Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activities of 82 healthy neonates (aged 9 hours to 11 days) and 106 healthy children (aged 2 months to 15 years) were determined. Serum GGT activity of 47 neonates (51%) was higher than the accepted upper limit of normal for adults. By three months of age, all of the children had serum GGT activities that were within the accepted normal range for adults. Thereafter there was only minimal variation in serum GGT activities of older children. Although mean serum GGT activity was higher in male children than in female children, there was no significant difference between the values for male and female neonates. That after the neonatal period serum GGT activity is constant in the adult range and is not affected by bone growth as is alkaline phosphatase suggests that GGT may be of value in the evaluation of hepatobiliary disease in children.
The clinical, radiologic, and histologic features of 16 patients hospitalized with clindamycin-associated colitis are presented. The findings are tabulated and compared to 33 cases reported in the literature. The majority of patients were caucasian females over 40 years of age. The clinical presentation varied from mild persistent diarrhea to acute surgical abdomen. Proctoscopic examination revealed nonspecific colitis in 9 and pseudomembranous colitis in 7 cases. No specific radiologic or histologic fingings for postanitbiotic colitis were found. Therapy was nonspecific and varied according to the severity of the clinical course. Clinically, there appeared to be some benefit from systemic steroid therapy. 4 of the 16 patients died. None of the recovered patients have had spontaneous relapses off medication during follow-up evaluation. The pathogenic mechanism for postantibiotic colitis secondary to clindamycin remains unknown and does not appear dose related. Clindamycin therapy should be limited to disorders with specific indications.
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