Evaluation of chronic abdominal pain--a test of "patience".

A 4 year old girl with chronic abdominal pain of 6 months duration was provisionally diagnosed as eosinophilic gastroenteritis based on endoscopic biopsy This case is reported for its rarity.

Immune status of children suffering from minimal change nephrotic syndrome.

Twenty five children suffering from minimal change nephrotic syndrome were studied for immunological alterations at different stages of this disease i.e., onset, relapse and remission. Changes were found mainly at onset and during relapse in the form of altered helper and suppressor cell ratio, depressed delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction, decreased S-IgG bearing lymphocytes with low serum IgG concentration, and increased S-IgM bearing lymphocytes with high serum IgM concentration. Majority of these parameters returned to normal values during remission. Serum IgE was found high at all stages of this. These alterations suggest defects in cell mediated immunity resulting in secretion of some substance which modifies the glomerular anionic charges.

Low serum immunoglobulin G--a predictor of frequent relapses in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Serum immunoglobulins were measured in 25 children at the onset of nephrotic syndrome, in 20 during remission and in 19 during relapse. On follow up, 10 of them were frequent relapsers (FR). As compared to children who were infrequent relapsers (IFR), frequent relapsers had significantly lower levels of IgG at onset (p less than 0.001) which persisted during remission. IgG in FR at onset and at remission were 27.2 and 42.5% of normal mean as compared to 70.0 and 74.4% of normal mean observed at onset and remission, respectively in IFR. Very low levels of IgG may help predict onset of a tendency towards frequent relapses in children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome.