Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics

The prevalence of coeliac disease (CD) is rapidly rising in both developed and underdeveloped countries. CD classically presents with gastrointestinal manifestations, but it is now increasingly considered as a multisystem disease mostly affecting the central nervous system. Recently, a non-biopsy approach for the diagnosis of CD has been recommended by the European Society for paediatric gastroentrology, hepatology and nutrition. Here, we are reporting a 12-year-old Sudanese boy who presented with chronic diarrhoea and weight loss and lower limbs weakness...

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can adversely affect extra-pulmonary organs, such as the liver, heart and gastrointestinal tract apart from lungs. Although studies are showing that serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase are mildly elevated along with serum bilirubin in adult patients with mild to severe cases of COVID-19 disease, data are limited regarding liver injury in children infected with COVID virus...

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission increases parents' stress levels and it might be even higher in the crisis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown. This study was done to identify the stress levels of parents of admitted neonates and the difficulties encountered in neonatal care and follow-up during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The Parental Stressor Scale (PSS:NICU) and Perceived Stress Scale (PeSS) were used to identify the stress levels of parents of admitted neonates...

The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy (CP) on the quality of life of mothers. A total of 122 subjects participated in the study. The general quality of life assessment of paediatric subjects PedsQLTM 4.0 Generic Scale and the specific PedsQLTM 3.0 Module Cerebral Palsy Version 3.0 were used to assess the quality of life of children with CP, and the quality of life of mothers was assessed with the PedsQLTM 2.0 Family Impact Mode Questionnaire. In the present study, the quality of life of mothers is influenced by the physical and social functioning of the child, while the impact of emotional functioning has not been proven...

Diagnosis of pharyngotonsillitis is challenging due to the wide range of symptoms and signs. Sudan Federal Ministry of Health and Sudanese Association of Paediatricians, along with Sudan Heart Society reached a consensus about the clinical prediction rule which aids in diagnosing and managing bacterial pharyngotonsillitis. This audit aimed to assess doctors' knowledge and practice regarding diagnosis and management of bacterial pharyngotonsillitis at Ribat Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. This audit was done at Pediatric Department, Ribat Teaching Hospital, and data collection was done over 2 weeks either in the first or the second cycle...

Ethiopia is one of the countries with the highest under-five child mortality rates, with malnutrition remaining the major cause of death. Overall, 10% of children in Ethiopia are wasted, and 3% are severely wasted. To assess the treatment outcomes and associated factors among children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia, data of 162 under-five children admitted from January to December, 2020, at Hiwot Fana Specialized University hospital were collected retrospectively from 1 January to 20 February 2021...

In addition the nature of nurses working environment, duties and responsibilities, nurses are facing numerous health hazards while working at hospitals. This study aimed to identify the health-related risks of nursing practice at Ahmed Gasim Hospital and Gafaar Ibnauf Children's Hospital, Khartoum State, Sudan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at two governmental paediatric hospitals in Khartoum, from August to December 2017, in which 74 nurses were selected by convenience sampling to participate...

Noma is an orofacial gangrenous infection commonly affecting malnourished children in the tropical region of the World, particularly the sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria is a sub-Saharan African country which is among the countries seriously affected by noma. In Nigeria, noma has been classified as a priority disease. However, only very little attention has been focused on noma research in Nigeria, unlike many other priority diseases. This study conducted an informetric analysis of research outputs on noma in Nigeria, using the PubMed database - a world-leading and authoritative database of medical literature...

Burns are considered the fourth most common type of traumatic injury worldwide with significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to disclose the incidence, etiological factors, treatment and outcome of paediatric burns in Sudan. This is a retrospective hospital-based study, conducted during 2016-2019. Patients who presented with burn injuries and managed in the hospital were included in the study. Flowchart sheets were used to collect the data. Then, it was entered and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 statistical software (IBM Corporation, Chicago, IL)...

Chyluria is a rare entity characterised by the presence of chyle/lymphatic fluid within the urine. It develops following an abnormal communication between the perirenal lymphatics and pelvicalyceal lymphatics. There are multiple causes of chyluria including infective (filariasis), post-traumatic, post-surgical, pregnancy and malignancy. We present a case of a 15-year-old male who presented with a complaint of the intermittent passage of milky urine for the preceding 1 year. Conventional lipiodol lymphangiography followed by cone beam computed tomography was done to look for abnormal fistulous channels...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants comprise between 4% and 8% of live-births and about one-third of deaths during the neonatal period. The objective of the study is to evaluate and compare the long-term growth outcomes of VLBW infants among two different birth cohorts: Cohort 2007-08 (cohort 1) and cohort 2015-16 (cohort 2), in a cross-sectional observational study. The neonatal and perinatal data of cohort 1 was collected from available trial data and the same data from cohort 2 was collected from patient case files and patient history...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Khalawi are non-governmental, traditional educational boarding institutions, widely scattered in Sudan. Many Khalawi are resource-limited with deficient feeding and poor housing conditions, which could seriously affect the students' health. A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving all students of a Khalwa in Sharg Al-Neel Locality, Khartoum State. Demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire with anthropometric measurements, along with laboratory and clinical assessments for anaemia...

A descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted with the objectives to study clinical presentations, complications and outcomes of breastfeeding-associated hypernatraemia (BFAHN) in full-term neonates admitted to Ibrahim Malik Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, during the period September 2017-2019. Eighty-four neonates with BFAHN were enrolled in the study. Collected demographic data of the neonates and their mothers included age at presentation, gender, birth weight, current weight, mode and place of delivery, maternal age, parity, education level, time of starting breastfeeding, presenting symptoms and signs, complications and outcome...

Extravasation injury is tissue infiltration and injury related to drugs or infusates. Preterm infants are most susceptible due to many factors related to their prematurity. Our aim was to report on the prevalence of extravasation injury in our neonatal unit to attract attention to the existence of this problem in the neonatal units. This is an observational, longitudinal, hospital-based study, conducted in the period from February 2012 to February 2019. All preterm infants admitted to Sea Port Hospital Neonatal Unit, Port Sudan City, Sudan, were included...

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common vasculitis in childhood and is clinically characterised by purpura, abdominal pain, arthritis and renal involvement. Scarcely, some patients with HSP may not always show visible rash and can present with insidious abdominal symptoms. We present two patients: an 8-year-old boy who was initially considered as having infectious diarrhoea and mesenteric lymphadenitis, then intussusception, appendicitis, appendicopathia oxyuriaca and post-operative ileus. However, he was finally diagnosed with HSP, as the typical rash appeared 10 days after onset of abdominal symptoms...

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a completely preventable, life-threatening complication of group A streptococcal pharyngitis and the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in children and young adults in low- and middle-income countries. Conventional control measures are faced with many obstacles including the difficulty of early diagnosis of bacterial pharyngitis and acute rheumatic fever (ARF) leading to late presentation with established RHD which is not curable. Recent evidence confirmed the role of echocardiography screening of asymptomatic children in the early detection of 'latent' RHD...

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a preventable complication of group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection, is highly prevalent in Sudan. Echocardiographic (echo) screening has an established role in disease surveillance. This study aims to measure the echo prevalence of RHD using handheld echo (HHE) in West and North Darfur and Kassala states and initiate control programs. School children 10-18 years of age were selected from the three states and HHE screening was performed by trained paediatric residents supervised by cardiologists using a pre-tested protocol...

Anthropometry is the most common technique used to indicate nutritional status and to assess the presence and degree of protein-energy malnutrition. No doubt providing the human body with the proper dietary substances, especially in early life, has a considerable effect on long-term health and development. This study aimed to provide growth references for height and weight for infants from 6 to 12 months of age in Khartoum State, Sudan. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Khartoum state on 419 infants between 6 and 12 months of age...