Enterovirus-A71 Rhombencephalitis Outbreak in Catalonia: Characteristics, Management and Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Between April and June 2016, an outbreak of rhombencephalitis (RE) caused by enterovirus (EV) A71 was detected in Catalonia, Spain-the first documented in Western Europe. The clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with this condition differed from those reported in outbreaks occurring in Southeast Asia. METHODS: Observational, multicenter study analyzing characteristics, treatment and outcome of patients with EV-A71 rhombencephalitis diagnosed in 6 publicly funded hospitals within the Catalonian Health Institute. A review of clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of these patients was conducted. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients met the clinical and virologic criteria for rhombencephalitis caused by EV-A71. All patients had symptoms suggesting viral disease, mainly fever, lethargy, ataxia and tremor, with 30% of hand-foot-mouth disease. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was given to 44/64 (69%) patients and methylprednisolone to 27/64 (42%). Six patients (9%) required pediatric intensive care unit admission. Three patients had acute flaccid paralysis of 1 limb, and another had autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction with cardiorespiratory arrest. Outcome in all patients (except the patient with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) was good, with complete resolution of the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: During the 2016 outbreak, rhombencephalitis without ANS symptoms was the predominant form of presentation and most patients showed no hand-foot-mouth disease. These findings contrast with those of other patient series reporting associated ANS dysfunction (10%-15%) and hand-foot-mouth disease (60%-80%). Complete recovery occurred in almost all cases. In light of the favorable outcome in untreated mild cases, therapies for this condition should be reserved for patients with moderate-severe infection. The main relevance of this study is to provide useful information for setting priorities, management approaches and adequate use of resources in future EV-A71 associated rhombencephalitis outbreaks.

El embarazo como una oportunidad de diagnóstico del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana en mujeres inmigrantes en Catalunya / Pregnancy as an opportunity to diagnose human-immunodeficiency virus immigrant women in Catalonia

Introducción: La transmisión vertical (TV) es relevante en la epidemiología global del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), representando la principal vía de infección en la edad pediátrica. Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la tasa de TV del VIH y su tendencia epidemiológica entre la población autóctona e inmigrante en Catalunya entre 2000-2014. Métodos: Estudio observacional prospectivo de parejas madre-hijo expuestas al VIH atendidas en 12 hospitales de Catalunya en 2000-2014. Se estimó la tasa de TV del VIH aplicando un modelo bayesiano de regresión logística. Se utilizó el software estadístico R y WinBUGS. Resultados: Se analizaron 909 gestantes, 1.009 embarazos y 1.032 niños; datos de origen materno en el 79,4% de las mujeres, el 32,7% inmigrantes y de estas el 53,0% de África subsahariana. La tasa de TV del VIH fue del 1,4% (14/1.023; IC95% 0,8-2,3). El riesgo de TV del VIH fue 10 veces menor en mujeres con buen control virológico (p=0,01), al que llegaron 2 tercios de ellas. No hubo diferencias en la tasa de TV del VIH entre mujeres autóctonas e inmigrantes (p=0,6). La proporción de mujeres inmigrantes fue significativamente mayor en el período 2008-2014 (p<0,0001), en relación con el diagnóstico de la infección por VIH (p<0,0001) y la administración de antirretrovirales (p=0,02) durante el embarazo, y con la viremia indetectable próxima al parto (p<0,001). Conclusiones: Existe un aumento progresivo de gestantes inmigrantes con VIH en Catalunya. Aun siendo la mayoría diagnosticadas durante el embarazo, la tasa de TV del VIH no fue diferente a la hallada en las mujeres autóctonas (AU)

Introduction: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is relevant in the global epidemiology of human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as it represents the main route of infection in children. The study objectives were to determine the rate of HIV-MTCT and its epidemiological trend between the Spanish-born and immigrant population in Catalonia in the period 2000-2014. Methods: A prospective observational study of mother-child pairs exposed to HIV, treated in 12 hospitals in Catalonia in the period 2000-2014. HIV-MTCT rate was estimated using a Bayesian logistic regression model. R and WinBUGS statistical software were used. Results: The analysis included 909 pregnant women, 1,009 pregnancies, and 1,032 children. Data on maternal origin was obtained in 79.4% of women, of whom 32.7% were immigrants, with 53.0% of these from sub-Saharan Africa. The overall HIV-MTCT rate was 1.4% (14/1,023; 95% CI; 0.8-2.3). The risk of MTCT-HIV was 10-fold lower in women with good virological control (P=.01), which was achieved by two-thirds of them. The proportion of immigrants was significantly higher in the period 2008-2014 (P<.0001), for the HIV-diagnosis (P<.0001), and antiretroviral administration (P=.02) during pregnancy, and for undetectable viral load next to delivery (P<.001). There were no differences in the rate of MTCT-HIV among Spanish-born and immigrant women (P=.6). Conclusions: There is a gradual increase in HIV pregnant immigrants in Catalonia. Although most immigrant women were diagnosed during pregnancy, the rate of MTCT-HIV was no different from the Spanish-born women (AU)

Pregnancy as an opportunity to diagnose human-immunodeficiency virus immigrant women in Catalonia. / El embarazo como una oportunidad de diagnóstico del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana en mujeres inmigrantes en Catalunya.

INTRODUCTION: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is relevant in the global epidemiology of human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as it represents the main route of infection in children. The study objectives were to determine the rate of HIV-MTCT and its epidemiological trend between the Spanish-born and immigrant population in Catalonia in the period 2000-2014. METHODS: A prospective observational study of mother-child pairs exposed to HIV, treated in 12 hospitals in Catalonia in the period 2000-2014. HIV-MTCT rate was estimated using a Bayesian logistic regression model. R and WinBUGS statistical software were used. RESULTS: The analysis included 909 pregnant women, 1,009 pregnancies, and 1,032 children. Data on maternal origin was obtained in 79.4% of women, of whom 32.7% were immigrants, with 53.0% of these from sub-Saharan Africa. The overall HIV-MTCT rate was 1.4% (14/1,023; 95% CI; 0.8-2.3). The risk of MTCT-HIV was 10-fold lower in women with good virological control (P=.01), which was achieved by two-thirds of them. The proportion of immigrants was significantly higher in the period 2008-2014 (P<.0001), for the HIV-diagnosis (P<.0001), and antiretroviral administration (P=.02) during pregnancy, and for undetectable viral load next to delivery (P<.001). There were no differences in the rate of MTCT-HIV among Spanish-born and immigrant women (P=.6). CONCLUSIONS: There is a gradual increase in HIV pregnant immigrants in Catalonia. Although most immigrant women were diagnosed during pregnancy, the rate of MTCT-HIV was no different from the Spanish-born women.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio: an inflammation marker related to cardiovascular risk in children.

Low-grade chronic inflammation plays a pathogenic role in cardiovascular disease. An increase in the ratio of circulating neutrophils to lymphocytes (N/L ratio) may serve as a marker of cardiovascular risk in adults. It was the study objective to study whether N/L ratio associates with vascular parameters in children. Subjects were 501 prepubertal and early pubertal Caucasian children (mean age 8.0 years; mean body mass index (BMI) Z-score 0.2 ± 0.9; 266 boys and 235 girls) recruited within an ongoing population-based study. The subjects were stratified into three groups according to age. Neutrophil, lymphocyte, BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), assessed in all children. The N/L ratio, derived from the absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte counts. In children aged < 7 years (n=190, all prepubertal), no associations were observed between N/L ratio and either anthropometric or cardiovascular parameters. In children aged 7-9 years (n=171, 1.7% early pubertal), higher N/L ratio associated with higher BMI Z-score and waist circumference (p=0.008 to p < 0.0001). In children aged >9 years (n=140, 29.2% early pubertal), N/L ratio associated again with BMI Z-score and waist circumference and also positively with SBP and cIMT (all p=0.008 to p<0.0001). These associations remained significant in linear regression models following adjustment for possible confounding variables such as age, gender, fasting triglycerides, C-reactive protein and puberty (and for SBP and cIMT, adjustment also for BMI). In conclusion, our results provide the first evidence that a higher N/L ratio is associated with a less favourable cardiovascular profile in children and delineate the development of these associations from late childhood onwards.

Implementation of occult hepatitis screening in the Spanish cohort of HIV-infected pediatric patients.

Regular screening methods may miss the diagnosis of occult hepatitis B infection and seronegative hepatitis C virus infection in immunocompromised patients. A cross-sectional study within a Spanish cohort of HIV-infected children yielded 6 of 254 (2.4%) possible occult hepatitis B infection cases and 2 of 254 (0.8%) seronegative hepatitis C virus-infected patients. Implementation of occult hepatitis screening in the routine care of these children may be warranted.

Carotid intima-media thickness at 7 years of age: relationship to C-reactive protein rather than adiposity.

OBJECTIVE: According to the concept of adipose tissue expandability, the vascular complications of obesity are related less to the amount of stored fat than to the low-grade inflammation that excess fat storage may elicit. We tested this concept in 7-year-old children by assessing whether carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is related to obesity measures or to circulating highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), as a marker of low-grade inflammation. STUDY DESIGN: The study group comprised 135 asymptomatic Caucasian children (72 girls and 63 boys; mean age, 7.1±1.1 years) with normal height and weight distributions. Relationships were assessed among cIMT, hsCRP, obesity measures (ie, body mass index [BMI], total fat by bioelectric impedance, and visceral fat by ultrasound), insulin resistance (by the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance), and fasting serum lipid levels. RESULTS: cIMT was correlated with hsCRP, but not with BMI or body fat; the regression coefficients between cIMT and hsCRP (adjusted for age, sex, BMI, body fat, and serum lipid levels) were fairly similar across all BMI categories (ß=0.370-0.411; all P<.001 to<.0001). Serum hsCRP increased with increasing BMI, total fat, and visceral fat (all P<.001). CONCLUSION: At age 7 years, cIMT is already associated with low-grade inflammation, as measured by hsCRP, but not with BMI or body fat. These findings imply that public health strategies aimed at early prevention of cardiovascular disease may need to target low-grade inflammation rather than only BMI or adiposity.

Meningitis pneumocócica precoz en neonato sano a término / Early-onset pneumococcal meningitis in a healthy full-term newborn

La sepsis neonatal se clasifica tradicionalmente, en precoz y tardía,en función del momento de la aparición de la sintomatología. Laprincipal finalidad de esta subdivisión es poder deducir cuáles sonlos agentes etiológicos más probables en cada caso y poder establecerel tratamiento etiológico más adecuado. Teniendo encuenta las implicaciones terapéuticas de estas definiciones, podríaser mejor hablar de sepsis vertical y sepsis horizontal, sin referenciasa límites tan estrictos como el tiempo. Se conoce sobradamenteque a partir de las 24 horas de vida las infecciones transmitidasverticalmente se pueden solapar con las de transmisiónhorizontal. Nuestro caso representa una evidencia puntual quesuscita cuestiones pendientes de resolver(AU)

Neonatal sepsis is classified in early-onset and late-onset sepsis, based on the timing of beginning of symptoms. The main purpose of this classification is to anticipate the most probable causative agents and administer the most suitable antibiotic treatment. Considering the therapeutic implications of those definitions, it would be probably most accurate to refer to sepsis of vertical and horizontal transmission, respectively, without time-references. It is known that after 24 hours from birth, both vertical and horizontal neonatal sepsis may occur. The case under discussion brings up unique scenarios of difficult classification(AU)

Novetats en RCP 2005: RCP pediàtrica avançada / No disponible

No disponible

Rumiación en el lactante / Severe malnutrition in an infant due to rumination

La rumiación o mericismo es un trastorno de la conductaalimentaria que se puede presentar a lo largo detoda la edad pediátrica, aunque es más habitual en el primeraño de vida y posteriormente en niños afectos de retrasopsicomotor, patología neurológica o psiquiátrica debase. Puede ocasionar una grave afectación nutricional einclusive la muerte en un porcentaje nada despreciable decasos (20%) si no se trata de forma adecuada.Presentamos el caso clínico de un lactante de 7 meses,sin ningún tipo de patología previa, que ingresó en nuestrocentro para estudio de una distrofia grave que era secundariaa una conducta mantenida de ruminación.Aunque la ruminación es un trastorno de conducta alimentariaya contemplada en los tratados pediátricos clási-Ruminació com a causa de distròfia greu en unlactantM. Mar García-González, Stephan Schneider, Pilar Villalobos, Alícia Cabacas, Lluís Mayol,Elena RieraServei de Pediatria. Hospital Comarcal de Figueres. Gironacos, son escasas las publicaciones y referencias sobre eltema en los últimos años en la literatura pediátrica. Presentamosel caso clínico para recordar esta patología dentrodel diagnóstico diferencial de la distrofia en el niño

Rumination or merycism is a disturbance of eatingbehavior that is more commonly diagnosed during thefirst year of life, or at older ages in children with developmentaldelay or with neurologic or psychiatric disorders.Rumination can cause severe malnutrition and even deathin up to 20% of the cases if adequate therapy is not institutedearly.A case of a previously healthy seven month-old infantwho was admitted to our hospital because of severe malnutritionand that was shown to be secondary to persistentrumination is presented.Despite the fact that rumination is a well known disturbanceof eating behavior, well described in Pediatricstextbooks, scarce references have been published in recentyears in the pediatric literature. Rumination should beincluded in the differential diagnosis of malnutrition inchildren