Aims: To determine: (1) whether children diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) visited their general practitioner (GP) more frequently before the diagnosis of UTI was established compared to children never diagnosed with a UTI; and (2) whether those children with evidence of renal scarring at their first diagnosed UTI visited their GPs more frequently before diagnosis compared to children who did not have evidence of renal scarring when their first UTI was investigated. Methods: Case-control study of 77 children with a UTI identified from a hospital radiology database (37 with and 40 without renal scarring), and 77 age, sex, and general practice matched controls. Main outcome measures were entries in general practice clinical records for types of illness, antibiotic prescriptions, and urine samples requested prior to the diagnosis of first UTI (cases) or equivalent time periods for controls. Results: Cases had a mean 2.94 additional visits or 21% more visits (95% CI 1% to 41%) in the period (mean 2.4 years) prior to the visit at which their first UTI was diagnosed, including a mean 2.5 additional visits or 23% more visits for infectious illness (95% CI 1% to 45%). The cases had 114% (95% CI 41% to 184%) more visits for symptoms relating to the genitourinary tract, though the actual number of these visits was small. They were febrile at 49% more visits (95% CI 1% to 99%) and received significantly more courses of antibiotics than controls (5.2 v 4.1). They had more urine samples requested (37 v 3). Both the cases with and without renal scarring had similar excess GP visits. Conclusion: Compared to controls, children diagnosed with a first UTI had more visits at which symptoms of infection were recorded and more antibiotics prescribed prior to the visit at which the first UTI was diagnosed. These excess visits may have included undiagnosed UTIs. Both those with and without renal scarring had a similar degree of excess visits; additional aetiological factors must have played a role in scar formation. U rinary tract infections (UTIs) are most common in the first years of life, but reported incidences vary by country and setting. Studies in general practice in the UK found the incidence in children under 2 years of age ranged from 0% to 4%.

DOQI guidelines recommend minimal standards for automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), with a weekly Kt/V of 2.1 and creatinine clearance (Ccr) of 63 l/1.73 m2. The purpose of this study was to assess if the DOQI guidelines could be met by dialysis alone in children on PD. Dialysis clearance studies were retrospectively analyzed in 20 pediatric patients on APD, all with a dwell volume of at least 1,000 ml/m2. Mean dialytic Kt/V was 2.0; only 45% had a Kt/V above the recommended 2.1. Mean dialytic Ccr was 43.5 l/week per 1.73 m2; only 10% achieved a Ccr above the recommended 63 l/week per 1.73 m2. Despite the significant correlation between total therapy volume (TTV) and both Kt/V and Ccr, only 2 of 10 patients with a TTV over 10 l/m2 per day reached the target Ccr. All patients had currently recommended dwell volumes, therapy times, and nocturnal cycles, but DOQI guidelines were difficult to achieve with dialysis alone. Strict adherence to DOQI guidelines in anephric pediatric PD patients may result in changing dialysis modality. However, without evidence of a correlation between delivered dose of dialysis and improved outcome, adequate dialysis should not be assessed by only measuring Kt/V and Ccr.

In patients with persistent localized pain at the level of a sesamoid bone of the thumb not obviously related to trauma, sesamoidectomy gives excellent results. Often no X-ray or histological abnormalities are found, leaving the origin of pain problems still unsolved.

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