ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma are common chronic allergic disorders in childhood. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of common allergic disorders among Iranian guidance schools students in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 3000 children aged 11-14 years old during 2012-13 according to ISAAC study. Of 3000 recruited children 1576 (52.54%) were female and 1424 (47.46%) were male. Data gathered by ISAAC first phase questionnaire analysed by SPSS software 20. RESULTS: The prevalence of wheezing, allergic rhinitis symptoms (sneezing and pruritus) and atopic dermatitis symptoms (pruritus skin lesion) were 30.5%, 30% and 15% respectively. History of pets contact and smoking was positive 6.6% and 36 % respectively. About 52% was born with caesarian section. There was wheezing in 32.5% during sport. The diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were 12.2%, 28.5% and 15% respectively. Eczema, asthma and allergic rhinitis were significantly more common in boys students (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema have a high prevalence and they are more common in boys.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Treatment of the nosocomial infections is complicated especially in children due to an increase in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to survey the nosocomial infections in children and determine the antibiotic susceptibility of their causative organisms in teaching hospitals in the north of Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The investigation was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of patients under 12 years old, which were hospitalized in three teaching hospitals in the north of Iran and had symptoms of nosocomial infections in 2012. The required data of patients were extracted and entered in the information forms. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (ver. 16). Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact tests (Monte Carlo) were used. RESULTS: Out of the total number of 34556 hospitalized patients in three teaching hospitals, 61 (0.17%) patients were children under 12 years old age with nosocomial infection from which 50.81% were girls and 49.18% were boys. Most of these patients (55.73%) were admitted to the burn unit. The most common type of nosocomial infection (49.18%) was wound infection. Pseudomonas spp. (36.84%) and Acinetobacter spp. (28.02%) were the most common bacteria isolated from the clinical specimens. All the Acinetobacter spp. were multidrug-resistant. All the gram negative and gram positive bacterial species in our study showed high resistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of nosocomial infections was low in our study because the detection of nosocomial infection was based on the clinical grounds in most cases and laboratory reports might contain false-negative results. These results provide useful information for future large scale surveillance in the context of prevention programs.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To define the prevalence of obesity and its related factors in 2-7 year-old elementary school students in Sari city (Mazandaran, Iran). METHODS: In this descriptive cross sectional study, which was conducted in the 2009-2010 period, the study population included 7-12 year-old first to fifth grade elementary school students in Sari. Sampling was multi-stage and stratified randomization at level of the target students. Student's height and weight were measured using stediometer and digital scales. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. A questionnaire about feeding habits and socio-economic status(SES) of families was used. Data collection was performed using phone interview with parents also the questionnaire's records. Analysis was done in SPSS16 using appropriate statistical tests, p<0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Of 653 students, 297 (45.5%) were male, 177 (27.4%) children were overweight (BMI>85%) and 78 (12% ) were obese (BMI> 95%). Higher prevalence of obesity in the children with good socio economic status was found (p=0.001). Significant relationship between usage of fast food and obesity, and between school grade and obesity (p= 0.001) was found. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of obesity in studied children was high, which suggests the need for serious attention in the health system, extensive studies, also designing and implementation of interventions with regard to childhood obesity.
