Serum Albumin Level as a Predictor of Outcome in Patients Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Units.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess serum albumin level on admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) as a prognostic indicator. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in Fayoum University Children's Hospital. The study subjects' demographics and clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Pediatric Risk of Mortality III (PRISM-III) score was calculated. Serum albumin level was assessed within 24 hours from admission. Outcomes included mortality, PICU and hospital stay, need and duration of mechanical ventilation, and inotrope use. RESULTS: The incidence of admission hypoalbuminemia was 26%. The study subjects had a significantly higher mortality rate than subjects with normal albumin levels (42.3% vs 17.6%, respectively, P = 0.011). Each unit of increase in serum albumin decreased the risk of mortality by 28.9% (odds ratio, 0.289; confidence interval, 0.136-0.615, P = 0.001). Serum albumin showed a fair discriminatory power (area under the curve, 0.738). At a cutoff point of ≤3.7 g/dL, albumin had a 79.2% sensitivity, 67.1% specificity, 43.2% positive predictive value, and 91.1% negative predictive value. Incorporation of serum albumin with PRISM-III score was more predictive of mortality than either predictors alone (area under the curve, 0.802). No significant difference was found between the 2 groups regarding either PICU and hospital stay as well as the need and duration of ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: In PICUs, admission hypoalbuminemia is a good predictor of mortality. Further studies to confirm the value of adding serum albumin to PRISM-III score are recommended.

Relation between Baseline Total Serum Cortisol Level and Outcome in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Elevated cortisol level is an component of the stress response. However, some patients have low cortisol levels; a condition termed: critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI). Basal cortisol levels during PICU admission may be related to outcome. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess basal total serum cortisol levels and their relation to outcome in PICU. The study included 81 children over 6 months. Total serum cortisol was assessed using an early morning sample. The severity of illness was assessed using the PRISM-III score. Outcome measures included mechanical ventilation duration, use of inotropic support, length of stay, mortality. Comparison between patients' subgroups according to total serum cortisol levels revealed significantly higher PRISM-III score in patients with total serum cortisol levels. In addition, those patients had a significantly higher mortality rate when compared with patients with low and normal total serum cortisol levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis recognized high total serum cortisol level and PRISM-III score as significant predictors of mortality. We concluded that PRISM-III score and elevated total serum cortisol levels are significant predictors of mortality in the PICU. Although CIRCI is prevalent in this population, it wasn't associated with an increased mortality rate.

Impact of Helicobacter pylori-giardiasis coinfection on children with recurrent abdominal pain.

Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) affects 10-20% of school-aged children. Helicobacter pylori and Giardia intestinalis were reported among organic causes of RAP, with different prevalence particularly in developing countries as common association diseases causing agents. This study evaluated the incidence of H. pylori and G. intestinalis co-infection in RAP Egyptian among 90 children and 90 crossmatched healthy controls. H. pylori (HP) infection was diagnosed by detection of HP stool antigen (HPSA), ELISA and/or HP antibody (IgG), ELISA in serum, while G. intestinalis by stained stool smears. The HP infection was detected in 60 (66.7%) patients and 37 (41%) controls with a statistically significant difference p=0.001. Giardiasis was found in 47 (52.2%) patients and 30 (33.3%) controls with a statistically significant difference p= 0.02. The incidence of HP infection among cases was higher among age group above 5 years (p=0.001), as a significant predictor for RAP. The association of H. pylori and G. intestinalis was among 36 (40.0%) patients and 11 (12.2%) controls with a significant difference (p<0.001).

Permanent and transient congenital hypothyroidism in Fayoum, Egypt: a descriptive retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common preventable causes of mental retardation. One important challenge in understanding the epidemiology of CH is that some newborns will have transient CH, a temporary depression of thyroid hormone concentrations that can last from several days to several months. Studies from other countries have reported that 10 to 15% of children treated for CH ultimately prove not to need treatment past 3 years of age to maintain normal hormone concentrations, and thus have transient hypothyroidism. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of permanent and transient congenital hypothyroidism in Fayoum, Egypt. METHODS: Cases detected by Fayoum neonatal screening program (NSP) between January 2003 and December 2011, and followed up at health insurance center were included. Permanent or transient CH was determined using results of thyroid function tests. RESULTS: Of the 248 patients diagnosed primarily with CH by NSP; 204 (82.3%) patients were diagnosed to have permanent CH (prevalence 1/3587 live birth), and 44 (17.7%) patients were diagnosed to have transient CH (prevalence 1/16667 live birth). Initial TSH levels were higher in permanent CH cases than transient cases (p<0.004). Female to male ratio was 0.8 and 0.7 in permanent and transient CH respectively. 161 (65%) patients had thyroid dysgenesis (107 ectopic thyroid gland, 28 athyreosis and 26 thyroid hypoplasia). 87 (35%) patients had intact gland in thyroid scan and were considered to have dyshormonogenesis. Of these 87 patients 44 proved to have transient CH and 43 had permanent CH. CONCLUSION: The preliminary data from our study revealed that the incidences of CH as well as the permanent form were similar to worldwide reports. Although the high incidence of transient CH in our study could be explained by iodine deficiency further studies are needed to confirm the etiology and plan the treatment strategies.