We report a case of neonatal Bartter syndrome in a 31 weeks premature baby girl with antenatal unexplained polyhydramnios requiring amnioreduction. She presented with early onset E. coli septicaemia and severe dehydration leading to pre-renal renal impairment which obscure the typical biochemical changes of hypokalaemic hypochloraemic metabolic alkalosis.
We present two siblings from a consanguineous Malaysian family with multiple skeletal abnormalities, anterior segment anomalies of the eye and early lethality. These features are consistent with a syndrome first described by Al-Gazali and we provide further delineation of the syndrome.
To determine the significant risk factors associated with development of chronic lung disease (CLD) in Malaysian very low birthweight (VLBW, < 1501g) infants. A prospective observational study was carried out at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) in Kuching, over a period of 29 months from 1 April 2003 to 31 August 2005. Infants with birthweight between 600g to 1500g admitted to this hospital were recruited. The progress of these infants was followed till discharge. CLD was defined as the persistent need for oxygen therapy to maintain oxygen saturation above 88% at 36 weeks of postmenstrual age. Of the 224 infants recruited, 36 (14.8%) had CLD. Logistic regression analysis showed that lower birth weight (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.996, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.994, 0.998; p = 0.001), male infants (adjusted OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.6, 11.7; p = 0.02), chorioamnionitis (adjusted OR = 9.0, 95% CI = 1.6, 50.8; p = 0.01), severe respiratory distress syndrome of grades 3 or 4 (adjusted OR = 4.6, 95% CI =1.6, 13.2; P = 0.005) and patent ductus arteriosus (adjusted OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 1.5, 12.8; p = 0.007) were significant risk factors associated with development of CLD. A number of treatable conditions are associated with development of CLD in Malaysian VLBW infants.
Tracheal agenesis is a rare congenital airway anomaly which presents as an airway emergency at birth. We report a case of late premature Chinese infant with tracheal agenesis type II (by Floyd's classification) who presented with severe respiratory distress at birth. He had multiple failed attempts at intubations with accidental oesophageal intubation and ventilation. Tracheal agenesis with tracheo-oesophageal fistula was suspected from an emergency optical laryngoesophagoscopy done. The infant was subsequently stabilized on oesophageal ventilation. The diagnosis was confirmed on CT scan and parents were counseled regarding the poor outcome and decided for withdrawal at day 7 of life.
Dengue disease is a major public health problem across the Asia-Pacific region for which there is no licensed vaccine or treatment. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of Phase III lots of a candidate vaccine (CYD-TDV) in children in Malaysia.
The objectives of the study were to describe the epidemiology and strain characterization of rotavirus (RV), to determine the proportion of hospitalizations for diarrhea attributable to RV among children under 5 years of age, and to estimate the disease burden of RV diarrhea in Malaysia.
From April through June 1997, 29 previously healthy children aged <6 years (median, 1.5 years) in Sarawak, Malaysia, died of rapidly progressive cardiorespiratory failure during an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused primarily by enterovirus 71 (EV71). The case children were hospitalized after a short illness (median duration, 2 days) that usually included fever (in 100% of case children), oral ulcers (66%), and extremity rashes (62%). The illness rapidly progressed to include seizures (28%), flaccid limb weakness (17%), or cardiopulmonary symptoms (of 24 children, 17 had chest radiographs showing pulmonary edema, and 24 had echocardiograms showing left ventricular dysfunction), resulting in cardiopulmonary arrest soon after hospitalization (median time, 9 h). Cardiac tissue from 10 patients showed normal myocardium, but central nervous system tissue from 5 patients showed inflammatory changes. Brain-stem specimens from 2 patients were available, and both specimens showed extensive neuronal degeneration, inflammation, and necrosis, suggesting that a central nervous system infection was responsible for the disease, with the cardiopulmonary dysfunction being neurogenic in origin. EV71 and possibly an adenovirus, other enteroviruses, or unknown cofactors are likely responsible for this rapidly fatal disease.
BACKGROUND: Accurate national estimates of the disease burden associated with rotavirus diarrhea are essential when considering implementation of a rotavirus vaccination program. We sought to estimate rotavirus disease-associated morbidity and mortality in Malaysia, using available sources of information.
METHODS: We analyzed national data from the Ministry of Health (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) to derive rates of hospitalization, clinic visits, and deaths related to acute gastroenteritis (AG) among children <5 years of age. The number of events attributable to rotavirus infection was estimated by multiplying age-stratified rates of detection of rotavirus from 2 hospital surveillance sites by national data.
RESULTS: In 1999 and 2000, an average of 13,936 children (1 in 187 children) were hospitalized annually for AG. Surveillance of visits to outpatient clinics for AG identified an average of 60,342 such visits/year between 1998 and 2000. The AG-associated mortality rate was 2.5 deaths/100,000 children. On the basis of the finding that 50% of children were hospitalized for rotavirus diarrhea, we estimated that 1 in 61 children will be hospitalized for rotavirus disease and that 1 in 37 children will seek treatment as an outpatient.
CONCLUSIONS: Among Malaysian children, there is a significant burden associated with AG- and rotavirus disease-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits, and this burden potentially could be prevented by the use of rotavirus vaccines.
Data source: (1) hospital discharges, (2) clinic visits for AG, and (3) registration of deaths, together with (4) new data from hospital-based rotavirus surveillance studies