Summary:
Background: Pneumonia is a common form of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in children under five years of age and it is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this age group. Early management is important in decreasing its complications and mortality.
Methods: A cross sectional study of 100 patients, their ages ranged from 2 months to 5 years. They were admitted to Children Welfare Teaching Hospital Medical City–Baghdad in a period from 7th of November 2010 to 5th of May 2011, suffering from Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (fever, cough and tachypnea) and classified into two groups according to chest radiograph (CXR) findings, those with a patch (pneumonia) and others with normal or hyper inflated CXR. The possibility of various demographic and clinical symptoms and signs to predict the presence or absence of the patch were evaluated.
Results: From a total of 100 patients enrolled in this study, 42%had a patch and 58% had normal or hyperinflated CXR. Older age, male gender, longer duration of hospitalization, high level of paternal education and family history of same disease are significantly associated with the presence of patch. Signs and symptoms like deterioration in the level of consciousness, lung crepitation and decrease in air entry and convulsion are significantly associated with the presence of the patch.
Conclusion: Pneumonia is frequent in children with LRTI. Presence of convulsions, deterioration in the level of consciousness, lung crepitation and decrease in air entry in a child with LRTI may raise the suspicion of having pneumonia. Factors like older age, male gender, and high level of paternal education were associated with increase the susceptibility to have pneumonia in children with LRTI.
Key word: children; predictors; pneumonia.
Background; determining what radiologic studies to obtain following the diagnosis of a urinary tract infection(uti) is an area of medicine that is still not agreed upon, nor is there a gold standard.
Objective; to study the radiological abnormalities in paediatric patients with urinary tract infections.
Patients and methods; this prospective study was done from the first of june 2008 to the first of may 2009 include 104 pediatric patients who were referred to children welfare hospital ,(pediatric nephrological out patient clinic) with signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections, all of them had culture positive urine examination , ultrasonograhy was done for all patients, voiding cystouretherography was done for patients with re
Background: The annual incidence of stroke in children after the newborn period is approximately 2.3 per 100000. Half are ischemic, and half are non-traumaticintracerebral and subarchnoidal hemorrhages.
Objectives: To study the etiologic factors, clinical presentation andoutcome of stroke among children admitted to children welfare teaching hospital/Baghdad.
Patient and methods: A prospective study was carried out in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital;Children age ranged between 1 month -13 years and was admitted to pediatric neurology ward between 1st of November 2013 and 1st of November 2014. After carful clinical history, physical and neurological examinations, the diagnosis of brain stroke was confirmed in all patients by compu
Background:-M. pneumoniae is an important human pathogen that produces community-acquired respiratory tract infection. Diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection is challenging and crucial for the timely initiation of the effective antibiotic therapy.
Objective: This study has been undertaken to detect M. pneumoniae in respiratory samples (throat swabs, throat wash and sputum) in patients with respiratory tract infection qualitatively by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also, more advanced one, real time PCR was used to determine mycoplasmal target gene qualitatively and quantitatively.
Patients and methods: The study was performed on Seventy-five patients and thirty healthy subject as control. Genomic DNA was extracted and
Background: Lymphoblastic lymphomas (LBL) are neoplasms of precursor T cells and B cells, or lymphoblasts. The term lymphoblastic lymphoma has been used to describe predominantly lymph node– based disease; however, clinical distinction between LBL and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been arbitrary and has varied among different studies and institutions
Objectives: To determine the frequency of LBL among all Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients in children and to study the clinical and pathological features of LBL and assess the treatment outcome.
Methods: A retrospective study included 28 children with newly diagnosed LBL (based on morphology) below the age of 14 years over 8 years period from J
Background: Bone marrow aspiration (BMA) and biopsy is a procedure that is used to evaluate the cause of abnormal blood test results, to confirm a diagnosis or check the status of severe anemia of unknown cause, to evaluate abnormalities in the blood's ability to store iron and also to diagnose infection.
Objectives: To identify the main indications of bone marrow aspiration and the most common diagnoses encountered in children welfare teaching hospital.
Patients and methods: This was a prospective and retrospective descriptive study over 6- month period from 8th of February 2010 to 8th of August 2010 in children younger than 14 years. All bone marrow aspirate results wer
... Show MoreBackground: Gastroenteritis is a common illness in pediatric age group; the causes could be bacterial, fungal or viral infection. Rotavirus is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in children. Children between 3 months to 2 years old have the most severe symptoms. Rotavirus is extremely easy to catch and is transmitted mainly by the oral- fecal route. For diagnosis; the specimen of choice is the stool which has been collected during the first 3 to 5 days of illness. If collected 8 or more days after onset of symptoms the specimen will rarely contain the virus.
Objective: The objective of
... Show MoreBackgroun1d: Polycythemia is defined as a central Hematocrit of at least 65%. Its` incidence is increased in babies who have intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), are small for gestational age (SGA), and are born post term. Many infants with polycythemia are asymptomatic. However, it may be associated with feeding problems and lethargy.
Objectives: This work aimed to study the polycythemic neonates admitted to neonatal care unit in children welfare teaching hospital, medical city complex, Baghdad, including demographic features, risk factors, management and early outcome.
Patients and Methods: A descriptive study was carried out over
... Show MoreBackground: Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular tumor affecting young children.
Patients and Methods: A review of 32 children with retinoblastoma, diagnosed and treated at the Oncology Unit, Children Welfare Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad from 1999 to 2006.
Objectives: To review the clinical presentation and treatment outcome of retinoblastoma in children treated at the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital, Baghdad.
Results: Among 32 patients, 56.25% were males and 43.75% were females with a median age of 34.5 months. Unilateral disease was observed in 19 patients. Leukocoria was the most common presenting feature. Advanced s
... Show MoreBackground: A confirmed case of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is defined as a person with an influenza-like illness with laboratory confirmed influenza A (H1N1) virus infection by real-time RT-PCR or viral culture.
Objectives: To identify demographic and clinical predictors, and outcome of proved cases of H1N1 influenza epidemic in children.
Patients and methods: This study was conducted in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital/ Medical City/ Baghdad on 67 hospitalized patients aged 1 month to 18 years with signs and symptoms suggestive of influenza during the period of outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) from 1st of October 2009 to 1st of January 2010. Demographic aspect, clinical coarse, labora
Background: