Retinal hemorrhages associated with meningitis in a child with a congenital disorder of glycosylation.

A 9-month old infant presented in a state of shock to a district hospital. She was subsequently referred to the regional tertiary hospital. On admission, bruises were noted on the vertex of the skull. Retinal hemorrhages were present on ophthalmological examination. CT scan of the brain showed poor grey-white matter differentiation with apparent frontoparietal fractures of the skull. Her case was subsequently referred to the relevant authorities as it was suspicious for nonaccident injury (NAI). Her condition deteriorated and she died the next day. Postmortem examination showed that the bruises on the vertex were caused by rapid widening of the sutures of the skull, caused by rising intracranial pressure. There was no skull fracture or evidence of trauma. Histological examination of the brain showed meningitis which had extended to the optic nerve sheath. Hemorrhages were noted in the retinas as well as the optic nerve sheath. An incidental congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) was diagnosed on brain histology and confirmed by metabolic tests. Retinal hemorrhages are known to occur in head injuries especially in association with NAI. In this case, suspicion of NAI was further augmented by the presence of apparent bruises on the head. The full postmortem examination showed no evidence of injuries and instead showed that the child was suffering from meningitis. Blood culture grew Group A Streptococcus pyogenes. The underlying mechanisms for such a presentation and the association with CDG are discussed.

Child protection outcomes for infants of substance-using mothers: a matched-cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Parental drug use is a critical public health issue; it is estimated to be present in up to 80% of referrals to Australian child protection agencies. However, no data regarding the child protection outcomes of infants of substance-using parents exist in Australia, and no comparisons have been made with infants of non-substance-using parents. We assessed differences in substantiated abuse between 2 groups of mothers in Brisbane to quantify this risk. METHODS: Mothers who disclosed opiate, amphetamine, or methadone use between 2000 and 2003 were identified and compared with non-substance-using mothers who were matched for gender and gestational age. All infants were linked to the Department of Child Safety Child Protection Information System database. Child protection outcomes, such as substantiated notifications and entry into foster care, were compared between groups. RESULTS: We studied 119 infants of substance-using mothers and 238 matched infants. Infants of substance-using mothers were more likely to suffer substantiated harm (hazard ratio 13.3 [95% confidence interval 4.6-38.3]) and to enter foster care (hazard ratio 13.3 [95% confidence interval 5.1-34.3]). Infants of mothers using illicit drugs were more likely to suffer substantiated harm and more likely to enter foster care than infants of mothers who were compliant with a methadone program. CONCLUSIONS: Infants of substance-using mothers have much poorer child protection outcomes than infants of non-substance-using mothers. This study adds substantial evidence toward a real association between maternal drug use and child abuse. Greater interagency collaboration is urgently required to reduce this risk.