ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of palivizumab has been recommended to prevent syncytial respiratory virus (SRV) infection in vulnerable children. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of hospital admissions for bronchiolitis from 2000 to 2012 in the context of a prevention study with palivizumab in at-risk newborns. RESULTS: A total of 952 children (59.5% males) were admitted due to bronchiolitis. Admissions occurred in younger children in the SRV+ cases compared to the SRV- cases (P<0.001). Additionally, 641 children were treated with Palivizumab at our service. Sixty of these children (9.8%) were admitted due to bronchiolitis and SRV was detected in 22 of them (3.4%). Fifty (7.8%) had underlying diseases, 6 (0.9%) presented with a history of perinatal infection and 20 (3.12%) had been part of a multiple birth. The treated children with some additional risk factor presented a greater risk of admission due to bronchiolitis (OR=1.99, P=0.045); however, this was not observed for admissions due to SRV (P=0.945). CONCLUSIONS: Children treated with Palivizumab showed a lower rate of SRV infection, despite having more risk factors associated with a higher risk of infection or complications.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage , Bronchiolitis/drug therapy , Palivizumab/administration & dosage , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/prevention & control , Age Factors , Bronchiolitis/virology , Female , Hospitalization , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To shed light on the current controversy regarding the best treatment option for managing urachal anomalies in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective follow-up of a case series comprising 13 children who were diagnosed with urachal anomalies was performed. All cases were diagnosed between 2000 and 2011 and followed up at the Pediatric Urology Unit of San Cecilio University Hospital in Granada (Spain). Information about the baseline and follow-up variables was collected from clinical records. RESULTS: Nine of the 13 patients were symptomatic (6 patients with urachal cysts and 3 patients with urachal persistency). Conservative management was originally used in all but one case. During follow-up, reinfection appeared in two cases, and these patients were treated surgically. Spontaneous resolution was achieved in eight cases (61.5%). Two children with persistent urachal cysts are still being followed (4 and 6 years after the diagnosis), although ultrasound monitoring reveals a gradual reduction in the size of the cysts. The median time between diagnosis and resolution was 16.5 months. CONCLUSION: With the exception of cases in which there is a clear indication for surgery (i.e. reinfection), a conservative approach based on regular monitoring may be useful.
