Subject(s)
Scurvy , Humans , Child, Preschool , Scurvy/diagnosis , Leg , Pain/diagnosis , Pain/etiology , Health Status , Feeding BehaviorABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SP) is generally a benign condition which can have various etiologies. Data on SP related to respiratory viral infections in children are rare and there are currently no official guidelines or consistent treatment recommendations for these patients. AIM: To discuss treatment options considering the recommendations for SP with different etiologies. METHODS: We report three cases of SP, which were related to rhinovirus or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. RESULTS: All three patients presented with typical symptoms of a respiratory tract infection and required oxygen supplementation during the hospital stay. All children benefited from a conservative, supportive therapy, and bed rest, and could be discharged after seven days or less without remaining symptoms. CONCLUSION: Surveillance and monitoring might be reasonable to detect and treat potential complications in children with SP due to viral infections, as one child developed an increasing pneumothorax, which had to be treated with a thoracic drainage.
ABSTRACT
(1) Background: Although published recommendations are available, the use of antibiotics in non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections in children is still controversially debated in clinical practice. Patients might even be put at risk, with necessary antibiotic therapy being withheld due to the widespread concern of prolonged post-convalescent shedding. The authors conducted a systematic review to assess whether antibiotic treatment influences fecal excretion or the clinical course in children with NTS infection. (2) Methods: The review was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. In a Medline database search, studies assessing the influence of antibiotic therapy on excretion and/or the clinical course of NTS infections were selected. Studies reporting on adults only were not considered. Out of 532 publications which were identified during the systematic literature search, 14 publications were finally included (3273 patients in total). Quality and bias assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) or the Cochrane risk-of bias tool (ROB-2). (3) Results: Four early studies from decades ago demonstrated a prolongation of intestinal NTS excretion in children after antibiotic treatment, whereas most studies published more recently observed no significant influence, which might be due to having used more "modern" antibiotic regimes (n = 7 studies). Most studies did not describe significant differences regarding the severity and duration of symptoms between untreated patients and those treated with antibiotics. Quality and bias were mainly moderate (NOS) or variable (ROB-2), respectively. (4) Conclusions: There is no substantial evidence of prolonged excretion of NTS in pediatric patients after treatment with newer antimicrobials. Consequently, clinicians should not withhold antibiotics in NTS infection for children at risk, such as for very young children, children with comorbidities, and those with suspected invasive disease due to concerns about prolonged post-convalescent bacterial excretion. In the majority of cases with uncomplicated NTS diarrhea, clinicians should refrain from applying antibiotics.
