Observations on 149 children with tuberculosis are presented and discussed with special reference to the available data from India. The majority of the cases were young males and belonged to the low socio-economic group. Only 15% had a definite history of contact; nearly half of the patients gave a history of measles, whooping cough or chicken pox in the recent past. The over-all incidence of the primary complex was 43%; 7.3% of these cases had associated pulmonary complications. Pleural effusion accounted for 4.0% of the cases, superficial lymphadenopathy 20.0%, meningitis 8.0%, intra-abodominal tuberculosis 11%, skeletal tuberculosis 8.0% and chronic pulmonary tuberculosis 6.0%.
Abdullah H Baqui, Emma Williams, Gary L. Darmstadt, Vishwajeet Kumar, T. U. Kiran, Dharmendra S Panwar, Arvind Pandey, Saifuddin Ahmed, V. Sreevasta, Ramesh C. Ahuja, Mathuram Santosham, Robert E. Black
Candidemia and disseminated candidiasis are major causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients especially in the intensive care units (ICU). The incidence of invasive candidasis is on a steady rise because of increasing use of multiple antibiotics and invasive procedures carried out in the ICUs. Worldwide there is a shifting trend from C. albicans towards non albicans species, with an associated increase in mortality and antifungal resistance. In the ICU a predisposed host in one who is on broad spectrum antibiotics, parenteral nutrition, and central venous catheters. There are no pathognomonic signs or symptoms. The clinical clues are: unexplained fever or signs of severe sepsis or septic shock while on antibiotics, multiple, non-tender, nodular erythematous cutaneous lesions. The spectrum of infection with candida species range from superficial candidiasis of the skin and mucosa to more serious life threatening infections. Treatment of candidiasis involves removal of the most likely source of infection and drug therapy to speed up the clearance of infection. Amphotericin B remains the initial drug of first choice in hemodynamically unstable critically ill children in the wake of increasing resistance to azoles. Evaluation of newer antifungal agents and precise role of prophylactic therapy in ICU patients is needed.