[Food allergy at school: Personalized healthcare project and adrenaline]. / Prise en charge des allergies alimentaires en milieu scolaire en France : projet d'accueil individualisé et adrénaline.

In Europe, the prevalence of food allergy is estimated at 6-8% of children. Ten to 20% of pediatric food-induced anaphylaxis reactions occur at school. Individual healthcare plans (IHP) for food allergy aim at: identifying children at risk of allergic reactions; reducing the risk of allergen exposure; providing emergency kits containing adrenaline auto-injectors (AAI) if needed with emergency action plans and instructions about when and how to use AAI. In France, IHP were introduced into law in 2003 and was updated in 2021. The number of IHP for allergy is increasing since 10 years (50,000 IHP for allergy/year). While the recommendations of the learned societies have resulted in the national harmonization of criteria for the implementation of IHP for allergy and for the prescription of emergency kits with AAI, adrenaline remains underused. In 2019, a national policy stated that all high schools must have a provision of spare AAI in case of anaphylaxis and the promotion of school staff training about food allergy and anaphylaxis was encouraged. These recommendations should be assessed widely and allergy training should be widespread. Pharmacists play an important role to take care of food-allergic children: provision of AAI prescribed for the most at-risk food allergic patients, advice and information on AAI. The pharmacist is therefore a key player in the therapeutic education of the patient to reinforce the key messages on the efficacy and safety of adrenaline used for anaphylaxis.

Pediatric private practice in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region: Demographics, organization, and challenges.

While the needs for pediatric care are increasing and becoming more diverse, pediatric private practice in France is encountering difficulties linked to a growing medical demographic deficit. The objective of this study was to give an overview of pediatric private practice in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and to describe the main challenges encountered. METHODS: For this descriptive observational survey, private practice pediatricians in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region filled out an online questionnaire between April 2019 and October 2020. RESULTS: The response rate was 64%. Most respondents practiced in an urban area (87%) and shared the practice with other physicians (59%). A majority (85%) had previously worked in hospital; 65% reported training in a subspecialty. Overall, 48% had other professional activities; 28% worked night shifts and 96% accepted urgent requests for consultations. A total of 33% reported having difficulties contacting specialists for consults, and 46% had difficulties in obtaining written reports of their patients' hospitalizations. All respondents participated in a form of ongoing medical education. The main difficulties were: lack of information about how to found a private practice (68%), lack of personal time (61%), balance between medical and administrative work (59%), and an excess of patients to care for (57%). The main satisfactions were: trusting relationships with patients (98%), freedom in their choice of practice (85%), and the diversity of problems and situations encountered (68%). CONCLUSION: Our study underlines that private practice pediatricians are involved in healthcare provision, in particular regarding ongoing medical training, subspecialties, and continuity of care. It also highlights the problems encountered and the possible improvements: developing better communication between private practice and hospitals, reinforcing training during residency, and highlighting the importance and complementarity of private practice in children's healthcare.

Home telemonitoring (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) in children with severe asthma does not reduce exacerbations.

Some children with severe asthma develop frequent exacerbations despite intensive treatment. We sought to assess the outcome (severe exacerbations and healthcare use, lung function, quality of life and maintenance treatment) of a strategy based on daily home spirometry with teletransmission to an expert medical centre and whether it differs from that of a conventional strategy. 50 children with severe uncontrolled asthma were enrolled in a 12-month prospective study and were randomised into two groups: 1) treatment managed with daily home spirometry and medical feedback (HM) and 2) conventional treatment (CT). The children's mean age was 10.9 yrs (95% confidence interval 10.2-11.6). 44 children completed the study (21 in the HM group and 23 in the CT group). The median number of severe exacerbations per patient was 2.0 (interquartile range 1.0-4.0) in the HM group and 3.0 (1.0-4.0) in the CT group (p=0.38 with adjustment for age). There were no significant differences between the two groups for unscheduled visits (HM 5.0 (3.0-7.0), CT 3.0 (2.0-7.0); p=0.30), lung function (pre-ß(2)-agonist forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) p=0.13), Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire scores (p=0.61) and median daily dose of inhaled corticosteroids (p=0.86). A treatment strategy based on daily FEV(1) monitoring with medical feedback did not reduce severe asthma exacerbations.

[Status of iodine nutrition of children until 1 year: consequences on the thyroid function]. / Statut en iode chez des enfants de moins de 1 an: conséquences sur la fonction thyroïdienne.

INTRODUCTION: Iodine deficiency remains a major public health problem mainly in least-developed countries but also in many industrialized countries. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at: (1) evaluating the status of iodine nutrition of children until 1 year in the North region of France; (2) studying risk factors for iodine deficiency; (3) evaluating relationship between iodine deficiency and thyroid disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted between 1st january and 31st May 2005 in the children's hospital of Lille (North of France) and all hospitalized children until the age of 1 year were enrolled. Urinary iodine assessment was obtained for 95 (83%) of the 114 infants hospitalized during the study period and TSH value was also determined in 57 (60%) of these 114 infants. RESULTS: Median urinary iodine concentration was 328 microg/L (range: 12-1580). Twenty-four (25%) of 95 infants had a high urinary iodine excretion (urinary iodine greater than 400 microg/L). Nineteen (20%) of the 95 infants were iodine deficient (urinary iodine less than 100 microg/L): severe iodine deficiency (less than 20 microg/L; n=5; 5%), moderate iodine deficiency (20-49 microg/L; n=6; 6%), mild iodine deficiency (50-99 microg/L; n=8; 8%). No relationship was found between iodine status and the following data: age, sex, familial thyroid disease history, term and type of delivery, nutritional status, type of feeding at inclusion, chronic disease, familial socioeconomic status. TSH value was high (greater than 5 microU/mL) in 7 (12%) of the 57 infants. Only 1 of these 7 infants was iodine deficient. Only 1 of the 19 infants with iodine deficiency had a high TSH value. CONCLUSIONS: Iodine status is not optimal in our population of hospitalized children until the age of 1 year. There is no clear relationship between iodine status and thyroid function.

[Walking tests: a step forward for functional cardiorespiratory assessment]. / Tests de marche: une avancée dans l'évaluation fonctionnelle cardiorespiratoire.

Exercise testing provides information on physical capacity during exercise in addition to spirometric measures of lung function or assessment on treadmills or ergonomic cycle. The "gold standard" assessment of exercise tolerance is measured in the laboratory using treadmills or ergonomic cycle but the necessary equipment is expensive and may not be readily accessible; such tests require people used to work with children. Walking tests are field tests providing a valid and easily accessible method of measuring function-limited exercise tolerance in patients with respiratory or cardiac chronic diseases. These walking tests are non-threatening, inexpensive, easy to perform and to understand for children. Walking tests performed in daily practice are the following: "time-based" tests (2-, 6- or 12-min walking test), 3-min step test (on a step) and the shuttle walking test. It may be a useful measure to assess therapeutic intervention and provide information on the prognosis. They are simple and safe methods to evaluate quality of life in these patients.

[Anaphylaxis in children: What pediatricians should know]. / Anaphylaxie de l'enfant : ce que le pédiatre doit savoir.

Anaphylaxis is a severe potentially life-threatening allergic emergency that has been increasing over the last two decades, especially in young children. Anaphylaxis deaths remain rare, in particular in children, and their frequency is stable during this period. Food is the main anaphylaxis trigger in children, notably to cow's milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. In infants, the recognition of anaphylaxis may be difficult. Vomiting, urticaria, and laryngeal edema are more frequent at this age. Cardiovascular involvement is rare, most often encountered in adolescence. A history of asthma or atopy, allergy to particular foods such as peanuts and tree nuts, and adolescence are some risk factors for anaphylaxis and more severe reactions. First-line treatment is intramuscular adrenaline for all patients experiencing anaphylaxis. There are no absolute contra-indications. Guidelines for the prescription of the adrenaline auto-injector and for establishing a personalized care project in allergic children at school have recently been updated. Recognition of anaphylaxis and treatment should also be improved.

[Pulmonary hamartochondroma: a rare cause of solitary pulmonary nodule in children]. / Hamartochondrome pulmonaire: une cause rare de nodule pulmonaire solitaire en pédiatrie.

Solitary pulmonary nodules are rare in children. We report an eleven year-old girl evaluated for recurrent respiratory symptoms diagnosed with an intraparenchymal pulmonary hamartochondroma. Spiral computed tomography showed a pulmonary nodule in the middle lobe, 17 mm in diameter, without any specific features. In asymptomatic adult patients, guidelines for the management of solitary pulmonary nodules have been described. The management of solitary pulmonary nodules in pediatric patients is discussed.

[Radiologic manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis]. / Imagerie de la tuberculose pulmonaire.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is an endemic infection. Chest radiography is the mainstay in the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis. High resolution CT is required to detect fine lesions overlooked on chest radiographs, to define equivocal lesions, to determine disease activity in some cases and to evaluate complications or sequels. We review indications of chest radiograph and CT, the radiologic features of primary and post-primary tuberculosis, and outcome of tuberculous lesions.

[Inhaled corticosteroids and growth: should we be worried?]. / Corticoïdes inhalés et croissance : faut-il s'inquiéter ?

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are the cornerstone and the first stage of asthma treatment. The objective of this study was to synthesize data on the potential effects of ICSs on growth in children. Studies on the short-term impact of ICSs on growth evaluated by knemometry cannot be extrapolated to the medium or long term and therefore have no utility in real life for a given person. In the medium term, the various ICSs given at the usual doses cause a small reduction in growth after 6 months of treatment. This slowdown occurs at the beginning of treatment, especially in younger children, and the growth velocity corrects itself later but without catching up. In the long term, the prolonged use of ICSs seems to induce a small reduction in the final size in adulthood (close to 1cm) occurring in the first 2 years of treatment without worsening over time. The impact of gender, age at onset of treatment, different ICSs, modes of inhalation, and severity of asthma should also be studied further. The benefit of ICSs in asthma treatment is greater than the risk of side effects, including on growth. The majority of the therapeutic effect is obtained for small to moderate doses of ICSs. Regular adjustment of ICS dose for optimal asthma control should also reduce ICS dose and the impact on growth.

Plastic bronchitis mimicking foreign body aspiration that needs a specific diagnostic procedure.

OBJECTIVE: To report two children admitted to our emergency department with respiratory failure, one for status asthmaticus with pneumomediastinum and requiring mechanical ventilation and the other for high suspicion of foreign body aspiration. INTERVENTIONS: Bronchoscopy revealed obstructive plugs and permitted their extraction and their identification as bronchial casts after the immersion in normal saline. Allergy was suspected in the first one, and Hemophilus influenzae infection was present in the second. The outcome was favorable. CONCLUSIONS: Plastic bronchitis is an infrequent cause of acute life-threatening respiratory failure that can mimic foreign body aspiration or status asthmaticus. Bronchoscopic extraction must be performed urgently in the case of severe obstruction. This entity is probably underestimated as the casts with their specific ramifications are difficult to recognize. We recommend the immersion in normal saline of all plugs discovered in children with predisposing diseases mainly represented by infections, allergy, acute chest syndrome, and congenital cardiopathies.

[Inhaled corticosteroids in asthma in infants and young children]. / Corticothérapie inhalée dans l'asthme du nourrisson et du jeune enfant.

Inhaled corticosteroids have become the mainstain in the treatment of asthmatic children and adults. Asthma in infancy and early childhood is a heterogeneous condition, with different disease phenotypes and outcome. However, rationale data justifying the use of inhaled corticosteroids in toddlers and preschool children are now available. We recall the results of controlled trials studying the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids, their potential side-effects, and their actual indications and modalities of prescription.

[Iodine nutritional status and risk factors for iodine deficiency in infants and children of the french North department]. / Statut en iode et facteurs de risque de déficit en iode chez des enfants vus en consultation de protection maternelle et infantile dans le département du Nord.

INTRODUCTION: Iodine deficiency is responsible for a higher mortality and morbidity in neonates and infants. It has not yet disappeared in European countries, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at evaluating the status of iodine nutrition of infants living in the North department (France) and at studying risk factors for iodine deficiency. METHODS: The study was conducted in primary health care centres in 160 healthy infants aged ten days to six years (mean +/- SD: 17.7 +/- 2.5 months). Data included: familial thyroid disease history, type of feeding at inclusion, timing of introduction of complementary foods, nutritional status (weight, height, head and arm circumference), as well as maternal education level and family socio-economical status. Iodine status was assessed by urinary iodine excretion. RESULTS: Urinary iodine concentration ranged from 4 to 1042 microg/l (median +/- SD: 195,5 +/- 21,6 microg/l). Thirty-eight (24%) of 160 children were iodine deficient (urinary iodine < 100 microg/l): mild iodine deficiency (50-99 microg/l: 17%), moderate iodine deficiency (20-49 microg/l: 5%), severe iodine deficiency (<20 microg/l: 2%). No relationship was found between iodine status and age, sex, geographic origin of the children, as well as social and occupational group of the parents. Breast-feeding did not prevent from iodine deficiency. Iodine status did not differ between the cow's milk fed group and the group that was not fed cow's milk. Formula feeding was associated with iodine deficiency (p = 0,02). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of severe iodine deficiency was very low in this population. However, iodine status was not optimal.

[Endoscopic diagnosis of a gastric heterotopic pancreas and esophageal atresia: an incidental association?]. / Diagnostic endoscopique d'une hétérotopie pancréatique de l'estomac et atrésie de l'oesophage: une association fortuite?

UNLABELLED: Heterotopic or aberrant pancreas is a rare congenital anomaly, usually asymptomatic. The preoperative diagnosis is difficult but most cases of gastric ectopic pancreas have a unique appearance that often makes possible a diagnosis in the absence of histologic confirmation. A well-delineated submucosal, firm mass with central umbilication is characteristic of gastric ectopic pancreas. To the best of our knowledge, the association of esophageal atresia and gastric heterotopic pancreas has never been reported previously. CASE REPORTS: We report two cases of heterotropic pancreas associated with esophageal atresia. Both diagnoses were incidental findings and concerned children operated on at birth for esophageal atresia. Although a definitive diagnosis is histologic, the endoscopic appearance made it possible to maintain this diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Some symptoms have been attributed to ectopic pancreas, and malignant degeneration has been reported in adults. Management continues to be debated: some authors recommend surgical resection while others, as we do, prefer initial therapeutic abstention.

[Reproducibility of the shuttle walk test in children with cystic fibrosis]. / Reproductibilité du test de marche en navette chez des enfants atteints de mucoviscidose.

INTRODUCTION: Exercise testing is useful in the respiratory evaluation of patients with cystic fibrosis. The shuttle walk test (SWT) is a progressive, externally paced, exercise test requiring the subject to walk/run back and forth between two fixed points. The aim is to assess the reproductibility of the SWT in paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis. METHODS: This prospective study recruited 31 children with stable disease. The patients performed two SWT one day (SWT 1 and 2) and two others (SWT 3 and 4) within 15 days. Only SWT 2 and 4 were assessed for reproducibility. RESULTS: 61% were boys, median age (range): 12.9 (7-18.9) years, median Shwachman score (range): 80 (65-100), median values for FEV1 and FVC (range): 92 (55-154) and 92 (64-140)% predicted, respectively. Median distance for SWT 2-4 (range): 910 (580-1020) and 925 (540-1020) metres. Reproducibility for SWT distance and physical activity measured by an accelerometer is very good (intra-class correlation coefficient=0.90 and 0.92, respectively). SWT distance correlated with physical activity (p=3.10(-4)) and weight (p=0.03). SWT distance was independent of the following parameters: height, weight-for-age Z-score, FEV1, FVC, Shwachman score, colonisation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CONCLUSIONS: The SWT is reproducible in paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis and provides assessment of respiratory performance that complements spirometric measures of lung function.

[Lung is also involved in juvenile dermatomyositis]. / Le poumon est une cible de la dermatomyosite de l'enfant.

Juvenile dermatomyositis is the leading cause of chronic idiopathic inflammatory myopathy of auto-immune origin in children. Lung involvement in inflammatory myopathies is well described in adults, involving mostly interstitial lung disease, aspiration pneumonia and alveolar hypoventilation. We propose to describe its specificities in children. Pulmonary involvement may be asymptomatic and therefore must be systematically screened for. In case of clinical or functional respiratory abnormality, a chest computed tomographic (CT) scan is necessary. In children, a decrease of respiratory muscle strength seems common and should be systematically and specifically searched for by non-invasive and reproducible tests (sniff test). Interstitial lung disease usually associates restrictive functional defect, impairment of carbon monoxide diffusion and interstitial lung disease on CT scan. As in adults, the first-line treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis is based on corticosteroids. Corticosteroid resistant forms require corticosteroid bolus or adjuvant immunosuppressive drugs (methotrexate or cyclosporine). There is no consensus in pediatrics for the treatment of diffuse interstitial lung disease. Complications of treatment, including prolonged steroid therapy, are frequent and therefore a careful assessment of the treatments risk-benefit ratio is necessary, especially in growing children.

[Recommendations for the use of diagnostic testing in low respiratory infections in children older than three months]. / Recommandations sur l'utilisation des nouveaux outils diagnostiques étiologiques des infections respiratoires basses de l'enfant de plus de trois mois.

Recommendations for the use of diagnostic testing in low respiratory infection in children older than 3 months were produced by the Groupe de Recherche sur les Avancées en Pneumo-Pédiatrie (GRAPP) under the auspices of the French Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergology Society (SP(2)A). The Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) methodology, based on formalized consensus, was used. A first panel of experts analyzed the English and French literature to provide a second panel of experts with recommendations to validate. Only the recommendations are presented here, but the full text is available on the SP(2)A website.

[Recommendations for pediatric oxygen therapy in acute and chronic settings: Needs assessment, implementation criteria, prescription practices and follow-up]. / Recommandations pour l'oxygénothérapie chez l'enfant en situations aiguës et chroniques : évaluation du besoin, critères de mise en route, modalités de prescriptions et de surveillance.

Recommendations for acute and long-term oxygen therapy (needs assessment, implementation criteria, prescription practices, and follow-up) in children were produced by the Groupe de Recherche sur les Avancées en Pneumo-Pédiatrie (GRAPP) under the auspices of the French Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergology Society (SP2A). The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) methodology, based on the Formalized Consensus, was used. A first panel of experts analyzed the English and French literature to provide a second panel of experts with recommendations to validate. Only the recommendations are presented here, but the full text (arguments+recommendations) is available at the website of the French Paediatric Society: www.sfpediatrie.com.