Diagnostic yield of capillary compared to venous glucose in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in children: A prospective, observational study.

INTRODUCTION: The ratio of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose and blood glucose is of major relevance, conducting to the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia, which is a sign of neuroinfection, as well as a number of neurological diseases of genetic or neoplastic etiology. Glucose in capillary sample (glucometry) is a low cost, readily available technique, as compared to venous glucose. This study aims to compare glucometry to venous glucose in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in pediatric population. METHODS: Prospective cross-sectional study based on data obtained from lumbar punctures in the period from February 2017 to January 2019 in a specialized pediatric institution in Colombia. RESULTS: 97 patients were analyzed, aged 1 month to 17 years old, mean 7.67 years, 52 (53.61%) were female. 26 (26.8%) were diagnosed with hypoglycorrhachia. Pearson correlation coefficient for absolute venous and capillary glucose was 0.54, and 0.55 for the ratios of CSF glucose/venous glucose and CSF glucose/glucometry, which support a linear correlation between the variables in both, absolute values and ratios. Intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for both, the venous glucose and glucometry ratios, which was 0.52, revealing a moderate agreement among the tests. Sensitivity and specificity of CSF glucose/glucometry, as compared to gold standard are 73.1% and 60.6% respectively; whereas predictive positive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), were 40.4% and 86.0%. CONCLUSION: Glucometry cannot replace the glucose in venous sample in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in children.

Esclerosis múltiple en pacientes pediátricos: fisiopatología, diagnóstico y manejo / Pediatric multiple sclerosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management

Objetivo: Realizar una revisión acerca de la esclerosis múltiple en pacientes pediátricos, haciendo énfasis en los factores fisiopatológicos, los métodos diagnósticos, los principales diagnósticos diferenciales, el tratamiento y el pronóstico, para, de esta forma, lograr suministrar conocimientos claves y actualizados sobre esta patología. Métodos: La búsqueda de artículos se realizó en las bases de datos PubMed y Scopus, introduciendo las palabras clave “multiple sclerosis”, “children”, “pediatric multiple sclerosis”, “pathophysiology”, “diagnosis”, “diagnostic criteria” y “treatment”. Los artículos seleccionados debían tener fecha de publicación posterior al año 2000, ser revisiones de tema o ensayos clínicos y estar publicados en los idiomas inglés o español. Resultados y Conclusiones: La esclerosis múltiple es una enfermedad con una tasa de incidencia de 2 a 4 por 100.000 habitantes en Colombia, de la cual la población pediátrica representa entre 2,7 a 5.0% de los casos. Las causas que se han atribuido a la enfermedad son múltiples, incluyendo factores ambientales como infecciones virales o bacterianas, exposición a humo de cigarrillo o deficiencia de vitamina D, entre otras, factores genéticos y factores inmunológicos. Su diagnóstico se basa en los hallazgos clínicos e imagenológicos, previa exclusión de enfermedades más comunes. Su tratamiento se divide en tres ejes: el tratamiento de eventos agudos, el tratamiento modificador de la enfermedad y el tratamiento sintomático. Para el primero los medicamentos de primera elección son los corticoides, para el segundo son los medicamentos inmunomoduladores como acetato de glatiramer, y para el tercero se debe realizar un enfoque multidisciplinario. Su pronóstico a largo plazo es variable y depende en alguna medida de la respuesta al tratamiento.

Objective: Review about Multiple Sclerosis in pediatric patients, emphasizing in pathophysiological factors, di agnos t i c met hods , mai n di f f er ent i al di agnos i s ,t r eat ment , and pr ognosi s, t hus pr ovi di ng cur r entknowledge about this pathology. Methods: Search of articles was made in PubMed and Scopus databases with key words “multiple sclerosis”, “children”, “pediatric mul t i pl e scl er osi s” , “ pat hophysi ol ogy” , “ di agnosi s” ,“diagnostic criteria”, and “treatment”. Selected articles must have a publication date after 2000, reviews or clinical trials, and have been published in English or Spanish languages. Results and Conclusions: Multiple sclerosis is a disease with an incidence of 2 to 4 per 100,000 habitants in Colombia, and pediatric population represents 2.7 to 5% of the cases. Multiple causes had been related to the disease, including environmental factors, such as viral or bacterial infections, tobacco smoke exposure or Vitamin D deficiency, among others; genetic and immunologic causes are exposed too. Diagnosis is based in clinical and imaging features, excluding previously other morecommon diseases. Management is divided in three axes: treatment of acute event, disease-modifying therapies and symptomatic therapy. The treatment of acute events is usually with corticoid therapy, for disease-modifying therapy the first election are immunomodulatory drugs, such as Glatiramer Acetate and for symptomatic therapy is necessary a mul t i di sci pl i nary approach. Long-termprognosis is variable and depends of treatment response. [Farfán JD, Espitia OM. Pediatric multiple sclerosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. MedUNAB 2011; 14:167-179].