Periodic fever associated with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis.

Introduction: The periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is a non-hereditary idiopathic febrile syndrome belonging to the group of autoinflammatory diseases. PFAPA does not cause long-lasting sequelae. An early diagnosis provides treatment possibilities for the patient and comfort to the family.

Immunodeficiencies in children with chronic post tympanic otorrhoea.

Introduction: A minority of children treated with ventilation tubes develop chronic otorrhoea. To test the hypothesis that this condition might be caused by an underlying primary immunodeficiency, the immunological status was examined in a group of children with longstanding otorrhoea.

Material And Methods: Eighteen children who had suffered from otorrhoea for a minimum of six months and who did not respond to relevant therapy were included.

Novel STAT1 alleles in a patient with impaired resistance to mycobacteria.

Partial defects in interferon (IFN)-γ signaling lead to susceptibility to infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria. The receptors for IFN-α and IFN-γ activate components of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. Some defects in STAT1 mainly affect IFN-γ signaling, thus resulting in mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD).

[Urine samples from children collected in their homes].

Introduction: Children at high risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) enter a programme for domestic urine sampling at the Paediatric Department in Aarhus. Parents collect urine, describe symptoms and post the samples. We wanted to determine the value of domestic urine sampling and to evaluate the programme.

Increased mortality in the year following discharge from a paediatric ward in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Background: Few studies in developing countries have examined posthospital mortality and little is known about the magnitude of posthospital mortality and risk factors for long-term survival. A better understanding of the determinants of posthospital mortality could help improve discharge policies and interventions with implications for overall childhood mortality.

Study Population: In the period from 1991 to 1996 all paediatric admissions coming from the Bandim Health Project's area were registered at the National Hospital in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Persisting high hospital and community childhood mortality in an urban setting in Guinea-Bissau.

Aim: To describe paediatric hospitalization in a West African capital in relation to overall childhood mortality in the community and to evaluate the potential impact of improved management at the hospital.

Methods: Hospital data on child admissions in a 6-year period were linked to information in a community-based longitudinal surveillance system. Paediatric hospitalization rates, risk factors for hospitalizations, community mortality, in-hospital mortality and the proportion of deaths occurring at hospital were examined.

DTP with or after measles vaccination is associated with increased in-hospital mortality in Guinea-Bissau.

Background: The sequence of routine immunisations may be important for childhood mortality. Three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTP) should be given at 6, 10, and 14 weeks and measles vaccine (MV) at 9 months of age. The sequence is not always respected.

Childhood mortality after oral polio immunisation campaign in Guinea-Bissau.

Though previous studies have suggested a non-specific beneficial effect of oral polio vaccine (OPV), there has been no evaluation of the mortality impact of national polio immunization days. On the other hand, studies examining the effect of OPV and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines, which are usually administered together in routine immunisation programmes in low-income countries, have found no beneficial or even a negative effect on infant survival. In 1998, we used the opportunity of two national immunisation days to examine the impact of OPV administered alone on survival for the 6103 children less than 5 years of age in the Bandim Health Project's study area in Guinea-Bissau.

Routine vaccinations associated with divergent effects on female and male mortality at the paediatric ward in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Several studies have suggested that routine childhood immunisations may have non-specific effects on mortality. To examine which disease categories might be affected, we investigated whether immunisation status had an impact on the case fatality for hospitalised children. Between 1990 and 1996, the Bandim Health Project maintained a register of all children from the study area hospitalised at the paediatric ward of the central hospital in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Oral polio vaccination and low case fatality at the paediatric ward in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

Oral polio vaccine (OPV) and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines are given simultaneously in routine immunisation programmes in developing countries. It is therefore difficult to determine the separate effects of these vaccines on survival. We used the shortage of DTP vaccine in Bissau to examine the impact of OPV on the case fatality at the paediatric ward in Bissau.