ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To develop a probability-based differential diagnosis for pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) based on age and socioeconomic status of the country of origin. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases was performed. Children 0-22 years of age who met PALF registry criteria were included. Articles included >10 children, and could not be a case report, review article, or editorial. No language filter was utilized, but an English abstract was required. Etiology of PALF, age of child, and country of origin was extracted from included articles. RESULTS: 32 full text articles were reviewed in detail; 2,982 children were included. The top diagnosis of PALF in developed countries was acetaminophen toxicity (9.24%; 95% CredI 7.99-10.6), whereas in developing countries it was Hepatitis A (28.9%; 95% CredI 26.3-31.7). In developed countries, the leading diagnosis of PALF in children aged <1 year was metabolic disorder (17.2%; 95% CredI 10.3-25.5), whereas in developing countries it was unspecified infection (39.3%; CredI 27.6-51.8). In developed countries, the leading diagnosis in children aged >1 year was Non-A-B-C Hepatitis (8.18%; CredI 5.28-11.7), whereas in developing countries it was Hepatitis A (32.4%; CredI 28.6-36.3). CONCLUSION: The leading causes of PALF in children aged 0-22 years differ depending on the age and developmental status of their country of origin, suggesting that these factors must be considered in the evaluation of children with PALF.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Vertigo is a relatively common complaint in children with 5.3% of pediatric patients complaining of this symptom. Although the causes of vertigo have been well established in adults, the diagnoses in children have not been well described. The aims of this systematic review are to discover the current information regarding etiologies of vertigo in children and to determine the most common diagnoses that present with vertigo in pediatric patients. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched using the PRISMA guidelines. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were established a priori. All results were analyzed using a Bayesian methodology for point estimation and credible interval calculation. RESULTS: From the database searches, 1419 titles were reviewed. Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria. From these studies, a total of 2726 children aged 2 months to 19 years were reported. The top 4 diagnoses associated with childhood vertigo include vestibular migraine (23.8%; credible interval, 22.3%-25.5%), benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (13.7%; credible interval, 12.4%-15%), idiopathic or no identified association (11.7%; credible interval, 10.5%-12.9%), and labyrinthitis/vestibular neuronitis (8.47%, credible interval, 7.46%-9.55%) accounting for approximately 57% of cases. Less common diagnoses included Meniere disease and central nervous system tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Although the most common causes of pediatric vertigo include vestibular migraine and benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood, the etiologies are myriad. Rates and credible intervals are provided to permit a probabilistic diagnostic approach to these children.
Subject(s)
Vertigo/diagnosis , Vertigo/etiology , Bayes Theorem , Child , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Infant , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate macrolides as an adjunct to an asthma controller regimen in children with asthma. METHODS: Prospective clinical trials of macrolide therapy in children with asthma using outcome measures of change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) and/or oral corticosteroid requirement were searched for in PubMed up to December 2009. The reference lists of studies were also included in the analysis, as well as those listed in published meta-analyses. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 116 studies, six of which were included in this meta-analysis. The change in FEV(1) from baseline with adjunctive use of macrolide therapy in all children was not significant (0.25% predicted; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.37, 0.86 predicted, P = 0.43); however, the change in FEV(1) among children receiving daily oral corticosteroids was significant (3.89% predicted; 95% CI -0.01, 7.79, P = 0.05). Addition of macrolide therapy to the treatment of children with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma resulted in a statistically significant decrease in daily corticosteroid dosage (-3.45 mg/day; 95% CI -5.79, -1.09 mg/day, P = 0.004). This reduction in daily corticosteroid dosage was directly proportional to the duration of macrolide therapy (-0.17 mg methylprednisolone per week of macrolide therapy; 95% CI -0.33, -0.021, P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Addition of macrolides to the treatment regimen of children with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma improves FEV(1) and decreases the daily dosage of corticosteroids required for control in these children. The degree of dose reduction is directly related to the duration of macrolide therapy. Additional large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of adjunctive macrolide use in children with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma are required to verify this observation.
