[Epidemiology of symptomatic infections of the urinary tract in the first two years of life]. / Epidemiologia delle infezioni sintomatiche delle vie urinarie nel primo biennio di vita.

The incidence of symptomatic Urinary Tract Infection (U.T.I.) in 2980 children aged under 2 years was valued. The study was performed in the Pediatric Clinic of Palermo between January 1988 and December 1989 involving a number of out paediatricians. The U.T.I. incidence was found to be 3.38%, with a higher frequency in males (4.7%) than in females (2.03%). Urinary tract malformations was diagnosed in 60% of patients with U.T.I. echographically and radiographically examined.

[Recurrent wheezing in subjects with preceding bronchiolitis. Role of environmental and genetic factors]. / Wheezing recidivante in soggetti con pregressa bronchiolite. Ruolo di fattori ambientali e genetici.

We have been following for one year 39 patients, who had been hospitalized in our Institute for an episode of bronchiolitis in the period between November 1986 and April 1987. Only 30 patients (17 males and 13 females) have completed the follow up. The patients have been divided into two groups. The group A (subsequent episodes of broncho-stenosis) was made up of 14 subjects, where as the group B (not-subsequent episodes of broncho-stenosis) counted 16 subjects. In the first group the episodes of wheezing have been 3,14 for Year (range 1-6). The patients of the two groups didn't differ for the gestational age, birth weight, respiratory distress in the first life hours; they moreover were homogeneous for the clinical gravity score and for the period in bed. We have evaluated if certain environmental factors such as the passive smoking, the socio-economical and dwelling conditions of the family and some genetic features such as the familiarity for atopy and the Ig E level may predispose the patients affected by bronchiolitis to a higher incidence of recurrent wheezing. Our data show how the above mentioned factors do not influence the recurrent wheezing in the patients with preceding bronchiolitis.

[Is appearance of bronchiolitis affected by environmental and genetic factors?]. / L'insorgenza della bronchiolite è condizionata da fattori ambientali e genetici?

We have respectively studied 39 patients (22 males and 17 females) in an age below 18 months affected with bronchiolitis and hospitalized in the "Istituto di Pediatria B (Institute of Pediatrics B) of Palermo's University from november 1986 to april 1987. The parameters we have considered are: 1) the family predisposition to atopy; 2) the type of suckling; 3) the social and economical conditions pointed out the overcrowding index; 4) the every day consumption of cigarettes by the cohabitant relatives; 5) the total dosage of IgE. The data of the hospitalized patients have been compared with the ones pointed out in an "examination group" formed by 64 subjects (36 males and 28 females). The frequency of family predisposition to atopy in our patients has turned out to be inferior to the group examined. The overcrowding index allowed a superposition in the two groups. Among our patients we have found a smaller amount of breast-fed babies and a greater number of smoking cohabitant in comparison with the controls even if the differences statistically were not significant. The serial IgE levels, carried out in 29 patients, resulted high in 6 children (20.69%).

[Urinary tract infections in the first 2 years of life. Usefulness of anamnesis in the identification of at risk subjects with malformation uropathies]. / Le infezioni delle vie urinarie nel primo biennio di vita. Utilità dell'anamnesi nell'identificare i soggetti a rischio di uropatie malformative.

We have retrospectively studied 101 patients with an age below 24 months consecutively hospitalized, for symptomatic urinary tract infections, in the "Ospedale dei Bambini" of Palermo and subjected to radiological studies (urography and voiding cystouretrography). We have considered if the symptoms and the clinical objectivity could have given useful indications in the choice of the patients to be subjected to radiological studies. The clinical-anamnestic data have not allowed to distinguish, among patients with U.T.I., between the individuals with an abnormal conformation those with a normal one; however they have allowed to focus our attention on patients with U.T.I. through the singling out of some symptoms such as fever, vomit, cyanosis and anomaly micturition. Another datum standing out from our study is that the beginning of the symptoms in patients with U.T.I. was more precocious if at their basis there was urinary malformation.