Person-years In Children Research Articles

Prophylactic antibiotics for preventing pneumococcal infection in children with sickle cell disease.

Persons with sickle cell disease (SCD) are particularly susceptible to infection. Infants and very young children are especially vulnerable. The 'Co-operative Study of Sickle Cell Disease' observed an incidence rate for pneumococcal septicaemia of 10 per 100 person years in children under the age of three years. Vaccines, including customary pneumococcal vaccines, may be of limited use in this age group. Therefore, prophylactic penicillin regimens may be advisable for this population. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2002, and previously updated, most recently in 2014. To assess the effects of antibiotic prophylaxis against pneumococcus in children with SCD in relation to:1. incidence of infection;2. mortality;3. drug-related adverse events (as reported in the included studies) to the individual and the community;4. the impact of discontinuing at various ages on incidence of infection and mortality. We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register, which is comprised of references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and also two clinical trials registries: ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Registry Platform. Additionally, we carried out handsearching of relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings.Date of the most recent search: 19 December 2016. All randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing prophylactic antibiotics to prevent pneumococcal infection in children with SCD with placebo, no treatment or a comparator drug. Both authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. The authors used the GRADE criteria to assess the quality of the evidence. Five trials were identified by the searches, of which three trials (880 children randomised) met the inclusion criteria. All of the included trials showed a reduced incidence of infection in children with SCD (SS or Sβ0Thal) receiving prophylactic penicillin. In trials which investigated initiation of penicillin on risk of pneumococcal infection, the odds ratio was 0.37 (95% confidence interval 0.16 to 0.86) (two trials, 457 children) (low-quality evidence), while for withdrawal the odds ratio was 0.49 (95% confidence interval 0.09 to 2.71) (one trial, 400 children) (low-quality evidence). Adverse drug effects were rare and minor. Rates of pneumococcal infection were found to be relatively low in children over the age of five.Overall, the quality of the evidence for all outcomes was judged to be low. The results from the risk of bias assessment undertaken identified two domains in which the risk of bias was considered to be high, these were incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) (two trials) and allocation concealment (selection bias) (one trial). Domains considered to have a low risk of bias for all three trials were selective reporting (reporting bias) and blinding (performance and detection bias). The evidence examined suggests that prophylactic penicillin significantly reduces risk of pneumococcal infection in children with homozygous SCD, and is associated with minimal adverse reactions. Further research may help to determine the ideal age to safely withdraw penicillin.

Cancer incidence rates and trends among children and adolescents in Piedmont, 1967-2011.

In the past, increases in childhood cancer incidence were reported in Europe and North America. The aim of this study is to show updated patterns of temporal behavior using data of the Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont (CCRP), a region with approximately 4.5 million inhabitants in North-West Italy. CCRP has been recording incident cases in children (0–14 years) since 1967 and in adolescents (15–19) since 2000. Time trends were estimated as annual percent change (APC) over the 1976–2011 period for children, and over 2000–2011 for both children and adolescents. CCRP registered 5020 incident cases from 1967 to 2011. Incidence rates were 157 per million person-years for children (1967–2011) and 282 for adolescents (2000–2011). From 1976–2011, increasing trends were observed in children for all neoplasms (APC 1.1, 95%CI: 0.8; 1.5) and for both embryonal and non-embryonal tumors: 1.1%, (0.5; 1.6) and 1.2%, (0.7; 1.6), respectively. Increases were observed in several tumor types, including leukemia, lymphoma, central nervous system tumors and neuroblastoma. In 2000–2011, incidence rates showed mostly non statistically significant variations and large variability. The observation of trends over a long period shows that the incidence of most tumors has increased, and this is only partially explained by diagnostic changes. Large rate variability hampers interpretation of trend patterns in short periods. Given that no satisfying explanation for the increases observed in the past was ever found, efforts must be made to understand and interpret this peculiar and still ununderstood pattern of childhood cancer incidence.

Co-administration of BCG and Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) Vaccinations May Reduce Infant Mortality More Than the WHO-schedule of BCG First and Then DTP. A Re-analysis of Demographic Surveillance Data From Rural Bangladesh

BackgroundWHO recommends BCG at birth and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine at 6, 10 and 14weeks of age. However, BCG and DTP are often co-administered in low-income countries. The health implications have not been examined. SettingWe reanalysed data from Matlab, Bangladesh, to examine the influence of co-administration on mortality; 37,894 children born 1986-1999 were followed with registration of vaccinations and survival. MethodsUsing Cox models, survival was analysed from 6weeks to 9months of age when measles vaccine is given; 712 children died in this age group. We calculated mortality rate ratios (MRR) for children starting the vaccination schedule with BCG-first, BCG+DTP1-first or DTP1-first. ResultsOnly 17% followed the WHO-schedule with BCG-first. Mortality was 16/1000 person-years for children who initiated the vaccination schedule with BCG+DTP1 but 32/1000 and 20/1000 for children who received BCG-first or DTP-first, respectively. Compared with BCG+DTP1-first and adjusting for background factors, the BCG-first-schedule was associated with 2-fold higher mortality (MRR=1.94 (1.42–2.63)). DTP1 administered after BCG-first was associated with higher mortality than receiving DTP1 with BCG (MRR=1.78 (1.03–3.03)). ConclusionsCo-administration of BCG and DTP may further reduce mortality. Since all observational studies support this trend, co-administration of BCG and DTP should be tested in randomised trials.

Kaposi Sarcoma Risk in HIV-Infected Children and Adolescents on Combination Antiretroviral Therapy From Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia.

The burden of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children and adolescents on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has not been compared globally. We analyzed cohort data from the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS and the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research in Europe. We included HIV-infected children aged <16 years at cART initiation from 1996 onward. We used Cox models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for region and origin, sex, cART start year, age, and HIV/AIDS stage at cART initiation. We included 24 991 children from eastern Africa, southern Africa, Europe and Asia; 26 developed KS after starting cART. Incidence rates per 100 000 person-years (PYs) were 86 in eastern Africa (95% confidence interval [CI], 55-133), 11 in southern Africa (95% CI, 4-35), and 81 (95% CI, 26-252) in children of sub-Saharan African (SSA) origin in Europe. The KS incidence rates were 0/100 000 PYs in children of non-SSA origin in Europe (95% CI, 0-50) and in Asia (95% CI, 0-27). KS risk was lower in girls than in boys (adjusted HR [aHR], 0.3; 95% CI, .1-.9) and increased with age (10-15 vs 0-4 years; aHR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-10.1) and advanced HIV/AIDS stage (CDC stage C vs A/B; aHR, 2.4; 95% CI, .8-7.3) at cART initiation. HIV-infected children from SSA but not those from other regions, have a high risk of developing KS after cART initiation. Early cART initiation in these children might reduce KS risk.

Diarrhoea in children under five years of age in South Africa (1997-2014).

To present evidence from available reliable published data on the prevalence, incidence and severity of diarrhoea in children aged under five years in South Africa. We searched seven electronic databases. Two reviewers assessed the studies independently and extracted outcome data. The heterogeneity of the studies did not allow for a meta-analysis. We found only one nationally representative study conducted in 1998 reporting a diarrhoea prevalence of 13% in children under five. Other studies were conducted in smaller settings across the country. Diarrhoea incidence was 10.13 per 1000 person years in children admitted to a tertiary hospital. Three studies reported severity of diarrhoea; however, they differed across study settings and time period. The paucity of nationally representative prevalence data for SA necessitates more national surveys with standardised data-collection methods to allow for more effective comparisons.

Epidemiology of childhood and adolescent cancer in Bangladesh, 2001-2014.

BackgroundCancer burden among children and adolescents is largely unknown in Bangladesh. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview on childhood and adolescent cancers and to contribute to the future strategies to deal with these diseases in Bangladesh.MethodsData on malignant neoplasms in patients aged less than 20 years diagnosed between 2001 and 2014 (N = 3143) in Bangladesh was collected by the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital and ASHIC Foundation. The age pattern and distribution of cancer types were analysed and the incidence rates were calculated.ResultsThe age-standardised incidence rate was 7.8 per million person-years for children (0–14 years) in the last time period (2011–2014). Retinoblastoma (25 %) and leukaemia (18 %) were the most common childhood cancers. For adolescents (15–19 years), the age-specific incidence rate was 2.1 per million person-years in the same time period. Most common adolescent cancers were malignant bone tumours (38 %), germ cell and gonadal tumours (17 %), and epithelial tumours (16 %). There were more boys affected (M: F ratio 2.0 in children and 1.4 in adolescents) than girls.ConclusionCancer incidences were lower than expected most likely due to a low level of awareness about cancer among clinicians and the population, inadequate access to health care, lack of diagnostic equipment and incomplete recording of cases. Improvements on different levels should be made to get a better epidemiologic insight and to detect cancer earlier resulting in a better outcome for affected children and adolescents.

Guideline on the management of acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease.

1. Department of Haematology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust 2. Lane Fox Respiratory Unit, St Thomas’ Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust 3. Department of Haematology, North Middlesex Hospital 4. Department of Paediatric Haematology, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children 5. Department of Haematological Medicine, King’s College Hospital 6. Department of Haematology, Whittington Hospital

Incidence of food anaphylaxis in Piemonte region (Italy): data from registry of Center for Severe Allergic Reactions

There are wide differences in estimated incidence and prevalence of anaphylaxis because of the absence, until recently, of a universal consensus on the definition of anaphylaxis and the different source of collected data. We aimed to estimate the incidence of food anaphylaxis based on the database of Piemonte Region (Italy) Reference Center for Severe Allergic Reactions. All cases of severe food allergic reactions reported in 2010 were studied. Clinical data associated to the reports were evaluated according to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network diagnostic criteria of anaphylaxis. 75% of the 778 cases were classified as food anaphylaxis (incidence of 13/100,000 person-years, ranging from 9.9 in adults to 29/100,000 person-years in children). Nuts were the most frequent foods causing anaphylaxis. Milk and eggs were responsible for anaphylaxis more often in children, while peach, vegetables and crustaceans were in adults. Cardiovascular symptoms were more frequent in adults. Gastrointestinal involvement was more frequent in children. A high prevalence of respiratory allergic comorbidities was observed. Food is an important cause of anaphylaxis, particularly in subjects with respiratory allergic comorbidities. Children and adults differ in triggers and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis.

Mortality Rate in Children Born to Mothers and Fathers With Celiac Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Celiac disease (CD) is associated with increased mortality rate and adverse pregnancy outcome, but little is known about offspring mortality rate. In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, we identified persons whose biopsy-verified CD was diagnosed in Sweden in 1969-2008. We compared mortality rates in children born to mothers with and without CD (n = 16,121 vs. n = 61,782) and children born to fathers with and without CD (n = 9,289 vs. n = 32,984). Median age of offspring at end of follow-up was 28.7 (range, 16.7-39.7) years. We also examined mortality rates in children born to mothers with undiagnosed CD (later CD diagnosis; n = 12,919) and diagnosed CD (n = 3,202) to determine if intrauterine exposures associated with CD could affect offspring mortality rate. We estimated hazard ratios for death by using Cox regression. Death rates were independent of maternal CD (60 deaths per 100,000 person-years in children of mothers with CD, vs. 54 in controls) and paternal CD (53 deaths per 100,000 person-years in children of fathers with CD, vs. 53 in controls). Corresponding adjusted hazard ratios were 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.26) for maternal CD and 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 0.85, 1.23) for paternal CD. Death rates were similar in children born to mothers with undiagnosed CD and in children whose mothers had diagnosed CD during pregnancy. Parental CD does not seem to influence mortality rate in offspring, which suggests that neither genetic influences of CD nor intrauterine conditions have adverse effects on offspring mortality rate.

Incidence of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors in children

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors are highly malignant embryonal central nervous system (CNS) tumors that were defined as an entity in 1996. As compared with other malignant CNS tumors, their biological behavior is particularly aggressive, but patients may benefit from an intensified treatment. Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors display a complex histomorphology, which renders them prone to misdiagnosis. They occur predominantly in young children, with an estimated prevalence of 1% to 2% among all pediatric CNS tumors. However, population-based data on the incidence of these tumors are not yet available. A nation-wide survey of malignant high-grade CNS tumors (World Health Organization grade III/IV), diagnosed in children (aged birth to 14 years) from 1996 to 2006 was conducted by the Austrian Brain Tumor Registry. A central histopathology review was performed including the assessment of SMARCB1 (INI1) protein status. A total of 311 newly diagnosed, malignant CNS tumors were included. Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors constituted the sixth most common entity (6.1%), referring to an age-standardized incidence rate of 1.38 per 1,000,000 person-years in children. Peak incidence was found in the birth to 2 years age group, where they were as common as CNS primitive neuroectodermal tumors and medulloblastomas. A total of 47.4% of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors were initially diagnosed, whereas 52.6% were retrospectively detected by the central review. The 5-year survival of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor patients was 39.5%, with 66.7% in the correctly diagnosed group versus 15.0% in the not recognized group (P = .0469). Clinicians and pathologists should be aware of the high incidence of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors in young children to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with these tumors.

Reduced antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in adults and children

Recent public health efforts, including in the UK and US, have targeted decreasing unnecessary antibiotic use. In the US, prescribing for acute non-specific respiratory infections (ARIs) has decreased, but broad-spectrum antibacterial prescribing has soared. To assess recent trends in antibacterial prescribing for ARIs in the UK. Retrospective cohort. The Health Improvement Network database. Outpatient ARI visits from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2004 were selected. Outcomes were antibacterial and broad-spectrum antibacterial prescriptions per thousand person-years, and the probability of receiving an antibacterial and broad-spectrum prescription conditional on an ARI visit. From 1990 to 2004, antibacterial prescribing rates for ARIs decreased from 55.0 to 30.3 prescriptions/1000 person-years for adults and from 124.8 to 46.3 prescriptions/1000 person-years for children (P=0.001). The probability of receiving an antibacterial prescription after an ARI visit decreased from 70.8% to 59.5% for adults and from 46.1% to 30.8% for children (P=0.003 and 0.007, respectively). Antibacterial prescribing declined faster for younger than for older adults. Broad-spectrum antibacterial prescribing rates decreased from 3.8 to 2.9 prescriptions/1000 person-years for adults and from 5.2 to 2.2 prescriptions/1000 person years for children (P=0.005 and 0.003, respectively). The probability of broad-spectrum prescribing did not demonstrate a significant linear trend for adults (P=0.16), and decreased for children (P=0.01). UK antibacterial prescribing for ARIs has declined, similar to US trends, but there was no concomitant increase in low broad-spectrum prescribing. The success of UK strategies for limiting antimicrobial use has implications for programmes in other countries.

Rates and causes of child mortality in an area of high HIV prevalence in rural South Africa

To determine child mortality rates in a rural area of South Africa with high HIV prevalence. A community-based survey was conducted between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002 on deaths in children under the age of 15 years. Children were followed up through four monthly home visits. Cause of death was ascertained by verbal autopsy. Rates were calculated using Poisson regression. Mortality ratios were 59.6 deaths per 1000 live births for infants and 97.1 for children under 5 years of age. Infant and under-5 mortality rates were, respectively, 67.5 and 21.1 deaths per 1000 person-years. HIV/AIDS was attributed to 41% of deaths in the under-5 age group, with a mortality rate of 8.6 per 1000 person-years. Lower respiratory infections caused an estimated 24.9 deaths per 1000 person-years in children under 1 year of age. In rural South Africa, infant and child mortality levels are high, with HIV/AIDS estimated as the single largest cause of death. Interventions to reduce child mortality are required urgently.

Postlicensure evaluation of the effectiveness of seven valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

To evaluate the impact of the introduction and routine use of seven valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease within the Northern California Kaiser Permanente (KP) population. Surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease has been in place within KP since 1995. Isolates from normally sterile sites in children are routinely sent for serotyping. Cases of invasive disease are identified through review of automated microbiology records within KP. Incidence rates of invasive disease were compared for the period before and after routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children. The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes before the licensure and routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ranged between 51.52 and 98.15 cases per 100 000 person years in children <1 year of age and fell to 9.35 after introduction of vaccine. The incidence in children <2 years of age was 81.67 to 113.80 before introduction and 38.22 cases per 100 000 person years after introduction of the vaccine into the general population. These reductions in disease rates exceeded the average vaccine coverage substantially in each age group. No increase in disease incidence was observed for possibly cross-reacting serotypes or nonvaccine serotypes. The introduction and routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in our population have been associated with a substantial reduction in invasive disease incidence in children <5 years of age.

Parapertussis and pertussis: Differences and similarities in incidence, clinical course, and antibody responses

Objectives: To compare the incidence, clinical course, and serologic response to Bordetella antigens in patients with parapertussis and pertussis. Design: Two studies were performed in Sweden during the 1990s, when pertussis vaccines were used only in clinical trials. Study I was a retrospective study of patients with positive Bordetella cultures obtained in clinical routine, and study II involved an active search for patients with Bordetella infections during a placebo-controlled trial of a pertussis toxoid vaccine. Results: Study I includes 58, and study 11 23 patients with parapertussis. In study I, the incidence of parapertussis was 0.016 cases per 100 person years in children 0 to 6 years old and 0 in older children and adults. In study II, the incidence rates of parapertussis and pertussis were 0.2 and 16.2 per 100 person years, respectively, in children followed from 3 months to 3 years of age. The median number of days with cough was 21 in parapertussis and 59 in pertussis. The proportions of children with whooping and vomiting were lower in parapertussis than in pertussis. Geometric mean serum filamentous hemagglutinin IgG increased from 6 to 63, and pertactin IgG from 4 to 12 units/mL in parapertussis patients, which was similar to increases in children with pertussis. Conclusions: Disease caused by Bordetella parapertussis is diagnosed less commonly and is milder and of shorter duration than disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Parapertussis induced serum IgG against filamentous hemagglutinin and pertactin of similar magnitude as does pertussis, and did not induce serum IgG against pertussis toxin.

Epidemiology of enteric adenovirus infection in prospectively monitored Argentine families.

To examine the role of enteric adenoviruses (EAV) in an urban area of Buenos Aires (Argentina), we prospectively studied faecal samples from 49 families of newborns. These were monitored weekly for diarrhoea for 2 years. A total of 180 samples from cases of diarrhoea and 766 samples obtained during diarrhoea-free periods were studied by dot-blot hybridization with an EAV-specific DNA probe. EAV were found in 6/180 (3.3%) cases of diarrhoea and 6/766 (0.8%) asymptomatic samples (P < 0.015). Incidence of EAV was 3.9 cases per 100 person-years in children < 60 months old. EAV-related diarrhoeas were slight and of short duration. In addition, 129 faeces from hospital out-patients, 1-30 months old, were also studied. EAV was identified in 7/129 cases (5.4%). These cases were 9.5 +/- 3.5 months old and the diarrhoea was mild or severe, of 3 +/- 1.5 days of duration. We suggest that EAV are low-risk causes of diarrhoea under natural conditions, although a few children may develop more severe diarrhoea. The diagnosis of EAV needs to be considered in these patients.