scholarly journals Revisiting childhood pneumonia in low-recourse setting hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 062-066
Author(s):  
Salih Karimeldin MA

Introduction: Pneumonia, defined as infection of lung parenchyma, is associated with severe complications especially in the very young and old patients. It is the world’s leading cause of childhood mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) classification and guidelines are commonly used in Sudan in the diagnosis and management of pneumonia patients. This review was the outcome of some researches done in Sudan by the author and his colleagues. Management Systems were evaluated to give complete end to end solutions for serving patients along with their records in hospitals and clinics in Sudan. The objective of the study was: To reflect author experience in management of childhood pneumonia in Sudan and to determine feasible, affordable approach to pneumonia in Sudan. Methodology: Searching through PubMed for the author publication and review of publication by author in Sudan regarding management of pneumonia. Conclusion: Simple tests like chest X-ray, high WBC high-reactive protein, together with high temperature can predict the need for urgent blood culture. Antibiotic treatment for childhood pneumonia weather that recommended by WHO, b-lactam inhibitors or 3rd generation cephalosporin has the same outcome.

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Joaquim de Moura ◽  
Lucía Ramos ◽  
Plácido L. Vidal ◽  
Jorge Novo ◽  
Marcos Ortega

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a disease that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 11 March 2020, the coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. In this context, chest X-ray imaging has become a remarkably powerful tool for the identification of patients with COVID-19 infections at an early stage when clinical symptoms may be unspecific or sparse. In this work, we propose a complete analysis of separability of COVID-19 and pneumonia in chest X-ray images by means of Convolutional Neural Networks. Satisfactory results were obtained that demonstrated the suitability of the proposed system, improving the efficiency of the medical screening process in the healthcare systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Biljana Ilkovska

Introduction: In December 2019, a highly infectious disease i.e. pneumonia caused by the coronavirus disease SARS-CoV-2, occurred in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organization has declared its ongoing outbreak a pandemic. The clinical laboratory plays a key role in supporting the monitoring and management of SARS-CoV-2 disease. Material and methods: Our study describes the laboratory characteristics of 103, SARS-CoV-2 patients hospitalized in the public hospital Trifun Panovski in the period April - June 2020. Only two patients died as a result of the SARS-CoV-2. The most common laboratory abnormalities were: elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Leukocytosis was found in 23.3%, and leucopenia in 3% of patients with SARS – CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with myocardial injury, heart failure, vascular inflammation, myocarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypoxic encephalopathy. We found increased values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and γ –glutamyl transferase (γ –GT) in 35 – 50% of patients. We detected affected renal function in 10% of our patients with SARS – CoV 2. Conclusion:We identified potential biomarkers of disease severity. Our results provide guidance in risk assessment, clinical monitoring and therapy decision-making processes


Author(s):  
Bachti Alisjahbana ◽  
Susan M McAllister ◽  
Cesar Ugarte-Gil ◽  
Nicolae Mircea Panduru ◽  
Katharina Ronacher ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are three times more likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) than the general population. Active TB screening in people with DM is part of a bidirectional approach. The aim of this study was to conduct pragmatic active TB screening among DM patients in four countries to inform policy. Methods DM patients were recruited in Indonesia (n=809), Peru (n=600), Romania (n=603) and South Africa (n=51). TB cases were diagnosed using an algorithm including clinical symptoms and chest X-ray. Presumptive TB patients were examined with sputum smear and culture. Results A total of 171 (8.3%) individuals reported ever having had TB (South Africa, 26%; Indonesia, 12%; Peru, 7%; Romania, 4%), 15 of whom were already on TB treatment. Overall, 14 (0.73% [95% confidence interval 0.40 to 1.23]) TB cases were identified from screening. Poor glucose control, smoking, lower body mass index, education and socio-economic status were associated with newly diagnosed/current TB. Thirteen of the 14 TB cases diagnosed from this screening would have been found using a symptom-based approach. Conclusions These data support the World Health Organization recommendation for routine symptom-based screening for TB in known DM patients in high TB-burden countries. DM patients with any symptoms consistent with TB should be investigated and diagnostic tools should be easily accessible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jun-Won Seo ◽  
Seong Eun Kim ◽  
Eun Young Choi ◽  
Kyung Soo Hong ◽  
Tae Hoon Oh ◽  
...  

Predictive studies of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited. In this study, the predictors of ARDS were investigated and a score that can predict progression to ARDS in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia was developed. All patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia between February 1, 2020, and May 15, 2020, at five university hospitals in Korea were enrolled. Their demographic, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics and the outcomes were collected using the World Health Organization COVID-19 Case Report Form. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors for ARDS. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for the scoring model. Of the 166 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, 37 (22.3%) patients developed ARDS. The areas under the curves for the infiltration on a chest X-ray, C-reactive protein, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and age, for prediction of ARDS were 0.91, 0.90, 0.87, and 0.80, respectively (all P < 0.001 ). The COVID-19 ARDS Prediction Score (CAPS) was constructed using age (≥60 years old), C-reactive protein (≥5 mg/dL), and the infiltration on a chest X-ray (≥22%), with each predictor allocated 1 point. The area under the curve of COVID-19 ARDS prediction score (CAPS) for prediction of ARDS was 0.90 (95% CI 0.86–0.95; P < 0.001 ). It provided 100% sensitivity and 75% specificity when the CAPS score cutoff value was 2 points. CAPS, which consists of age, C-reactive protein, and the area of infiltration on a chest X-ray, was predictive of the development of ARDS in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-15
Author(s):  
Winda Paramitha ◽  
Indah Kartika Murni ◽  
Eggi Arguni ◽  
Dwikisworo Setyowireni

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major causes of childhood mortality, especially in endemic areas. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 550,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths due to TB among children. Around 70-80% of the cases were pulmonary TB, while the rest were extra-pulmonary TB.1 Tuberculous pericarditis accounts for only 8% of all TB cases, however, tuberculosis is the main cause of pericarditis in high-TB-burden countries, including Indonesia.2 The mortality rate reached 17-40% and is affected by treatment adequacy.3 Without adequate therapy, the mean life expectancy is 3.7 months, with only 20% surviving to the sixth month.4 A 2004 study reported that successful treatment of TB in children depends on several factors, such as treatment compliance, timing and accuracy of diagnosis, concurrent human immunodeficency virus (HIV) infection and its clinical stage of disease, malnutrition, and drug resistance.5 Adolescents and young adults are at the highest risks of having TB.6 We report here on three cases of tuberculous pericarditis in adolescents and their outcomes following pericardiocentesis and medication.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingvild Lilleheie ◽  
Jonas Debesay ◽  
Asta Bye ◽  
Astrid Bergland

Abstract Background: The number of people aged 80 years and above is projected to triple over the next 30 years. People in this age group normally have at least two chronic conditions. The impact of multimorbidity is often significantly greater than expected from the sum of the effects of each condition. The World Health Organization has indicated that healthcare systems must prepare for a change in the focus of clinical care for older people. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthcare quality as care that is effective, efficient, integrated, patient centered, equitable and safe. The degree to which healthcare quality can be defined as acceptable is determined by services’ ability to meet the needs of users and adapt to patients’ expectations and perceptions.Method: We took a phenomenological perspective to explore older patients’ subjective experiences and conducted semistructured individual interviews. Eighteen patients (aged from 82 to 100 years) were interviewed twice after discharge from hospital. The interview transcriptions were analyzed thematically.Results: The patients found their meetings with the health service to be complex and demanding. They reported attempting to restore a sense of security and meaning in everyday life, balancing their own needs against external requirements. Five overarching themes emerged from the interviews: hospital stay and the person behind the diagnosis, poor communication and coordination, life after discharge, relationship with their next of kin, and organizational and systemic determinants.Conclusion: According to the WHO, to deliver quality healthcare, services must include all six of the dimensions listed above. Our findings show that they do not. Healthcare focused on measurable values and biomedical inquiries. Few opportunities for participation, scant information and suboptimal care coordination left the patients with a feeling of being in limbo, where they struggled to find balance in their everyday life. Further work must be done to ensure that integrated services are provided without a financial burden, centered on the needs and rights of older people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Sadaf Naeem ◽  
Yousra Shafiq ◽  
Muhammad Arif Asghar

Background: Initially, large number of COVID-19 cases reported from Wuhan City, China, reflected that this is likely the zoonotic origin of COVID-19. In March, 2020; it has since been declared a serious pandemic infection by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Objective: The main objective of this review was to addressed what gaps still exist. Many researchers have reported the many common characteristics of COVID-19 virus in comparison with other pandemic viruses, while the major differences are discussed in this review. Method: In this review, we investigated the general characteristics of COVID-19 its diagnosis and other preventive measures in comparison with other pandemic viruses that we know or we need to know. Results: All reported corona viruses belong to the one genus and family Coronavirus and Coronaviridae. The COVID-19 virus spreads easily and exponentially multiple times compares to other viruses. It can be divided into four antigenic groups, HKU1, NL63, 229E and OC43. The case mortality rate of this pandemic is 1.68%, compared to other pandemics in their first outbreaks, including the great pandemic influenza (0.2%), SARS-CoV (10%), MERS-CoV (34%), and Ebola (50%). Laboratory findings related to COVID-19 include elevated levels of D-dimer, Alanine transaminase (ALT), LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine kinase and prothrombin times. Conclusion: This comparison based review will help to understand the biology, potential risk and preventive measures of COVID-19 and provide cognizance about what we need to do against this pandemic which victimized more than 200 countries up to the present time.


Author(s):  
Jan Clement

Hantavirus disease or at least its renal form, the so-called haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is the only globally emerging acute kidney injury (AKI) form, and currently without doubt the most underestimated form of community-acquired AKI. Hantavirus disease is a viral zoonosis, caused by inhalation of infectious aerosolized excreta from chronically infected rodents, which are both the reservoir and the vector of different hantavirus species. Clinical presentation consists of sudden flu-like symptoms (fever, headache, myalgia), followed by gastrointestinal discomfort and AKI, often with anuria or oliguria. More rarely, acute myopia and/or non-cardiogenic acute lung oedema or injury is the presenting or complicating symptom. Laboratory hallmarks are initial thrombocytopenia and proteinuria, raised C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase, left-shift leucocytosis, and typical but transient serum lipid disturbances. Spontaneous remission occurs within 2–3 weeks without sequelae. Case fatality rate is between 0.1% and 15% according to the infecting hantavirus species, but most infections show in fact an asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic presentation. Treatment is only supportive, but may necessitate life-saving intensive care techniques. Together with leptospirosis, haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is the only form of AKI against which different vaccines are in use, but a World Health Organization-licensed hantavirus vaccine is still lacking.


AI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-435
Author(s):  
Khandaker Haque ◽  
Ahmed Abdelgawad

Deep Learning has improved multi-fold in recent years and it has been playing a great role in image classification which also includes medical imaging. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been performing well in detecting many diseases including coronary artery disease, malaria, Alzheimer’s disease, different dental diseases, and Parkinson’s disease. Like other cases, CNN has a substantial prospect in detecting COVID-19 patients with medical images like chest X-rays and CTs. Coronavirus or COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). As of 8 August 2020, the total COVID-19 confirmed cases are 19.18 M and deaths are 0.716 M worldwide. Detecting Coronavirus positive patients is very important in preventing the spread of this virus. On this conquest, a CNN model is proposed to detect COVID-19 patients from chest X-ray images. Two more CNN models with different number of convolution layers and three other models based on pretrained ResNet50, VGG-16 and VGG-19 are evaluated with comparative analytical analysis. All six models are trained and validated with Dataset 1 and Dataset 2. Dataset 1 has 201 normal and 201 COVID-19 chest X-rays whereas Dataset 2 is comparatively larger with 659 normal and 295 COVID-19 chest X-ray images. The proposed model performs with an accuracy of 98.3% and a precision of 96.72% with Dataset 2. This model gives the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve area of 0.983 and F1-score of 98.3 with Dataset 2. Moreover, this work shows a comparative analysis of how change in convolutional layers and increase in dataset affect classifying performances.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Rod ◽  
Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios ◽  
Javier Cortes-Ramirez

The World Health Organization has emphasized that one of the most important questions to address regarding the covid-19 pandemic is to understand risk factors for disease severity. We conducted a brief review that synthesizes the available evidence and provides a judgment on the consistency of the association between risk factors and a composite end-point of severe-fatal covid-19. Additionally, we also conducted a comparability analysis of risk factors across 17 studies. We found evidence supporting a total of 60 predictors for disease severity, of which seven were deemed of high consistency, 40 of medium and 13 of low. Among the factors with high consistency of association, we found age, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, albumin, body temperature, SOFA score and diabetes. The results suggest that diabetes might be the most consistent comorbidity predicting disease severity and that future research should carefully consider the comparability of reporting cases, factors, and outcomes along the different stages of the natural history of covid-19.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document