ABSTRACT
Introduction: Respiratory viruses are the leading cause of acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) in children. It has been reported that viral respiratory co-infection could be associated with severe clinical course. Objectives: To describe the frequency of viral co-infection in children admitted for AlRI and evaluate whether this co-infection was associated with more severe clinical course. Patients and Methods: Prospective, descriptive study in pediatric patients who were hospitalized for ARI, with molecular detection of at least 1 respiratory virus in nasopharyngeal sample studied by PCR-Microarray for 17 respiratory viruses. Results: 110 out of 147 patients with detection of > 1 respiratory virus were included. Viral co-infection was detected in 41/110 (37%). 22/110 children (20%) were classified as moderate to severe clinical course and 88/110 (80%) were classified as mild clinical course. In the group of moderate to severe clinical course, viral respiratory co-infection was detected in 6/22 (27.3%), compared to 35/88 (39.8 %) in the mild clinical course group. No statistically significant difference was found regarding the presence of co-infection between groups (p = 0.33). Conclusions: We detected high rates of viral co-infection in children with ARI. It was not possible to demonstrate that viral co-infections were related with severe clinical course in hospitalized children.
Introducción: Los virus respiratorios son la principal causa de infección aguda del tracto respiratorio (IRA) en pediatría. Se ha descrito que la co-infección viral podría relacionarse con infecciones virales respiratorias de curso más grave. Objetivo: Describir la frecuencia de co-infección viral en niños hospitalizados por IRA y determinar si esta co-infección se relacionó con una evolución clínica más grave. Pacientes y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, prospectivo, en pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados por IRA entre junio y agosto 2010, que tuvieron detección molecular de al menos un virus respiratorio en muestra nasofaríngea estudiada por RPC-microarreglo para 17 virus respiratorios. Resultados: Se incluyeron 110 de 147 pacientes con detección de > 1 virus respiratorio. Se detectó co-infección viral en 41/110 (37%). En cuanto a evolución clínica, 22/110 niños (20%) se clasificaron como evolución moderada a grave (MG) y 88/110 (80%) se clasificaron como evolución leve (L). En el grupo MG se detectó co-infección viral respiratoria en 6/22 (27,3%), mientras que en el grupo L se detectó co-infección en 35/88 (39,8%). No se encontró diferencia significativa en relación a la presencia de co-infección entre ambos grupos (p = 0,33). Conclusión: Se demostró la presencia de co-infección viral en un alto porcentaje de niños con IRA. No fue posible demostrar que la presencia de coinfección viral tenga relación con una evolución clínica más grave en estos niños hospitalizados.
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Coinfection/virology , Nasopharynx/virology , Respiratory Tract Infections/virology , Virus Diseases/virology , Acute Disease , Prospective Studies , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Background: Congenital hypopituitarism is an uncommon cause of hypophyseal insufficiency It is less common than growth hormone deficiency which has an incidence of 1:4.000 to 1:8.000 Uve newborns. Early diagnosis ofthis condition is important to prevent impairment of cognitive function, poor growth and alterations in metabolic profile in these patients. Aim: To report 23 patients diagnosed with congenital hypopituitarism. Material and methods: Retrospective review of clinical records of 23 patients (12 males) with congenital hypopituitarism, diagnosed during a 21 years period. In a group of 16 patients a molecular study was performed searching for mutations in HESX1, PROP-1 or POUF-1. Results: Short stature was the most frequent sign at the first evaluation, followed by neonatal hypoglycemia and presence of nistagmus, strabismus, atrophic optic nerve or malformations in the middle Une showed in CNS imaging, suggesting septo-optic-dysplasia. All male patients diagnosed during neonatal period, exhibited micropenis. CNS images showed isolated hypophyseal hypoplasia or associated to an ectopic neurohypophysis in most patients. No patient in the subgroup subjected to molecular analysis had any of the mutations in the searched genes. Conclusions: The diagnosis of hypopituitarism must be based on clinical grounds, speciaUy when hypoglycemia, prolonged jaundice, micropenis or midline alterations are found in the neonatal period.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Hypopituitarism/congenital , Hypopituitarism/genetics , Follow-Up Studies , Homeodomain Proteins/genetics , Hypopituitarism/diagnosis , Mutation , Retrospective Studies , Transcription Factor Pit-1/genetics , Transcription Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
Neonatal diabetes mellitus is defined as severe hyperglycemia beginning during the first six months of life, lasting at least one month and needing insulin as a treatment. The incidence is about 1 in 200.000 born alive. We report a preterm female newborn, small for gestational age, whose actual age is 19 months. At the third day of life she became severely ill, with serious shock, losing 20 percent of her weight at birth. Laboratory work-up showed a blood glucose level of 633 mg/dl, hypernatremia, metabolic acidosis and renal failure. During the initial 4 months she was treated with insulin infusions that were tapered and finally discontinued at four months of age. The molecular study of this patient showed abnormal maternal methylation at chromosome 6 and the novo paternal duplication of 6q24.
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Infant, Newborn , /genetics , Diabetes Mellitus/genetics , Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy , Insulin/therapeutic use , Hypoglycemic Agents , Infant, PrematureABSTRACT
Background: A decline in the age of menarche was observed from early 1900s to the 1970s. However, it is not known if a further decline ocurred thereafter. Aim: To evaluate the age of menarche in girls from Santiago, Chile and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic status. Material and Methods: We studied 1302 healthy girls aged 7 to 19 years. Age of menarche was evaluated through a questionnaire to the patient and her parents. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to determine age of menarche and Cox regression analysis was employed to evaluate the effect of the type of school and BMI on the age of menarche. Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.7±0.04 years. Girls from public and private schools had their period at 12.5±0.1 and 13.05±0.05 years respectively. A negative correlation between z scores for BMIand age of menarche was observed (r-0.3: p =0.001). Girls whose menarche occurred before 11.5 years had higher z scores for BMI and a larger proportion were overweight, compared to girls who had menarche later. Cox regression analysis showed that after adjusment for BMI, age of menarche was similar in both types of schools. Conclusions: Age of menarche is ocurring three months earlier in girls from public schools, which is associated with higher z scores for BMI. Type of school, a marker of socio-economic status in Chile, affects timing of menarche due to differences in body mass index.