Scar sarcoidosis in childhood: case report and review of the literature.

Sarcoidosis is a rare disease among children, manifesting differently in children below and above 4-5 years of age. Although the exact incidence and prevalence of childhood sarcoidosis is not known, the cutaneous involvement is frequent in both children and adults. Infiltration of old cutaneous scars with sarcoid granuloma in the active phase of disease, known as scar sarcoidosis is one of the uncommon cutaneous manifestations of sarcoidosis. We report a case of scar sarcoidosis in an 11-year-old child along with a brief review of the literature.

An unusual case of neonatal brain abscess following Klebsiella pneumoniae septicemia.

A case of solitary brain abscess in a term neonate caused by Kiebsiella pneumoniae is described. K. pneumoniae, although a common cause of neonatal septicemia, is rarely implicated as an etiological agent for cerebral abscess in this age-group. The interest of this case lies in the rarity of the causative organism and atypical features. In the absence of predisposing factors in the neonate, we suspect that the infection was transmitted vertically from the mother before or at the time of delivery since there was evidence of asymtomatic urinary tract infection in the antenatal period.

Hyaline membrane disease in a term neonate.

Hyaline membrane disease is primarily a disorder of preterm infants. Its occurrence in term infants is very uncommon and therefore may escape attention. We describe a term infant who developed severe respiratory distress soon after birth. Diagnosis of hyaline membrane disease was revealed at autopsy.

Persistence of breath-holding spells into late childhood.

Breath-holding spells commonly occur during infancy. The disorder represents a self-limited, benign phenomenon, and breathholding spells almost always resolve by school age. Their continuing occurrence beyond this age is exceedingly uncommon and may create diagnostic confusion. We recently encountered an 8-year-old boy who continues to experience breath-holding spells.

Treatment of Calmette-Guérin bacillus adenitis: a metaanalysis.

Various treatments have been used to decrease the risk of suppuration; the most troublesome complication of Calmette-Guerin bacillus adenitis, but results are controversial. Metaanalysis of four randomized controlled trials revealed no significant difference in the frequency of suppuration between the treatment and control groups for all treatments [relative risk (RR), 1.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.88 to 1.38], erythromycin (RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.79 to 1.37) and isoniazid (RR 1.35; 95% CI 0.84 to 2.18). Therefore medical treatment does not reduce the frequency of suppuration in Calmette-Guerin bacillus adenitis.

Perinatal tuberculosis.

Perinatal tuberculosis is insufficiently understood. Its early diagnosis is essential but often difficult as the initial manifestations may be delayed. Improved screening of women at risk and sensitivity of the medical community are necessary. A coherent system of cooperation between the hospital and community services and between pediatricians and adult physicians is indispensable to find the index adult case to break the chain of contagion as well as to offer prophylactic therapy to the children at risk. We hereby report a baby with perinatal tuberculosis who was not offered any prophylactic therapy inspite of the mother being diagnosed to have pulmonary tuberculosis.

Hypospadias-hypertelorism syndrome.

A young male child presented with hypospadias. Examination revealed additional anomalies including hypertelorism and upslanting of palpebral fissures, suggesting a diagnosis of hypospadias-hypertelorism syndrome. The case is reported because of its rarity and some unusual features.