Characteristics of hypertensive children identified by primary care referral compared with school-based screening

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether there are clinical differences between children referred for hypertension evaluation from a primary care practice and children with hypertension detected through school-based screening.Study design Referral patients (n=58) were compared with 44 screening patients with hypertension from school-based screening of 5102 students. All subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring. White coat hypertension was defined as 24-hour mean BP <95th percentile and BP load <25%. RESULTS: Referral subjects were more likely to be male and had higher body mass index than screening subjects but did not differ by age or ethnic distribution. Average clinic BP values tended to be higher among referral patients (140/79 vs 135/76 mm Hg, P=.07); however, the hypertension severity was closely matched when clinic BP was indexed to the subject-specific 95th percentile. Ambulatory mean BP, BP indices, and BP loads showed no differences by subject source for 24-hour, wake, or sleep periods. White coat hypertension prevalence did not differ between referral and screening subjects (28% vs 30%, P=.83). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that hypertensive children identified by subspecialty referral are representative of the overall population of hypertensive children in the community, thereby supporting the generalizability of clinic-based research in pediatric hypertension.     

有创及无创血压监测在新生儿重症监护的应用对比研究

目的 探讨有创血压监测在足月新生儿重症监护中的应用价值.方法 选取2010-2012年本院新生儿重症监护室行有创血压监测的足月儿新生儿,包括窒息、缺氧缺血脑病、败血症、新生儿出血症、手术后、休克及新生儿溶血病等,患儿均建立有创血压监测系统,并分别在有创血压监测同时进行无创血压监测,比较两者的相关性.结果 研究期间共60例重症足月儿行有创血压监测,患儿第一次测量日龄(7.2±1.9)h,收缩压(62.4±11.7)mm Hg,同期无创血压收缩压为(58.2±10.5)mm Hg,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05),两种监测方式的舒张压和平均动脉压差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).出生窒息、缺氧缺血性脑病、出血性疾病、新生儿休克及新生儿溶血病可以明显影响有创收缩压值,其β值及β值的95％可信区间分别为2.14(1.10～3.47)、3.11(1.17 ～4.47)、3.45(1.34 ～5.77)、4.55(2.34 ～7.89)和3.25(1.78 ～5.57).而无创收缩压仅受新生儿休克状况影响,β值及其95％可信区间为3.45(1.98 ～5.77).结论 对于危重症足月儿,尤其是存在血流动力学不稳定的患儿,在条件允许情况下应在新生儿重症监护室积极进行有创血压监测.     

Acute cardiovascular responses in preterm infants at 34–39 weeks of gestational age

Background

Premature infants demonstrate immature physiological control mechanisms; however their acute cardiovascular control has not yet been widely studied.

Aim

The aim of this study was to analyze heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) control in preterm infants.

Subjects

Twenty preterm infants with a mean gestational age of 31 ± 2.4 (26–34) weeks at birth were evaluated at a gestational age of 36 ± 1.5 (34–39) weeks. Results were compared to twenty, healthy, full-term, control infants studied at the age of 12 ± 3 weeks.

Outcome measures

HR and BP responses to 45° head-up tilt and side motion tests during non-rapid eye movement sleep were analyzed. In addition, HR responses to spontaneous arousals from non-rapid eye movement sleep were evaluated.

Results

Preterm infants showed significantly smaller initial HR and BP responses compared with controls in head-up tilt (HR p = 0.0005, systolic BP p = 0.02, diastolic BP p = 0.01) and side motion tests (HR p = 0.002, systolic BP p < 0.0001, diastolic BP p < 0.0001). Furthermore, in tilt tests, preterm infants presented with greater intersubject variability in BP responses than controls (systolic BP p = 0.009, diastolic BP p = 0005). Preterm HR responses to spontaneous arousals were similar to controls.

Conclusions

This study indicates immature vestibulo-mediated cardiovascular control in preterm infants compared with term infants. This is seen as attenuated BP responses to side motion test and more labile acute BP control to postural challenge.     

Waist-to-height ratio is not a predictor of systolic blood pressure in 3-year-old children

Waist:height has been proposed as an indicator of cardiovascular risk. We investigated the association of waist:height with systolic BP (sBP) in 3 year old children. Body mass index was a significant predictor of sBP, whereas waist:height was not: suggesting waist:height is not a useful indicator of sBP in this age group.     

Comparison of clinical prediction rules for management of pharyngitis in settings with limited resources

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of several clinical prediction rules for culture-positive streptococcal pharyngitis in a single group of patients in a setting in which clinicians routinely treat all cases of pharyngitis presumptively, without laboratory data. STUDY DESIGN: A MEDLINE search identified clinical prediction rules for streptococcal pharyngitis in children. Each rule was applied analytically to data from 410 children in Cairo, Egypt with clinical pharyngitis, in whom throat cultures were performed. The diagnostic effectiveness of these rules for predicting a positive culture were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Seven prediction rules were identified. Of these 7 rules, 4 were developed in North American children, 1 was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and 2 were developed in Egypt. In the Cairo children, the WHO rule was the least sensitive, at 12%. The 6 other rules had sensitivities ranging from 81% to 99% and specificities ranging from 4% to 40%; 2 rules seemed to be effective, with diagnostic odds ratios of 5.2 and 6.1. CONCLUSIONS: The prediction rules demonstrated variable diagnostic effectiveness in the Egyptian children. Without laboratory testing, 2 clinical rules detected > 90% of cases of pharyngitis with positive culture for group A streptococcus and reduced overtreatment of culture-negative cases by approximately 40%. Selected clinical prediction rules have useful characteristics in settings of limited resources and need further validation.     

Diagnosis of Unsuspected Fetal Metabolic Storage Disease by Routine Placental Examination

GM1 gangliosidosis (type 1) is a rare hereditary, autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage disease characterized by a marked deficiency of active acid β-galactosidase resulting in accumulation of gangliosides and mucopolysaccharides in tissues. Disease status of newborns from affected kindreds may be diagnosed by placental examination. Typical findings include a characteristic vacuolar distension of the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblast and stromal Hofbauer cells. We report a case of unsuspected fetal storage disorder initially diagnosed by routine placental examination of a normal-appearing infant born to a previously unaffected family. Progressive, third-trimester oligohydramnios and fetal growth retardation had been documented by ultrasonography. Placental findings included vacuolization of syncytiotrophoblast, intermediate trophoblast, and stromal Hofbauer cells. Subsequent enzyme analysis confirmed the placental findings of storage disorder and diagnosed GM1 gangliosidosis.