ABSTRACT
Dengue is one of the arthropod-borne (arbo) viral diseases transmitted by female mosquito Aedes aegypti. Dengue fever has a wide spectrum of clinical presentation ranging from flu-like illness to severe complicated stage of dengue hemorrhagic fever leading to mortality. This was a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Coastal Karnataka, South India, to know the correlation between the clinical presentation and haematological parameters in the paediatric cases presented with dengue symptoms. A total of 163 paediatric cases who presented fever and dengue-like illness were included in the study. Of which, 69 were confirmed dengue patients. Critical analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the haematological parameters like total leucocyte count, percent differential leucocyte count, and platelets count, in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < 0.05 to 0.0001). Additionally, when compared to nondengue patients, even the liver function and renal function parameters were significantly deranged (P < 0.05 to 0.0001). Stratification based on NS1, IgG, and IgM showed significant alterations in the haematological, hepatic, and renal parameters. With respect to the treatment a small percentage of patients, that is, 8% (4 patients), required platelet transfusion as their counts went below 20,000/µL. Two patients succumbed to their illness while three required ICU stay.
ABSTRACT
The most common radiological abnormality seen in young Indian patients with epilepsy is single small enhancing (ring/disc) computed tomographic (CT) lesions. The two most common differential diagnosis of this lesion in clinical practice include neurocysticercosis (NCC) and tuberculomas. They have similar clinical and neuroimaging features. Few researchers believe that in poor and developing countries (where both tuberculosis and NCC are common) that it is difficult to differentiate between tuberculomas and a single cysticercal granulomas. We report a case of a 6-year-old female patient who presented with complex partial seizures. The patient's neuroimaging showed a single ring-enhancing lesion in the brain that was not differentiated between NCC and Tuberculoma. Finally, Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was suggestive of tuberculoma that was successfully treated with antituberculosis therapy. This report highlights diagnostic difficulties with conventional investigations in single ring enhancing lesions in the brain and role of MRS in a diagnosis.MRS is helpful in differentiating these two conditions.
