Doppler US measurement of the superior mesenteric artery blood flow in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Blood flow volume in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) measured by pulsed Doppler has been used in adults to evaluate Crohn disease but has not been utilized in children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To establish a cutoff point for normal SMA blood flow using pulsed Doppler US measurement in healthy children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included healthy volunteers from an urban community, divided into two age groups, children (5-9 years) and adolescents (10-17 years). Anthropometric measurements included waist circumference and body surface area classified according to the z-score of body mass index. Heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature were measured immediately before US evaluation. RESULTS: The average age of the 60 participants was 12.2 years. Of these, 21 (35%) were ages 5-9 years and 39 (65%) were ages 10-17 years; 21 (35%) were boys. Findings of the two examiners coincided for 58 of the 60 (96.7%) participants. SMA blood flow was significantly lower in the children (mean ± SD = 556 ± 122 ml/min) than in adolescents (mean ± SD 775 ± 311 ml/min) (P < 0.001). SMA blood flow showed statistically significant positive associations with body surface area. CONCLUSION: We found that superior mesenteric artery blood flow is significantly lower in children than in adolescents and is associated with body surface area.

A survey on clinical presentation and nutritional status of infants with suspected cow' milk allergy.

BACKGROUND: Cow's milk is the most common food allergen in infants and the diagnosis of cow's milk allergy is difficult, even with the use of several diagnostic tests. Therefore, elimination diets and challenge tests are essential for the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. The aim of this study is to report the clinical presentation and nutritional status of children evaluated by pediatric gastroenterologists for the assessment of symptoms suggestive of cow's milk allergy. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was performed among 9,478 patients evaluated by 30 pediatric gastroenterologists for 40 days in 5 different geographical regions in Brazil. Clinical data were collected from patients with symptoms suggestive of cow's milk allergy. The nutritional status of infants (age < or = 24 months) seen for the first time was evaluated according to z-scores for weight-for-age, weight-for-height, and height-for-age. Epi-Info (CDC-NCHS, 2000) software was used to calculate z-scores. RESULTS: The prevalence of suspected cow's milk allergy in the study population was 5.4% (513/9,478), and the incidence was 2.2% (211/9,478). Among 159 infants seen at first evaluation, 15.1% presented with a low weight-for-age z score (< -2.0 standard deviation - SD), 8.7% with a low weight-for-height z score (< -2.0 SD), and 23.9% with a low height-for-age z score (< -2.0 SD). CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of nutritional deficits among infants with symptoms suggestive of cow's milk allergy indicates that effective elimination diets should be prescribed to control allergy symptoms and to prevent or treat malnutrition.

Patologias associadas e prognósticos de eventos com aparente risco de vida (ALTE) / Associated and prognosis in apparent life threatening events (ALTE)

Objetivo: Verificar a etiologia e o prognóstico dos episódios de ALTE na infância e sua possível relaçäo com a Síndrome da Morte Súbits do Lactente. Métodos: Estudo de uma coorte de crianças que apresentaram episódios de ALTE e foram avaliadas no serviço de Neurologia do Hospital Säo Lucas da PUCRS. Primeiramente foram revisados os prontuários contendo a avaliaçäo clínica e as polissonografias. Prospectivamente os pacientes foram contatados e reavaliados através de questionário. Resultados: Foram incluídos neste estudo 56 pacientes investigados entre os anos de 1985 a 1996. Em 92 por cento dos casos o episódio ocorreu nos primeiros seis meses de vida, 83 por cento antes dos três meses. Houve um predomínio de episódios sintomáticos (71 por cento) em relaçäo aos idiopáticos. A patologia mais freqüentemente associada aos episódios de ALTE foi refluxo gastro-esofágico, seguido de causas neurógicas. No seguimento dessas crianças, 51,5 por cento foram consideradas normais, quatro repetiram outros episódios de ALTE, nenhuma evoluiu para Síndrome da Morte Súbita do Lactente (SMSL). Conclusöes: Nossos resultados sugerem que a etiologia dos episódios de ALTE pode estar associada a inúmeros distúrbios, e o prognósticos está associado à patologia de base. Näo observamos relaçäo entre ALTE e SMSL considerando-se uma popuaçäo com episódios de ALTE predominantemente sintomáticos