was exacerbated by a significant history of pica, and chronic nutritional anaemia. Chelation therapy significantly reduced the BPb levels but due to lead storage in other organs, the values after several months were still higher than desirable. This study emphasizes the importance of reducing the exposure of children to lead.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Lead/toxicity , Brain Diseases/etiology , Lead Poisoning/complications , Child , Demography , Acute Disease , Brain Diseases/diagnosis , Lead Poisoning/drug therapy , Lead Poisoning/epidemiology , Jamaica/epidemiology , Health Surveys , Risk Assessment , Pica , Child, Preschool , Chelation TherapyABSTRACT
Se insiste en este articulo sobre la importancia, para el buen funcionamiento y la duracion de un sistema de abastecimiento de agua y saneamiento, que los usuarios comprendan las ventajas que les va a reportar, deseen disfrutar de ellas y esten convencidos de que son capaces de soportar los gastos. Para conseguir estas condiciones es imprescindible la participacion de la comunidad entendida como una actividad responsable, llevada a cabo por los propios interesados que han recibido una capacitacion que les permite contribuir con su trabajo