ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Since its casual discovery and implication as a human pathogen that provokes transitory aplastic crises and infectious erythema, the B19 parvovirus has been related to a wide spectrum of diseases. To better understand this clinical diversity, we reviewed the cases of a serology positive infants admitted to the hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1992 to June 1995, all clinical charts were reviewed and we obtained 15 patients that had positive IgM antibodies by immunoenzyme assay. RESULTS: The mean age was 12.2 months. No sex differences were seen. The incidence was higher in winter months. Over 50% of the patients belong to the last year studied. Clinical findings included 5 cases of arthritis (one juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, one polyarticular syndrome and 3 nonspecific forms), hematology disturbances in 5 cases (1 case of erythrophagocytosis, 1 of thrombocytopenic purpura, 2 of anemia and 1 chronic neutropenia), 3 cases of febrile syndrome, 1 liver dysfunction, and 1 neuromyelitis. Complementary exams were not significant and follow-up in all infants was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The B19 parvovirus, a poorly understood virus, is related to many clinical situations where is true significance remains unknown.
Subject(s)
Parvoviridae Infections/diagnosis , Parvoviridae Infections/virology , Parvovirus B19, Human/isolation & purification , Age Distribution , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin M/immunology , Infant , Male , Parvoviridae Infections/immunology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Authors have studied relationship of several environmental factors (climatic changes and atmospheric pollution) and occurrence of asthma in childhood population of Vizcaya. Sample studied was composed of 290 asthmatic children and the same normal controls as counterpart exposed to equal risk. They also consider data obtained of the children's Hospital of Cruces emergency room. Follow-up was for one year. They do not find any relationship between acute asthma and levels of several air contaminants (SO2, OxN, fumes) neither with wind's direction and velocity and ambient humidity. A significant relation was found between autumn epidemic days and increase in environmental temperature. No relation of asthma and viral epidemiology or respiratory infections was found. The fact that "asthma epidemics" in Vizcaya happen yearly at the end of summer and that children affected are atopic, make authors think that the determinant factors are several: September is for many children the end of summer holidays, changing their habitat and climatic conditions.
