Evaluation of the Association Between Allergic Rhinitis and Middle Ear Dysfunction: A Clinicopathological Study.

INTRODUCTION: The association between allergic rhinitis and otitis media with effusion (OME) has not yet been well studied in the Indian population. In our study, we have attempted to assess the role of nasal cytology on allergic rhinitis symptomatology and on middle ear dysfunction, and the diagnosis was established by symptomatology, AEC, and a nasal smear for eosinophils. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study is a single-centre, hospital-based observational study and was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery (All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhopal) among patients with symptoms of allergic rhinitis. The ENT examination included anterior rhinoscopy/diagnostic nasal endoscopy (zero-degree endoscope) along with otoscopy to examine the ear and nose. A nasal smear from the inferior turbinate of the nasal cavity was taken and then examined under a microscope to find out the percentage of eosinophils. The chi-squared test was used for group comparisons of categorical data. Statistical significance was kept at p < 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, out of 126 subjects with allergic rhinitis, 62 (49.2%) had middle ear dysfunction. The most prevalent middle ear pathologies were eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD; 28 cases, 22%), chronic otitis media (COM [16.6%]), OME (5.5%), and acute otitis media (AOM [4.5%]). ETD made up 45.1% of the ear diseases, with COM (33.87%), OME (11.29%), and AOM (9.6%) following. The mean value of absolute eosinophil count (AEC) among the allergic rhinitis participants (n = 32) was found to be 392.42. Absolute eosinophilia was present in 10 patients out of the 32 subjects being tested. Middle ear pathology was found in 7 of the 10 subjects found positive for absolute eosinophilia. Among the ear pathologies found in the participants (n = 7), the most common were ETD and OME (n = 5). CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between nasal smear cytology and the severity of nasal symptoms or middle ear disease. The majority of the participants were in nasal eosinophil grade I and showed sneezing as the most common nasal symptom and COM as the most common middle ear pathologic manifestation.

Mucopolysaccharidosis: A case report highlighting hematological aspects of the disease.

A 1½-year-old female child presented with swelling in thoracolumbar region and delayed developmental milestones. The routine hemogram analysis on Sysmex XN 1000 showed flags of white blood cell (WBC) abnormal scattergram and lymphocytosis. The peripheral smear examination showed Alder-Reilly (AR) granules leading to a suspicion of underlying Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). Further clinical workup, radiographic studies, chemical test lead to the confirmatory diagnosis of MPS. A flag of abnormal WBC scattergram and AR anomaly are the hematological findings that can be seen in a case of MPS.

To assess the stethoscope cleaning practices, microbial load and efficacy of cleaning stethoscopes with alcohol-based disinfectant in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of our study were to study the stethoscope cleaning practices of medical personnel and to assess the microbial load on stethoscopes and efficacy of cleaning stethoscopes with alcohol-based disinfectant. METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical personnel at a tertiary care hospital in India to assess their knowledge and cleaning practices regarding stethoscope disinfection. Samples from the stethoscopes were collected before and after cleaning with alcohol-based disinfectant. RESULTS: Out of 62 participants, 53.22% individuals had never cleaned their stethoscope. All the initial swab samples showed bacterial growth. There was mixed growth in the samples taken from 35 stethoscope bells and 31 diaphragms. Bacteria included coagulase negative staphylococci, bacillus species, diptheroids, S. aureus, Acinetobacter and Klebsiella pneumoniae. After cleaning with an alcohol-based disinfectant, there was a significant decrease in the average number of bacterial colony-forming units. CONCLUSIONS: Regular cleaning practices should be followed to prevent growth and transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms.

Takayasu arteritis presenting with malignant hypertension; a rare manifestation of a rare disease: a case report and review of the literature.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory and obliterative disease of large vessels, which mainly affects the aorta and its major branches. TA can lead to renal failure and renovascular hypertension in 60% of patients; it is rare in children aged <10 years and, more rarely, it presents with malignant hypertension in the paediatric age group. Here we present a case of 9-year-old boy with TA who presented with malignant hypertension and required surgical intervention to control the blood pressure. Subsequently, his medications were titrated using 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and is doing well on follow-up.

Idiopathic brachial neuritis in a child: A case report and review of the literature.

Brachial neuritis is a rare disease in children, affecting mainly the lower motor neurons of the brachial plexus and/or individual nerves or nerve branches. We report a case of idiopathic brachial plexus neuritis in a 2½-year-old female child admitted with acute respiratory distress and given antibiotic therapy following which she developed weakness of the left hand. She was diagnosed as a case of idiopathic brachial plexus neuritis and was given supportive care. Although, the association with antibiotic therapy in this case could be incidental, indeed it is intriguing and requires further studies.