Acta Paediatrica

Vaginal bleeding in the prepubertal girl is an uncommon condition with complex etiological factors. We report a case of a 6-year-old girl brought to hospital when vaginal bleeding was noticed after defecation. Various common causes were excluded by genital and auxiliary examinations. Serial vaginoscopy revealed increasing petechiae within the non-estrogenized cervix and vaginal wall. The etiology of these petechiae was considered to result from ruptured small blood vessels or submucosal capillaries due to an increase in abdominal pressure...

AIM: We investigated the prevalence of elevated liver aminotrasferases (ALT) and additional comorbidities in a large cohort of Israeli children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. METHODS: This study included data from medical records of 2 to 18 year old children and adolescents, with body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obesity range (WHO definitions), for whom ALT testing was performed. RESULTS: Overweight was present in 50418 (10...

AIM: Our aim was to describe the clinical features of mothers infected with COVID-19 and examine any potential vertical mother to newborn transmission. We also assessed how effective the discharge recommendations were in preventing transmission during the first month of life. METHODS: This multicentre descriptive study involved 16 Spanish hospitals. We reviewed the medical records of 42 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 from 13 March to 29 March 2020, when they were in their third trimester of pregnancy...

AIM: Neonatal jaundice is associated with higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it is unclear if the association is influenced by genetic and other familial factors. In this large population-based study, we investigated the association between neonatal jaundice and ADHD while adjusting for familial factors. METHODS: We linked several Swedish registers to identify all singleton births without congenital malformations between 1992 and 2000 (n=814,420, including 384,290 full siblings) and followed them up until 2009...

AIM: Our aim was to explore the under-researched associations between an elective Caesarean section (C-section) at early term or full term gestation and behaviour at 6-8 years of age. METHODS: We identified 1220 eligible children born by elective C-sections at Danish hospital from 2009-2011. Their mothers were randomised to elective C-sections at either 38+3 (early term) or 39+3 (full term) weeks of gestation. From December 2017 to August 2018 the parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire...

With great interest I read the study in Acta Paediatrica conducted by Bigman, longitudinal study examining associations between breastfeeding and respiratory allergies and types of asthma in American children. Bigman concluded "the study provided evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for the first 3 months may reduce the risk of respiratory allergies and asthma in children 6 years of age". This is an important study because it sheds light on the topic of relationship between breastfeeding and asthma since breastfeeding impact on asthma development is generally considered uncertain...

AIM: To identify the aetiology and outcome of seizure-like events leading to hospital referrals in infants, and to identify early predictors of epilepsy and delayed neurodevelopment. METHODS: This Norwegian population-based study focused on all children born in Sør-Trøndelag county, who were up to one year of age in 2014-2015. They were identified by diagnostic codes for seizure-like events and electroencephalography (EEG) examinations. Hospital records were examined up to 1...

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 has spread worldwide since its onset in Wuhan in December 2019. In Italy COVID-19 rapidly increased in February 2020 and by 12 May 2020, 2.0 % of the confirmed cases were under 18 years and 3.7% of those had been hospitalized. This case series report reviews the demographic characteristics, clinical course, laboratory findings, radiologic features and treatment of children admitted with COVID-19 to a tertiary care hospital in Italy.

AIM: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is still a disease with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to analyse retrospectively whether the introduction of a multi-modal three-component enteral medication regimen resulted in a change in morbidity and mortality in neonates NEC. METHODS: When diagnosis of NEC was established, the following multi-modal three-component enteral medication regimen was administered enterally (via nasogastric tube): an antibiotic, an antifungal agent, and a probiotic...

AIM: We investigated the impact of varying definitions on the prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) in children born very preterm at 6.5 years of age. METHODS: Cognitive development and neurosensory impairments were assessed in 91 children (40/51 girls/boys) born <32 gestational weeks, in 2004-2007 in Uppsala county, Sweden. The results were compared with data from a reference group of 67 children born full term. The prevalence of NDI in the present cohort was reported according to definitions used by seven contemporary studies of children born very or extremely preterm...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between clinical assessment of infant colour and oxygen saturation at birth in a low-resource setting. METHODS: Classification of infant colour (cyanotic, pink or unclear) by midwives was compared to pulse-oximeter data at 60-90-120-300 seconds after birth in 60 neonates. RESULTS: Overall, oxygen saturation increased over time (p<0.0001) and was different according to infant colour (p<0.0001). Median oxygen saturation in pink infants was 87% at 60s (n=1), 90% (IQR 83-91) at 90s (n=5), 86% (IQR 81-94) at 120s (n=11), and 93% (IQR 90-96) at 300s (n=20)...

AIM: This Swedish study evaluated whether the severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely preterm infants was related to their overall outcome in young adulthood. METHODS: We followed 39 individuals born 1988-93 at less than 28 gestational weeks, included in the Stockholm Neonatal Project. 19 were treated for severe ROP and 20 had no or mild ROP. They were assessed for general cognitive abilities and mental health at 18 years of age and compared with 23 term-born controls...

The pandemic is a stressful time for everyone, including mothers and healthcare providers who are concerned about the best and safest way to feed babies born to mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. There is lack of consensus regarding mother-infant contact, unless the mother definitely has COVID-19 and even then there is a distinct lack of data to devise protocols for everyday clinical practice.1,2 .

The first description on the association of coeliac disease (CD) with allergic conditions dates in the 1970s, when was found the co-occurrence of asthma, eczema and rhinitis in adult patients with CD. Later, this likely connection was screened both in paediatric and adult populations, although with conflicting results (1,2). Hence, the relationship between CD and allergy is scarcely known.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common pediatric disease, that involves up to the 25% of children worldwide. Environmental pollution, passive smoke, and many viruses are actively involved in the chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. As described previously in the literature, novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children is uncommon and often asymptomatic or mild.

AIM: To evaluate oral health outcomes and early oral health promotion of children in a Swedish, parental support programme conducted in a collaboration between Child Health Services and Social Services. METHODS: The intervention offered first-time parents six home visits from a paediatric nurse and a parental advisor with Social Services. On the fourth visit (infant age 6-8 months), parents received a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste from non-dental staff. Twice, at child ages 18 and 36 months, a dentist used the International Caries Detection and Assessment System to record caries and conducted a structured interview with the parents on oral health habits...

In February 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic flared up across Italy and the first cluster appeared in Southern Lombardy, which is still the most affected area (1). Schools. sports facilities and parks were closed on 1 March, followed by a strict lockdown on 10 March after a significant increase in infections and deaths. The next day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Many studies have now been published concerning the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients, but data on children are still relatively scarce...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.