Calcium deficiency and causation of rickets in Ethiopian children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of calcium in the development of clinical rickets among Ethiopian children coming to Jimma Specialised Hospital outpatient, department. DESIGN: Case control study. SETTINGS: Jimma Specialised Teaching Hospital and surrounding urban and rural community in the catchment area. SUBJECTS: One hundred and thirty five under five year old children (30 cases of rickets and 104 non-rachitic cases) who came for paediatric service in Jimma hospital. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SD) level of calcium intake for cases and controls was 664.5 (+/- 102.7) mg and 645.8(+/- 144.4) mg, respectively. There was no statistically significance difference between the two groups in the mean level of calcium intake (t = 0.659, P > 0.05). Generally, in both cases and controls the majority of the study participants were taking calcium below the recommended daily calcium requirement of 800 mg for age group according to Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. When adjusted for different co-variates including age, sex, breast feeding history, history of diarrhoea lasting longer than 14 days and 24 hours calcium intake children and religion, occupation, educational status and residence the mothers/care givers using logistic regression model, frequency of exposure to sunlight ( OR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.2, 2.0), being from rural areas (OR = 5.0, 95% CI: 1.1, 23.3) and age 12-23 months (OR= 4.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 16.5) were significantly associated with rickets (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was found that Ethiopian children with rickets and without had a low calcium intake as compared to the recommended daily allowance. The fact that there was no difference in the dietary calcium intake between cases and controls and the significant difference observed between case and controls in terms of frequency of exposure to sunlight per week reflects that vitamin D deficiency emanating from poor exposure to radiant energy is the main cause of rickets in Ethiopian children. This study also documented the fact that rural children are at a higher risk of developing rickets as compared to their urban counterparts which could be mainly due to the traditional beliefs and practices more prevalent in the rural areas. Enhancing behaviour change communication about the benefits of exposing children to sunlight is very important in preventing the prevalence of rickets.

Validation of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) and U.K. criteria for atopic eczema in Ethiopian children.

BACKGROUND: Reliable diagnostic criteria for atopic eczema (AE) are essential in order to make international comparisons and to identify possible disease risk factors. Little is known about the prevalence of atopic eczema and validity of diagnostic criteria for AE in developing countries where English is not the first language. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the prevalence of AE in an area of urban and rural Ethiopia, and to compare the predictive values of different questionnaire and examination methods for diagnosing AE in this population. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 7915 children aged 1-5 years living in and around the town of Jimma in southwest Ethiopia. AE prevalence was assessed in two ways: (i) by using the International Study for Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire, and (ii) using the U.K. refinement of Hanifin and Rajka's diagnostic criteria. All possible cases identified by screening questions and random samples of controls were then examined by an experienced local paediatrician, who acted as a reference standard to determine the predictive value of the criteria used to diagnose AE. RESULTS: The overall 1-year period prevalence of AE according to ISAAC and U.K. criteria was 4.4%[95% confidence interval (CI) 3.95-4.85] and 1.8% (95% CI 1.5-2.1), respectively. Corresponding point prevalence estimates (symptoms in the last week) were 1.8% for ISAAC and 1.3% for the U.K. criteria. The positive predictive values of the ISAAC and U.K. criteria questions for AE symptoms still reported to be present (in the last week) at the doctor's examination were 48.8% and 55.5%, respectively. Corresponding negative predictive values were 90.5% and 90.1%, respectively. The sign of visible flexural dermatitis (a component of the U.K. criteria) when used alone had positive and negative predictive values of 57% and 91%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Neither the ISAAC nor U.K. criteria performed especially well in predicting cases of AE in this survey. Possible reasons include problems with questionnaire translation, cultural conceptions of terminology, asking parents rather than the child about symptoms, the transient nature of AE signs, and differences in what a doctor perceives to constitute a typical case of AE. The results do not preclude the use of standardized diagnostic criteria alongside a doctor's examination in future surveys of Ethiopian children, and knowledge of the criteria's limited predictive value should help to interpret study findings that have employed such criteria. Consideration should be given to adopting the sign of visible flexural dermatitis as a standard for estimating the point prevalence of AE throughout the world because it is less susceptible to problems with translation and interpretation.

Recurring bacterial infection in a teenager: an Ethiopian case of common variable immunodeficiency revealed by the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis.

A case of common variable immunodeficiency observed in an Ethiopian 13 year old girl who, from the age of 9 months, suffered from repeated, severe bacterial infections, but overcame viral infections normally, is reported. The immune defect bore upon the terminal stage of the differentiation of the B-lymphocytes, whose number was normal but which were unable to synthesize immunoglobulin in vitro. Replacement therapy with gammaglobulins controlled infection. The differential diagnosis of recurrent bacterial infection in the tropical context and means of early diagnosis are discussed.