Anthropometric measurements and plasma retinal levels of preschool children in Egypt

This study was designed to explore the relation of anthropometric measurements of preschool children and their plasma retinol levels. Weight, height and plasma retinol levels were measured in 1572 Egyptian preschool children aged 6.71 months from 5 governorates representing different geographical areas in Egypt. The preschool children were selected from the catchmnent areas of urban and rural primary health care [PHC] facilities in each governorate. Results showed that stunting [21.5%], underweight [16.4%] and wasting [9.6%] as indicators of protein energy malnutrition [PEM] were the major problems among preschool children. However, prevalence of overweight represented 1.7% of the total studied children. Among the severely low plasma retinol level children [< 10 micro g/dl], underweight was 33.3% while 16.6% among the normal plasma retinol level children [>20 micro g/dl]. Also, stunting among the former group was more than double [44.4%] that among the latter group [21.9%]. However, there is no significant association between nutritional status of children as indicated by weight/age Z-score [W/A], height/age Z-score [H/A], weight/height Z-score [W/H] and their plasma retinol levels. We can conclude that plasma retinol per se is not an accurate predicator for nutritional status of preschool children

Radiological assessment of adenoid size and the sequelae of its removal on certain complications

This study was done on 47 children at Suez General Hospital [29 males and 18 females]. Forty-one children suffering from recurrent attacks of otitis media with variable degrees of hearing impairment as well as twelve children [eight males and four females] suffering from secondary nocturnal enuresis were also included in the study. Full otorhinological examination was carried out. Patients who complained of recurrent attacks of tonsillitis were excluded from the beginning of the study. All children had lateral radiography of the nasopharynx and A/N ratio was recorded for each child. The size of the adenoid was considered small if A/N ratio was <0.8 and large if A/N ratio was >0.8. Intratympanic pressure was measured by tympanometry immediately before and three months after adenoidectomy to all 41 children. Although the preoperative ITP was found to be more in the negative side among the large A/N ratio group, it had been found that the postoperative ITP had improved significantly in both the small and large A/N ratio groups indicating that the adenoid size had no effect on the chronic otitis media with effusion. However, it was found that the adenoid size played a major role among children with secondary nocturnal enuresis as the postoperative wet nights had been reduced significantly compared with the number of wet nights preoperatively