Knowledge, attitude and practices of parents of children with febrile convulsion.

CONTEXT: Parental anxiety and apprehension is related to inadequate knowledge of fever and febrile convulsion. AIMS: To study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the parents of children with febrile convulsions. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Prospective questionnaire based study in a tertiary care centre carried over a period of one year. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 140 parents of consecutive children presenting with febrile convulsion were enrolled. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square test. RESULTS: 83 parents (59.3%) could not recognise the convulsion; 90.7% (127) did not carry out any intervention prior to getting the child to the hospital. The commonest immediate effect of the convulsion on the parents was fear of death (n= 126, 90%) followed by insomnia (n= 48, 34.3%), anorexia (n= 46, 32.9%), crying (n= 28, 20%) and fear of epilepsy (n= 28, 20%). Fear of brain damage, fear of recurrence and dyspepsia were voiced by the fathers alone (n= 20, cumulative incidence 14.3%). 109 (77.9%) parents did not know the fact that the convulsion can occur due to fever. The long-term concerns included fear of epilepsy (n= 64, 45.7%) and future recurrence (n= 27, 19.3%) in the affected child. For 56 (40%) of the parents every subsequent episode of fever was like a nightmare. Only 21 parents (15%) had thermometer at home and 28 (20%) knew the normal range of body temperature. Correct preventive measures were known only to 41 (29.2%). Awareness of febrile convulsion and the preventive measures was higher in socio-economic grade (P< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The parental fear of fever and febrile convulsion is a major problem with serious negative consequences affecting daily familial life.

Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome or LEOPARD Syndrome? A clinical dilemma.

Neurofibromatosis (NF), Noonan syndrome (NS), and LEOPARD syndrome are all autosomal dominant conditions, each being a distinct clinical entity by itself. Rarely, one encounters cases with features of NF and NS and is termed as the 'Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome' (NF-NS). The authors report a clinical dilemma with major clinical features of the NF-NS syndrome and LEOPARD syndrome co-existing in the same patient. Also, features of Noonan syndrome and LEOPARD syndrome are compared with the case reported.

Cri-du-chat syndrome: clinical profile and prenatal diagnosis.

Prenatal diagnosis of cri-du-chat syndrome is described in 2 pregnancies. In Case 1, the mother was a balanced translocation carrier and had 2 previously affected off springs. Prenatal diagnosis by chorion villus sampling and cordocentesis was successful in diagnosing an affected conceptus and the pregnancy was electively terminated. Case 2 was referred for nonimmune foetal hydrops and cordocentesis revealed deletion 5p. This second case was noteworthy for the fact that deletion 5p has not been reported to cause foetal hydrops.