RESUMEN
Aim: To study the clinico-etiological profile of children with thrombocytopenia. Methods: This prospective hospital-based study included all children (<18 years) with thrombocytopenia at the time of hospitalization and/or thrombocytopenia during the course of their hospital stay. A detailed history was recorded and appropriate laboratory investigations were carried out. Results: The study group comprised 246 children (mean age, 9.29 years; median age, 10 years) with male to female ratio of 1.5:1. Nearly 45% of children were above 10 years of age. Trends of admissions showed that the majority of children with thrombocytopenia (n = 115) got hospitalized during the rainy season, followed by summer (n = 84). Fever (72.8%), pallor (52.8%), bleeding manifestations (22%), lymphadenopathy (20.3%), and splenomegaly (20.3%) were common clinical features. Petechiae was the most common bleeding manifestation (63%). Septicemia (24%) was the most common etiology, followed by megaloblastic anemia (14.6%), undiagnosed fever (10.2%), local infection (9.3%), hepatitis (6.5%), and scrub typhus (6.1%). About nine children died. All those who died had septicemia and multi-organ dysfunction (MOD). On logistic regression analysis, age >10 years, presence of bleeding, arthralgia, rash, pallor, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, hematological disorders, and malignancy were associated with severe thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia is a common hematological observation. This study revealed seasonal variation in the occurrence of thrombocytopenia in children, with the maximum number of cases in the rainy season. Septicemia is the commonest etiology. The majority of children with thrombocytopenia have no bleeding manifestations. Age >10 years, presence of bleeding, arthralgia, rash, pallor, GI symptoms, hematological disorders, and malignancy are associated with severe thrombocytopenia.
RESUMEN
Background: Diagnosis of jaundice involves a range of tests. The liver function tests are done in all to arrive at a diagnosis and then manage the case appropriately. With advancing age, the incidence of liver disease increases. Understanding these changes is important for the management of liver diseases in the elderly. We conducted this study to find the difference in mean levels of Liver enzymes in younger and older age group of patients suffering with jaundice.Methods: It was a prospective observational study. All patients admitted with jaundice in the medicine ward satisfying inclusion/exclusion criteria were enrolled. The results of liver function tests in younger age and older age participants were then compared.Results: Total 100 participants were enrolled during the study period. 53 were enrolled in group one and the rest in group two. Anorexia (90%) was the most common symptom followed by abdominal distension (54%). The total bilirubin (8.8±4.7) as well as conjugated bilirubin (3.4±2.8) were higher in group one though they were not significant statistically (p=0.10 and 0.25 respectively). Mean AST and ALT levels were much higher in group 1 and statistically significant (p values <0.004 and 0.002 respectively). Conversely the mean PT values were higher in group two (p=0.02).Conclusions: Although the symptom severity may be more in elderly, the LFTs are not deranged proportionately. So there is a need to devise separate cut offs and these have to be lower for the older age group patients with jaundice. More studies with larger sample size are required to confirm the results.