RESUMEN
Background: Pleural effusion is a common respiratory complication in children. We aimed to document clinical feature, etiology, biochemical parameters and outcome of the admitted children with pleural effusion.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2022 to June 2023 at pediatric ward of ICMH. All children from 6 months to 14 years presented with clinical features suggestive of pleural effusion and later supported by radiology and ultrasonography of chest either at presentation or owing to other systemic illness were enrolled. Children aged below 6 months, associated chronic illness and parental denial of giving consent were excluded. In indicated cases pleural fluid was tapped and sent to laboratory for physical, biochemical examination, staining, culture, GeneXpert, LDH and ADA assay. Results: Out of 43 children, 19 underwent pleural tap and rest were managed conservatively. Most of the children were in between 2 to 6 years. There were 22 male and 21 female. Unilateral effusion was found in 25 children and 18 children developed bilateral effusion. All the children had documented fever. Other symptoms were cough, respiratory distress, chest pain, weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice and blood mixed sputum. Physical signs correlated classical effusion features. The etiologies included DF, TB, para-pneumonic effusion, empyema, nephrotic syndrome, malignancy, acute viral hepatitis, heart failure and acute pancreatitis. There was no mortality and long-term complication in non-malignant cases.Conclusions: DF outnumbered other causes of pleural effusion in recent times owing to recent Dengue outbreak. Tubercular effusion was leading cause among cases undergoing pleural tap.
RESUMEN
Background: Febrile seizure is one of the commonest childhood neurologic diseases. There is an increasing concern that vitamin D deficiency may play an etiological role. This study was conducted to find out the association between vitamin D levels and febrile seizure. Objective were to determine the association of vitamin D levels in children with simple febrile seizure.Methods: This case control study was conducted in institute of child and mother health, Dhaka from July 2019 to June 2020. Children aged six to sixty months with simple febrile seizure were ‘cases’ and those having fever without seizure were controls. Detailed history regarding breastfeeding, intake of calcium and vitamin D rich diet, sunlight exposure, family history of seizure was taken and physical examinations were done. Data collection was done through a pretested structured questionnaire. Serum vitamin D level was measured.Results: There were 44 cases of simple febrile seizure and 50 controls. Mean age of the study participants was 16.5±8.9 and 14.4±7.1 months in case group and control group respectively, with a majority in the age group 6-12 months. 34.1% of cases and 22% of controls had deficient vitamin D while 50% of cases and 34% of controls had insufficient vitamin D, respectively. Reduced vitamin D level was more common in case group. Mean vitamin D level was also significantly lower in case group.Conclusions: Decreased vitamin D level was found to be significantly associated with simple febrile seizure.