Drug utilization and off-label drug use in Spanish pediatric gastroenterology outpatients.

Background And Objectives: The clinical use of medicines outside the conditions authorized in their Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) (off-label use) is a common practice in pediatrics. The aim of the present study was to describe and quantify the medicines received by children attended in the pediatric gastroenterology department, their off-label use, and compliance with accepted rules for said use.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed on all of the patients who had their first consultation in pediatric gastroenterology between January 1 and October 31, 2010.

Tuberculin skin test in bacille Calmette-Guérin-vaccinated children: how should we interpret the results?

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most useful method for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). There is no evidence about the effect of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine on the interpretation of TST results.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate TST results in a population of immigrants and adopted children, analyzing the effect of the vaccine on TST.

Effect of nutritional status on Tuberculin skin testing.

Objectives: To evaluate Tuberculin skin test (TST) results in a population of immigrants and internationally adopted children from several geographical areas; to analyze whether nutritional status can modify TST results.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included adopted children and immigrants evaluated in the authors' unit between January 2003 and December 2008. Children diagnosed with tuberculosis, or vaccinated with live attenuated virus 2 mo earlier, HIV-infected, chronically ill or under treatment with immunosuppressive agents were excluded.

Pandemic H1N1 influenza-associated hospitalizations in children in Madrid, Spain.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children hospitalized with 2009 pandemic influenza (pH1N1) in Madrid, Spain.

Patients/methods: We included patients less than 14 years of age admitted to one of 18 hospitals in Madrid, Spain, between May 1 and November 30, 2009 and diagnosed with pH1N1 by polymerase chain reaction. A retrospective chart review was conducted and data were compared by age, presence of high-risk medical conditions, and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission.