Although the study group was biased towards the more severe cases, the data suggest that the long-term functional outcome in JCA is, in more than one-third, associated with active disease persisting into adulthood, increasing residua and the need for surgery.
Acute respiratory infections cause considerable morbidity among Inuit children, but there is very little information on the risk factors for these infections in this population. To identify such factors, the authors performed a prospective community-based study of acute respiratory infections in an open cohort of 288 children aged 0-2 years in the town of Sisimiut, Greenland. Between July 1996 and August 1998, children were monitored weekly, and episodes of upper and lower respiratory tract infections were registered. Risk factor analyses were carried out using a multivariate Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Risk factors for upper respiratory tract infections included attending a child-care center (relative risk = 1.7 compared with home care) and sharing a bedroom with adults (relative risk = 2.5 for one adult and 3.1 for two adults). Risk factors for lower respiratory tract infections included being a boy (relative risk = 1.5), attending a child-care center (relative risk = 3.3), exposure to passive smoking (relative risk = 2.1), and sharing a bedroom with children aged 0-5 years (relative risk = 2.0 for two other children). Breastfeeding tended to be protective for lower respiratory tract infections. The population-attributable risk of lower respiratory tract infections associated with passive smoking and child-care centers was 47% and 48%, respectively. The incidence of acute respiratory infections among Inuit children may be reduced substantially through public health measures.
Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are frequent in Inuit children, in terms of incidence and severity. A cohort of 294 children <2 years of age was formed in Sisimiut, a community on the west coast of Greenland, and followed from 1996 to 1998. Data on ARI were collected during weekly visits at home and child-care centers; visits to the community health center were also recorded. The cohort had respiratory symptoms on 41.6% and fever on 4.9% of surveyed days. The incidence of upper and lower respiratory tract infections was 1.6 episodes and 0.9 episodes per 100 days at risk, respectively. Up to 65% of the episodes of ARI caused activity restriction; 40% led to contact with the health center. Compared with studies from other parts of the world, the incidence of ARI appears to be high in Inuit children.
Objective: Assessment of growth disturbances in adults with a history of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). Material and Methods: Sixty-five subjects, 52 premenopausal females and 13 males with a mean age (range) of 32.2 years (22.3–49.4) participated. Mean age at disease onset was 5.7 years (0.8–15.8) and mean disease duration was 12.4 years (0.4–32). The follow-up time ranged from 18.7 to 46.9 years with a mean of 26.4 years. For each participant standard deviation scores (z-scores) for final height, delta-height (the difference between observed and expected height), armspan, subischial leg length and sitting height ratio, were calculated. Results: The study group as a whole did not exhibit linear growth impairment. The categorical distribution of heights differed significantly from a expected distribution in a healthy population (p < 0.001). A height z-score < –2 SD was present in 10.7% of the study group, of whom all had polyarticular course of JCA. Polyarticular and systemic course of JCA (versus pauciarticular) (p = 0.022), systemic steroid treatment (p = 0.006) and Steinbrocker functional class II–IV (vs. I) in 1979 (p = 0.043) were variables associated with reduced delta-height. In linear regression analyses, disease severity defining variables were statistically significant predictors of reduced final height and armspan. 27% of the study subjects had significantly reduced arm span (p < 0.001). Subischial leg length and body proportions (sitting height ratio) were normal. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that functionally impaired polyarticular and systemic JCA patients treated with systemic steroids may be at an increased risk of developing reduced final height and armspan. Disease control achieved by an aggressive therapeutic approach, if possible with a minimal use of systemic steroids, may reduce growth impairment in JCA.
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