Search

The incidence of symptomatic Urinary Tract Infection (U.T.I.) in 2980 children aged under 2 years was valued. The study was performed in the Pediatric Clinic of Palermo between January 1988 and December 1989 involving a number of out paediatricians. The U.T.I. incidence was found to be 3.38%, with a higher frequency in males (4.7%) than in females (2.03%). Urinary tract malformations was diagnosed in 60% of patients with U.T.I. echographically and radiographically examined.

Bacteria counts in fresh, unstained, uncentrifuged urine specimens, using a phase-contrast microscope, magnification X 400, and a hemocytometer chamber, proved to be a very useful method not only of excluding (specificity 0.92) but also identifying urinary tract infection (sensitivity 0.90) in children. The presence of greater than 5/0.1 ml bacteria in the urine was taken as the threshold value. The evaluation of leukocyturia alone did not alter the sensitivity of the method, even when it was associated with bacteriuria. When Proteus was isolated from urine cultures, the bacteria count proved negative in 60% of cases; otherwise when different bacteria were isolated in urine cultures, they were then identified during the bacteria count. The method is simple, inexpensive and rapid (it requires only a few minutes) and it may be used in a pediatric outpatient or hospital setting.

The study of dermatoglyphics is one of particular diagnostic interest in many diseases, especially in the identification of some chromosomal aberration syndromes. The frequent occurrence for observation of this pathology and the need for comparison of the relevant dermatoglyphics with those of an adequate control group, caused us to carry a dermatoglyphic analysis of our population. We examined 315 normal subjects (147 males and 168 females) of Western Sicily.

The authors examined 88 patients (32 Males and 56 Females) aged between 1 day and 13 years, suffering from urinary tract malformation, diagnosed during 1981-82 . The vesicoureteral reflux was the urinary tract malformation most frequently observed (56.81%). The patients showed symptoms of the illness within the first year of life in a percentage of 52%, while the 82% was symptomatic in 5 years. 30 months and 11 days was the average age at which the symptoms of the illness appeared, while the diagnosis was effected at an average of 47 months and 15 days. The authors pointed out the reasons of this diagnostic delay and the possibilities of filing it up. Urinary tract infection was found at the time of hospitalization in a percentage of 55%. The authors described the kind of germs isolated and their resistance to the most common antibiotics.

Forty-nine children with urinary tract infection aged between 15 days and 10 years were studied. Thirty-three of them (67.3%) had urinary tract malformations. We valued the following parameters: a) White Blood Cells; b) Leukocyte differential; c) ESR at the first hour; d) CRP; e) Concentration ability; f) Body temperature. We wanted to investigate the usefulness of these parameters to predict which patients should be studied by X-ray of urinary tract. Single parameters did not prove very sensitive; the highest correlations were found with ESR and CRP, which were positive in 76% of the cases of malformations. Furthermore we valued the sensitivity and specificity of the tests grouped together: the highest values of sensitivity (97%) and specificity (31%) were obtained coupling the ESR and concentration ability.