Rising trends in the prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases among school children in the north-west coastal part of Croatia.

Objective: To estimate time trends in prevalence of symptoms and reported diagnosis related to asthma, allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis and eczema among school children in the north-west coastal part of Croatia.

Methods: Results of two identical cross-sectional surveys conducted on the same area 8 years apart (school years 2001/02 versus 2009/10) in complete adherence to the protocol of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood were compared. Surveyed population comprised two age groups: 6-7 years (n = 1634 versus n = 1052) and 13-14 years (n = 2194 versus 1181).

Chorioamnionitis and chronic lung disease of prematurity: a path analysis of causality.

Current evidence suggests that additional pathogenetic factors could play a role in the development of chronic lung disease of prematurity, other than mechanical ventilation and free radical injury. The introduction of the concept of "fetal inflammatory response syndrome" offers a new perspective on the pathogenesis of chronic lung disease of prematurity. New statistical approaches could be useful tools in evaluating causal relationships in the development of chronic morbidity in preterm infants.

Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of thyroid dysfunction in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the natural course and potential risk factors of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and thyroid dysfunction, and their influences on growth and glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). The study comprised 148 subjects (age range 1-21 years; males 51%) with T1D. During the interval of 12 years serum levels of thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and thyroglobulin (anti-TG) autoantibodies, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and tyroksine (T4), were screened annually.

Prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in Croatian children is increasing: survey study.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis among school children in the region of Primorsko-goranska County in Croatia, and compare the results with data from other countries.

Methods: The study was conducted during the 2001-2002 school year, in complete adherence to the Phase One protocol of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). The target population comprised two age groups (6-7 and 13-14 years) in the region of Primorsko-Goranska County in Croatia.

[Congenital diaphragmatic hernia in older children].

The incidence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is about 4.8/10,000 live births. Its typical clinical presentation is respiratory distress occurring immediately after birth or in the first few hours or days of a child's life.

Manifold significance of serum eosinophil cationic protein in asthmatic children.

Asthma is the result of complex interaction between different cells, mediators and nervous system that leads to an inflammatory response accompanied by increased bronchial hyperactivity. Its clinical manifestations include recurrent cough, wheezing and difficult breathing. The purpose of this study was to establish the possibility of diagnosing inflammation in asthmatic patients based on the assessment of serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and of following the efficacy of asthmatic treatment by the levels of inflammation mediators.

Steroid diabetes in children with Crohn disease.

Glucocorticoids may be useful as short-term palliative therapy for acute exacerbations of Crohn disease. When glucocorticoids are used for longer than brief periods, even in moderate dosages, they can produce a variety of adverse effects, including steroid diabetes. Two boys were treated with methylprednisolone due to acute exacerbations of Crohn disease.