ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Kawasaki disease is notorious for coronary arterial complication which is usually developed as a febrile disease in early childhood. Increased polymorphonucleus(PMN) cell levels in acute phases may be associated with the pathophysiology of Kawasaki disease. We studied the relationship between coronary arterial dilatation and elastase activity which was excreted from PMN cell and roles as an important factor for vasculitis. METHODS: Ten patients diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in Yonsei University Medical Center were examined between November, 2001 and January, 2002. In addition, 15 patients with other febrile diseases were also examined. Echocardiography was done in patients with Kawasaki disease on the first day of admission and four weeks after the onset of the disease. At each time, venous samples were drawn and separated into plasma and leukocytes. In patients with other febrile disease, samples were drawn on admission. Elastase activities in plasma and neutrophil extracts were measured. RESULTS: The significant increased plasma elastase activity, 6.19+/-0.74 U/mL, found in Kawasaki disease patients compared with the other febrile disease patients, 4.86+/-1.17 U/mL(P<0.05). And there was no significance between the above two diseases in terms of the elastase activity in neutrophil extracts. The relationship between initial elastase activity and the coronary arterial complication which was shown in subacute phase wasn't significant. CONCLUSION: Plasma elastase activity was increased in Kawasaki disease significantly, but the initial plasma elastase activity in the acute phase could not reflect the range of coronary arterial complication.
Subject(s)
Humans , Academic Medical Centers , Dilatation , Echocardiography , Leukocyte Elastase , Leukocytes , Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome , Neutrophils , Pancreatic Elastase , Plasma , VasculitisABSTRACT
A tracheal mass is uncommon in children, but it can occlude the tracheal lumen and make sudden respiratory arrest. Therefore, early and correct diagnosis is very important. Patients are apt to be treated as bronchial asthma for months or years until the mass seriously obstructs the tracheal lumen, because the clinical symptoms are similar to bronchial asthma. We report a case of 12 year-old boy with intratracheal mass misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma, with a brief review of the related literatures.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Male , Asthma , Diagnosis , PolypsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Nowadays, drinks, foods and snacks have frequently been intensified with calcium and the insights into the importance of calcium-intake in general has developed in Korea. In this decade, we found the numbers of children who was visited to our hospital for evaluation of hematuria defined with hypercalciuria were increased. So we tried to compare the mean levels of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, creatinine, bicarbonate and urinary pH who visited our hospital in 1991, 1992 with in 2000, 2001. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1991 to December 1992, and between January 2000 to December 2001, each 366 children and 488 children, aged 1 month to 15 years, who presented in our hospital for tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy or for inguinal herniorrhaphy were enrolled in the study. The children in the study were checked the level of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, creatinine, bicarbonate and urinary pH with the machine which was corrected the similar levels of practical chemical levels in serum. We compared each mean levels in 1991s' group with in 2001s' group totally and separately through the age and sex. We used t-test to analysis data. RESULTS: The levels of serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, creatinine, sodium, potassium, and urinary pH of 2001s' group were significantly higher than the levels of 1991s' group(P<0.05). The each level was 9.91+/-0.50 mg/dL, 248.58+/-94.98 U/L, 0.61+/-0.14 mg/dL, 138.64+/-2.22 mM/L, 4.35+/-0.40 mM/L, 6.18+/-0.86 in 2001s' and 9.13+/-0.68 mg/dL, 198.26+/-79.34 U/L, 0.433+/-0.18 mg/dL, 137.86+/-2.67 mM/L, 4.22+/-0.36 mM/L, 5.83+/-0.95 in 1991s'. And the levels of serum bicarbonate, 23.64+/-2.57 mM/L in 2001s' was significantly lower than the 1991s', 24.60+/-2.23 mM/L (P<0.05). The similar results were detected each age and sex group. CONCLUSION: The levels of serum calcium increase in this decade. The results will be used as a basic data for the national health plan in the years to come.