Aspects of differential diagnosis and treatment of rhinitis in children under 2 years of age

Introduction. Clinical manifestations of rhinitis have a negative impact not only on the physical, social, and psychological health of children, but also on their parents, especially in families with a first child. Nasal congestion, nasal breathing difficulty cause problems with sleep and feeding.Aim of the study. To estimate the occurrence of rhinitis in children under two years old in the outpatient practice of otorhinolar-yngologists, to consider features of the course and differential diagnostics of various rhinitis types, to evaluate the effectiveness of nasal irrigation-elimination therapy in the treatment of acute rhinitis symptoms.Materials and Methods. Between September 2020 and July 2021, 220 patients between 0 to 18 years were managed: preschool-aged patients comprised 120 patients (54.5%), of whom 27 patients under two years old had symptoms of rhinitis, including those with symptoms lasting more than two weeks.Results. Among the patients referred to us, infectious rhinitis was diagnosed in the majority of cases - in 18 patients (66,7%), which can be explained not only by the timing of the study but also by the highest prevalence of this pathology among the diseases of the nasal cavity. Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis occurred in only 4 (14.8%) and 5 (18.5%) persons, respectively. Symptomatic irrigation therapy with saline solutions is just as necessary for young children as it is for older children and adults. Some difficulties in nasal cavity care during rhinitis are the anatomical narrowness of the nasal passages and lack of blowing skills in young children. In these situations, preference should be given to gentle, non-traumatic, gentle aspiration with prior irrigation of the nasal cavity with an isotonic saline solution. When a nasal aspirator was used, there was a decrease in the duration of nasal discharge during the illness and a reduction in the duration of the disease.Conclusion. Rhinitis in young children is a common but underestimated problem. Clinical manifestations are more often associated with typical symptoms: nasal congestion, discharge, nasal breathing difficulty, and sneezing. The use of irrigation-elimination intranasal therapy with the use of a nasal cavity aspirator can reduce the timing of clinical symptoms of rhinitis and reduce the overall duration of the disease.

An Emergency Portable Ventilator for COVID Patients with Acute Breathing Difficulty

In this paper, a design of a ventilator that meets the demand for emergency ventilators required to help patients with acute breathing difficulty during pandemics such as the current COVID-19 pandemic is presented. The AMBU bag based ventilator can be fabricated at low cost and is easily affordable by hospitals. Based on readily available components, the ventilator will cost about INR6000, and can be easily maintained by even non-technical medical personnel. It works on regular AC supply of 220V and runs on 12V DC supply drawing about 1.5A current. The ventilator is light in weight weighing about 2Kg and is easily portable. The use of individually addressable light emitting diodes and a photo- resistor for positioning of the pushrod is an innovative feature of the ventilator. It meets the requirement of emergency ventilators for use during the waiting period before a full fledged ventilator is available to the patient.

AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA – A CASE STUDY

Bronchial asthma is a heterogenous disease with reciprocity between genetic and environmental factors. The different triggering factors increase the frequency and severity of breathing difficulty attacks. The use of modern medicines is restricted due to its various local as well systemic side effects. The clinical picture of bronchial asthma can be correlated with Tamakashwas as explained in Ayurveda. In the present case study, a 24 years old female patient having signs and symptoms of Tamakashwas has been discussed. The treatment was administered in accordance with Shodhana Chikitsa, Shamana Aushadhis and Sthanika Chikitsa. Nidana Parivarjana is strictly instructed in order to avoid the stimulation to internal pathology of the disease. The classical management helps in relieving the symptoms as well as lowers the recurrence of the breathing difficulty attacks. Regular counselling and practice of Parnayama contributes in boosting and refreshing her mind. The assessment was done by using the gradation scale which was adopted from de-veloping guidelines for clinical research methodology in Ayurveda. This Ayurvedic management helps in achieving the positive output with complete stoppage of use of inhaler over a period of 6 months.

Common Neonatal Presentations

Parents of newborns, particularly first-time parents, are often concerned that their infant has a physical examination finding or behavior that is out of range of normal. Neonates have a variety of common findings and diagnoses specific to this age group. However, their range of behaviors is limited, and they are unable to communicate, complicating evaluation. Caring for neonates in the emergency department requires knowledge of newborn-specific conditions as well as the range of normal behaviors. Common chief complaints include jaundice, feeding difficulties, vomiting, irritability and crying, breathing difficulty, and rash. Emergency department providers must be familiar with the range of normal behaviors and common diagnoses seen in neonates. This chapter presents an overview of common concerns parents have about their neonates.

CLINICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF COVID-19 PATIENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Introduction: COVID-19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving global situation, infecting over 25 million people and causing more than 850,000 deaths. Several signs and symptoms have been described to be characteristic of the disease. However, there is a dearth of report on the description of the clinical characteristics of the disease in patients from Nigeria. This study was designed to provide a description of the clinical and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria. Methods: This study is a case series that includes patients that are evaluated between June and August 30, 2020, and diagnosed with COVID-19. Patient health records were reviewed and evaluated to describe the clinical characteristics on presentation. Results: A total of 154 COVID-19 patients were included in this study, with a mean age (S.D.) of 46.16 (13.701). Most of the patients survived (mortality rate of 2.6%), and were symptomatic (89.6%). There were more males (74.7%) than females, and the most common symptoms were fever, breathing difficulty, dry cough and malaise. Co-morbidities were also present in almost half of the study participants (49.4%). Conclusion: This study presents the most extensive description, to date, on the clinical and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Nigeria. Males are more likely than females to be infected with COVID-19 and the most occurring symptoms are fever, breathing difficulty, malaise, dry cough and chest pain. Old age and the presence of co-morbidities may also be associated with developing the severe disease. Key words: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Signs, Symptoms, Nigeria.

Awareness about coronavirus symptoms among school teachers and students -A knowledge-based survey in south Tamilnadu

Corona virus Belong to a family of viruses that cause various symptoms like pneumonia, fever, breathing difficulty and lung infection. The aim of the study is to assess the awareness about COVID-19 symptoms among school teachers and students to improve the knowledge among the teaching fraternity in educational institutions. A survey-based questionnaire was prepared to assess the awareness about the symptoms of COVID-19. A questionnaire of a total of 20 questions was sent to the teachers and students and the responses were collected by Google forms app, SPSS statistical analysis was also done. The overall awareness for all subgroups was fair. The highest percentage of correct responses were from the teachers compared to students. There is a need for regular interventions and educational training programs on COVID-19.

Factors Associated With Health Complaints Among Leather Tannery Workers in Bangladesh

Background: Few studies have reported associations between occupational exposure to tannery chemicals with breathing difficulty and skin diseases and none have been conducted in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of health complaints with types of work and length of employment among tannery workers in Bangladesh, where occupational health and safety regulations are less restricted compared with the developed world. Methods: One hundred sixty-seven ( n = 167) workers from 10 tanneries were interviewed using a questionnaire adapted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) and the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) to collect information on occupational exposures and health outcomes. Workers’ length of employment was examined, as well as their areas of work including beamhouse, wet finishing, dry finishing, and miscellaneous. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to investigate potential associations while controlling for confounders. Results: Length of employment was positively associated with breathing difficulty (odds ratio [OR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.07–1.64). Workers involved in the wet finishing (OR: 11.75, 95% CI: 2.12–65.10) and dry finishing (OR: 13.38, 95% CI: 1.00–181.70) had higher odds of breathing difficulty; while, working in the beamhouse was associated with an increased risk of developing skin diseases (OR: 4.36, 95% CI: 1.10–17.32). Conclusion/Application to Practice: Length of employment and types of work were associated with increased risk of health complaints, including breathing difficulty and skin disease among tannery workers. Stronger regulations with regular enforcement, regular health surveillance, and worker and employer education are necessary for reducing these exposures and improving the health outcomes of the tannery workers.

Facial Skin Temperature and Discomfort When Wearing Protective Face Masks: Thermal Infrared Imaging Evaluation and Hands Moving the Mask

Individual respiratory protective devices and face masks represent critical tools in protecting health care workers in hospitals and clinics, and play a central role in decreasing the spread of the high-risk pandemic infection of 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The aim of the present study was to compare the facial skin temperature and the heat flow when wearing medical surgical masks to the same factors when wearing N95 respirators. A total of 20 subjects were recruited and during the evaluation, each subject was invited to wear a surgical mask or respirator for 1 h. The next day in the morning at the same hour, the same subject wore a N95 mask for 1 h with the same protocol. Infrared thermal evaluation was performed to measure the facial temperature of the perioral region and the perception ratings related to the humidity, heat, breathing difficulty, and discomfort were recorded. A significant difference in heat flow and perioral region temperature was recorded between the surgical mask and the N95 respirator (p < 0.05). A statistically significant difference in humidity, heat, breathing difficulty, and discomfort was present between the groups. The study results suggest that N95 respirators are able to induce an increased facial skin temperature, greater discomfort and lower wearing adherence when compared to the medical surgical masks.