Asma inducida por ejercicio: Diferencias en la percepciónde síntomas entre pacientes pediátricos y sus padres / Exercise-induced asthma as perceived by pediatric patients and their parents

Background: Exercise is a frequent trigger of symptoms in asthmatic children and it worsens their quality of life. Aim: To compare the perception about exercise among asthmatic pediatric patients and their parents. Material and methods: Asthmatic patients with symptoms related to exercise, were tested with an exercise challenge test following the Tal protocol. Before testing, a questionnaire about symptoms triggered by exercise was answered by children and their parents. The data was analyzed with a Kappa correlation test. Results: Seventy five patients, aged 6 to 15 years, were studied. Forty one percent exercised less than one hour per week. Although 64% reported to experience respiratory difficulty and 80% cough during exertion, 87% were willing to perform more exercise. Forty percent of all patients had a positive challenge test for exercise-induced asthma. Correlation between patient's and parent's answers about the effect of physical activity exercise was low, with a kappa of 0.53. There was no correlation between exercise test and the answers to the questionnaire. Conclusions: Children with asthma frequently have exercise-associated symptoms and parental perception about this problem is very low.

Fibrosis hepática congénita: un espectro clínico variable. Casos clínicos / Congenital hepatic fibrosis: report of five cases

Background: Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) is an autosomic dominant disease that has been associated with polycystic kidney disease. Aim: To describe the medical management of 5 children with CHF and to evaluate the presence and extension of the associated renal disease. Patients and methods: Retrospective review of the medical charts of 5 children with CHF, aged 2 to 14 years. Results: Three children presented autosomic recessive polycystic kidney disease, which was diagnosed before the appearance of liver disease manifestations. They presented a more severe liver damage, with a more aggressive clinical course requiring use of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunts (TIPS) or surgical porto-systemic shunts to control portal hypertension. The other two children, in whom the diagnosed was based on asymptomatic hepatomegaly, had normal renal function and structure with a more benign clinical course. Conclusions: The diagnosis of CHF should be suspected not only in children with polycystic kidney disease but in those children with persistent, hard consistency, left lobe predominance hepatomegaly (Rev Méd Chile 2004; 132: 733-41).