Myocardial Infarction in Children

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a clinical condition that develops associated with a sudden reduction or interruption of the blood flow of the vessels supplying the heart for various reasons. The electrocardiographic, echocardiographic and enzymatic diagnostic criteria of MI have been well defined in adults, in children there are some difficulties. Although seen more often in the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD), MI may also be seen in patients without CHD. Unlike atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in adult patients, ischaemia and infarct in children are often associated with coronary artery anomalies and CHD. In addition, congenital prothrombotic diseases, vasculitis, surgical or interventional procedures may also cause ischaemia and infarct. Subendocardial ischaemia, especially aortic stenosis characterised by hypertrophy in the left ventricle is often seen in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or hypertensive patients. The most important risk factors in neonates and infants are the presence of CHD, coronary artery anomalies and perinatal asfixia. The most frequently seen causes of pediatric myocardial infarction (PMI) are abnormal left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) and Kawasaki disease. Another often seen cause of PMI is patients who underwent arterial switch operations

Thrombocytopenia Developing After Centipede Bite

Centipede bites have been reported rarely in humans. The mechanism of centipede toxin is not fully understood. Skin reactions develop more in centipede bites. In this text, we will present a case that developed thrombocytopenia after a centipede bite. An 18-month old female infant was bitten on the back of the right hand and the right side of the forehead. She applied to the emergency department with the complaint of redness and swelling that started in the morning hours after the bite. The vital signs of the patient were stable. The patient had no systemic complaints. The patient's laboratory tests, PLT was 28,000 K/UL were determined. During follow-up of the patient, bleeding symptoms developed associated with thrombocytopenia. The follow-up examination 10 days later, thrombocyte count was determined as 302,000 in the full blood count. Centipede bites are not greatly reported and the actual incidence is undoubtedly higher than assumed. Although the majority spontaneously recover with only simple local reactions that have formed, they can lead to serious complications such as acute myocardial infarcts, acute coronary ischemia, acute renal damage, anaphylaxis, or thrombocytopenia. Therefore, following a centipede bite, patients must be evaluated carefully and attention must be paid in respect of complications

Pediatric dysrhythmias

Pediatric dysrhythmias are rare but important causes of admission to pediatric clinics and emergency departments. Due to the development of successful surgical treatment of congenital heart diseases and improvements in the diagnostic tools, pediatric dysrhythmias are more frequently diagnosed. Although pediatric dysrhythmias are may be asymptomatic, they may manifest with weakness, dizziness, decrease in the effort capacity, easy fatigability, irregularity in heartbeats, palpitations, syncope and cardiac arrest. Since dysrhythmias may give rise to significant hemodynamic outcomes, their recognition by pediatricians and family physicians is vital for the patients. This review aims to contribute to the correct diagnosis and management of the cases with frequently encountered pediatric dysrhythmias

Brucella infection associated with complete atrioventricular block

Background: The clinical spectrum of Brucella infection is quite diverse and characterized by multi-system involvement. Patients present with myocarditis, endocarditis, or pericarditis. Infective endocarditis is the most common cardiovascular complication in patients with brucellosis. Although conduction abnormalities are seen in cases with endocarditis, they are reported very rarely in the setting of cardiac Brucella infection. Case Report: An eight and a half-year-old male patient was referred to our clinic due to inadequate response to cotrimaxazole plus streptomycin treatment at the 15th day of admission. Although local hospital records on the patient showed a heart rate of 80 bpm, we determined a heart rate of 46 bpm. The electrocardiogram showed complete atrioventricular (AV) block. The average heart rate was determined as 48 bpm with 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring. The echocardiographic examination showed normal-sized heart chambers and the absence of valvular involvement. An agglutination test for brucellosis was found to be positive with a titer of 1/320. High fever, arthralgia, and splenomegaly regressed following doxycycline plus rifampicin therapy, but there was no improvement in the AV block. A permanent pacemaker was implanted because of the detection of an average heart rate of 48 bpm. Conclusion: Because cardiac failure and rhythm abnormalities are reported in the course of Brucella infection and may be associated with significant outcomes, cases with brucellosis should be evaluated carefully in terms of cardiac involvement. This report aims to draw attention to complete AV block as an extremely rare complication of Brucella infection

Efficacy of vitamin E in children with immunotolerant-phase chronic hepatitis B infection

ECE, AYDIN/0000-0001-9130-2431; dikici, bunyamin/0000-0001-7572-6525; Ece, Aydin/0000-0001-6764-8336WOS: 000249493400011PubMed: 17875084Background: The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the efficacy of vitamin E in children with immunotolerant-phase chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection. Methods: Fifty-eight immunotolerant children were prospectively and randomly recruited into two groups. Group 1 (study group) included 30 patients who received vitamin E at a dose of 100 mg/day throughout 3 months; group 2 (control group) contained 28 patients who did not receive any medication. Comparison of serological, virologic, and biochemical response ratios were done at the end of the therapy and after 6 months of vitamin E discontinuation. Results: Mean alanine transaminase (ALT) values in group 1 at the beginning of the therapy, 3 months after the therapy initiation and 6 months after discontinuation were 30.4 +/- 7.3 IU/L, 31.3 +/- 7.8 IU/L and 32.1 +/- 8.5 IU/L, respectively. The mean hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA load of group 1 at onset, and at the third and ninth months of the treatment were 3106 +/- 718 pg/mL, 3530 +/- 137 pg/mL and 3364 +/- 1246 pg/mL, respectively. These changes in both ALT and HBV-DNA values did not reach significant levels (P > 0.05). In group 2, mean ALT values at the beginning of therapy, and at the third and ninth months were 28.0 +/- 1.8 IU/L, 34.6 +/- 8.1 IU/L, and 34.1 +/- 7.0 IU/L, respectively (P > 0.05), and mean viral load of HBV-DNA was 4227 +/- 1435 pg/mL, 3368 +/- 2673 pg/mL, and 3018 +/- 2814 pg/mL, respectively (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between group 1 and group 2 at the third and ninth months in the mean ALT values and viral load of HBV-DNA (P > 0.05). Hepatitis B s antigen and hepatitis B e antigen clearance or hepatitis B s antibody and hepatitis B e antibody seroconversion were not observed in either group. Conclusion: As a first study investigating the effect of vitamin E in children with immunotolerant CHB infection, no beneficial effect could be demonstrated. Different immunomodulator protocols should be considered for future investigations

Chest Pain may be the First Symptom of Malignant Tumors in Children: Report of Two Cases

The majority of chest pain in children is idiopathic or as­sociated with locomotor system pathologies. Albeit car­diac and other thoracic malign tumors may cause chest pain, malignancies usually show rapid clinical onset and are presented with multiple systemic symptoms. It is not a usual finding for chest pain being the sole initial symp­tom. Herein, we report two children who were presented with chest pain as an initial symptom and diagnosed with fibrosarcoma and lymphoma afterwards. Therefore, we want to emphasize that cardiac and pericardial malignant tumors should be remembered in differential diagnosis of chest pain in children

INFANTILE OSTEOPETROSIS ASSOCIATED WITH RICKETS

A 3-year-old female child was diagnosed as malignant autosomal recessive form of infantile osteopetrosis by presence of anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, failure to thrive, visual and hearing loss, and the typical radiological images on plain radiograms. The patient had associated clinical and laboratory findings of rickets as a rare presentation. Treatment with calcitriol was initiated with a short-term calcium supplement

CASE REPORT - UNUSUAL PRESENTATION OF CONGENITAL PLASMODIUM VIVAX MALARIA IN A NEONATE FROM TURKEY

A 28-day-old full-term male neonate was admitted with symptoms and findings of jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia and a cavernous hemangioma on the forearm. Patient"s mother gave a history of antimalarial drug usage before pregnancy. He did not have characteristic symptoms like fever and chills at presentation, and had an associated hemangioma which could partly explain the jaundice and thrombocytopenia. The diagnosis of congenital malaria was established only when Plasmodium vivax was detected after the third blood smear

Knee Joint Pain May Be an Indicator for a Hip Joint Problem in Children: A Case Report

Knee joint pain is one of the most common complaints related to the skeletal system encountered by paediatricians. Knee joint pain generally occurs as the result of hypermobility and growing pains, though disorders manifesting as arthritis/arthralgia and orthopaedic problems should be considered in the differential diagnosis. A thorough and careful physical examination and laboratory and radiological findings are of importance for an accurate diagnosis. Although treatment should be based on the aetiology of the knee pain, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to alleviate the pain. A 7-year-old male patient presented with recurring pain in the left knee. Physical examination of the patient, laboratory tests, and radiological examination of the knee joint were normal; roentgenograms performed for a presumed hip joint problem revealed a focal cortical defect on the left femoral head and an increased effusion in the left hip joint space compared with the right counterpart. With this case report, we would like to highlight that paediatric health and diseases specialists (paediatricians) should consider hip joint pathologies when patients present with knee pain, particularly knee pain with an unidentified aetiology

Stent implantation in the arterial duct of the newborn with duct-dependent pulmonary circulation: single centre experience from Turkey

Implantation of stents into the ductus arteriosus is an alternative treatment to palliative or corrective cardiac surgery in newborns with duct-dependent pulmonary circulation, although the use of this technique for congenital heart disease is limited