study of 100 children with enteric fever

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted at the Department of Paediatric Medicine at National Institute of Child Health [NICH], Karachi, from January, 2003 to December, 2003. Hundred children were admitted with Enteric fever and studied prospectively. These accounted for about 1% of the total admissions. Inclusion criteria was positive blood and / or bone marrow culture. Majority of patients [95] had blood culture positive for Salmonella typhi. Salmonella para-typhLA found in 3 cases and Salmonella para-typhi B in 2 cases only. Bone marrow culture was positive in 25% patients. Majority of the isolates were sensitive to all the primary and the 3rd generation cephalosporins. The patients were between the ages of 5-10 years. Male to female ratio was 21. Presenting symptoms were mainly fever, vague abdominal symptoms, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and cough. One patient presented with a picture of hepatic failure with favorable outcome. Two patients developed arthritis and one developed enteric perforation with fatal outcome: