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Abstract Aims--To compare the use of health care resources and associated costs between infants with chronic lung disease (CLD) who had or had not an admission with a proven respiratory […]

Abstract Background--Intramuscular supplementation with vitamin A in large doses may reduce the incidence of chronic lung disease. Aim--To investigate whether oral supplementation with vitamin A would reduce the incidence of […]

Introduction: Mortality from cardiovascular disease is four times higher in adults of South Asian (SA) origin than White Europeans (WE). This is related to ethnic differences in risk factors, including [...]

Background: Pulmonary interstitial fibrosis in children is a disease of unknown aetiology, usually associated with a poor prognosis.Methods: In this case series we describe 11 children presenting over a 10 year period, managed conservatively and associated with a good prognosis.Results: In six, symptoms were present from birth and 10 had symptoms at or before 3 months. Diagnosis was made using chest computed tomography and percutaneous lung biopsy. All patients were treated with oral prednisolone. In five no steroid response was noted. One patient responded to hydroxychloroquine. Home oxygen was required in five patients. At follow up all patients are alive at a median age of 6 years (range 1 to 12 years). The two recently diagnosed children have significant symptoms, seven have dyspnoea on exercise, and two are symptom free.Conclusion: The good prognosis seen in these patients is different to previous case reports, indicating a greater than 50% mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Captopril was used in 20 infants aged less than 1 year with heart failure secondary to defects with predominantly a left to right shunt that was poorly controlled with digoxin and diuretics. Total daily dose of captopril ranged from 0.88 to 2.5 mg/kg (mean 1.3 mg/kg) in three divided doses. Improvement in the control of heart failure was seen mainly as an increase in the rate of weight gain from a mean of 48 g/week before treatment to 102 g/week on treatment and a decrease in the mean respiratory rate from 68 breaths/minute to 60 breaths/minute. Side effects were seen in four patients--two with asymptomatic mild hypotension, one with renal insufficiency which improved with a reduction in dose, and one with severe oliguria progressing to renal failure. Significant changes in plasma electrolyte concentration did not occur except in the infant who developed acute renal failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sublingual nifedipine was used for the treatment of acute severe hypertension in 12 children with renal disease. An average dose of 0.24 mg/kg was safe and proved effective on most occasions within 30 minutes with a median duration of action of three hours. There were no major adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On reassessment of 179 children who had previously been diagnosed as having cystic fibrosis seven (4%) were found not to have the disease. The importance of an accurate sweat test is emphasised as is the necessity to prove malabsorption or pancreatic abnormality to support the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hundred and twenty nine children aged 6 to 15 years attending the asthma clinic at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, had throat swabs taken to determine the incidence of candida colonisation of the oropharynx. One hundred children (group A), who were not receiving steroids, were compared with 91 children (group B) receiving less than 500 micrograms of inhaled beclomethasone a day and 38 children (group C) receiving 500 micrograms or more of inhaled beclomethasone a day. Sore throat and hoarse voice were not related to the presence of candida or to treatment with inhaled steroids. The incidence of candida was greater in the groups given treatment with steroids but did not increase at a higher dosage, nor was it related to the type of inhaler used. There was only one case of clinical thrush in all the children studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]