ABSTRACT
Authors present a prospective study of 130 cases of Mediterranean spotted fever treated between 1983 and 1985 in two Departments of Paediatrics of the Valles Occidental, area near Barcelona. Thirty-eight percent of the children came from suburban areas, an urban areas, an urban or rural origin being less frequent. Previous contacts with dogs existed in 86% of the cases. Most frequent clinical signs were fever (100%) maculo-papular rash (97%) and arthromyalgias (70%). The "tache noire" was found in 87% of the cases. Presence of arthritis in two patients is underlined. Indirect immunofluorescence to Rickettsia conorii was positive (much greater than 1/40) in 75% of the cases. All patients improved after treatment with tetracycline or erythromycin. There were no relapse.
Subject(s)
Boutonneuse Fever/epidemiology , Adolescent , Boutonneuse Fever/complications , Boutonneuse Fever/drug therapy , Boutonneuse Fever/etiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Erythromycin/therapeutic use , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Prospective Studies , Random Allocation , Spain , Tetracycline/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Eighty one children aged between 1 and 13 years participated in a randomised comparative trial of tetracycline hydrochloride and erythromycin stearate for treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever. Both therapeutic regimens proved effective, but in patients treated with tetracycline both clinical symptoms and fever disappeared significantly more quickly. Likewise, when those patients who began treatment within the first 72 hours of illness are considered the febrile period had a significantly shorter duration in the group treated with tetracycline. One patient was switched to tetracycline because there was no improvement of clinical manifestations, with persistence of fever, myalgias, and prostration, after receiving eight days of treatment with erythromycin. These results suggest that tetracyclines are superior to erythromycin in the treatment of Mediterranean spotted fever.
Subject(s)
Boutonneuse Fever/drug therapy , Erythromycin/analogs & derivatives , Tetracycline/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Clinical Trials as Topic , Erythromycin/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Random Allocation , Time FactorsABSTRACT
A seven years old boy with an hypogammaglobulinemia associated to a pauciarticular chronical juvenile arthritis, in which immunitary deficit diagnostic was made investigating his articular disease, is presented. Clinic, immunological screening, therapy and ulterior evolution with a two year substitutive immunoglobulin treatment are discussed. Authors also revise some aspects of these two diseases association.
