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Background: Dermatological manifestations due to impaired renal function in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are diverse and are an important cause of morbidity., Aim: To determine the prevalence of dermatological manifestations in predialysis children with different stages of CKD and its association with various metabolic parameters., Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 200 predialysis children with CKD stages 1-5 and 200 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Detailed dermatological examination was performed to check for any pathological/physiological changes in the skin, mucosa, hair and nails, and changes were recorded in a predesigned proforma., Results: The median age of cases and HCs was 60.50 months (76.5% males) and 62 months (78.5% males) respectively. Skin manifestations were seen in 189 (94.5%) cases and 156 (78%) HCs (P < 0.001). The most common skin manifestation among cases was pallor (75.5%, P < 0.001) followed by xerosis (48.5%, P < 0.001), atopic diathesis (41.5%) and pruritus (13%, P < 0.001), while among HCs, the most common skin manifestation was atopic diathesis (46%), followed by pallor (24%) and xerosis (14%). Xerosis was found to be significantly associated with higher serum creatinine levels (P = 0.04) and hypocalcaemia (P = 0.03). There was no significant association found between pruritus and serum creatinine., Conclusion: Xerosis was significantly associated with higher levels of creatinine and hypocalcaemia. Timely recognition of these symptoms and proper management can improve the quality of life in children with CKD., (© 2021 British Association of Dermatologists.)

Objective: Electroacupuncture (EA) is used in the treatment of various diseases through the use of electrical stimulation. Reports of adverse events (AEs) associated with acupuncture are relatively consistent, but the safety of EA has been less well reported. In this systematic review, we provide a summary of the types of AEs related to EA in clinical practice., Methods: Twelve electronic databases, including those in English (PubMed, Ovid-EMBASE, CENTRAL), Korean (KMbase, KISS, NDSL, KISTI, OASIS), Chinese (CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu) and Japanese (J-STAGE), were systematically searched for single case studies and case series through April 2018. There were no language restrictions. We included clinical studies in which EA was used as a key intervention and in which AEs that may have been causally related to EA were reported., Results: Thirty-seven studies, including 27 single case studies and 10 case series, were evaluated. The most frequently reported AEs were pallor (eight cases), skin pigmentation (eight cases), vertigo (seven cases), chest tightness (six cases), vomiting (six cases) and unconsciousness (five cases). Thirty-one cases (62%) achieved full recovery and three cases (6%) achieved partial recovery. There were also three cases of death (6%)., Conclusion: AEs related to EA included acupuncture-related AEs and serious AEs induced by electrical stimulation. Currently, specific stimulation conditions associated with EA-specific AEs are not identifiable due to inappropriate reporting. However, skin pigmentation, syncope or spasm, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shock, cardiac emergencies, electrical burns, and potential internal organ injury are potential EA-specific AEs regarding which physicians should be cautious in clinical practice.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal bleeding is a common problem in pediatric emergency department (PED). Some of these patients can lose significant amount of blood which may lead to shock. The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors predicting clinically significant gastrointestinal (GIS) bleeding in patients presenting to PED., Methods: This study was performed prospectively from January 1st 2013 to December 31th 2013 in patients with upper or lower GIS bleeding. Clinically significant GIS bleeding was defined as >2g/dL hemoglobin decrease at any time during observation in PED, need for erythrocyte transfusion or need for rapid endoscopic evaluation., Results: 105 patients were enrolled, 81 of which were eligible for the study. Twenty two patients (26,8%) had clinically significant GIS bleeding. These patients have significantly more commonly have upper GI bleeding and symptoms of melena, pallor and tachycardia. Initial laboratory findings revealed lower hemoglobin, RBC and albumin levels with higher WBC and BUN levels. They need significantly more nasogastric tube placement and PPI and H2 blocker treatment. Final diagnosis included more gastritis and peptic ulcers. These patients have less hematochezia, less lower gastrointestinal bleeding and less commonly diagnosed as acute gastroenteritis or Mallory Weiss tear as a final diagnosis., Conclusions: Pediatric emergency physicians should be aware of clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with clinically significant GIS bleeding to predict which patients are under risk of life threatening blood loss. Patients who have melena, pallor, tachycardia, anemia and uremia at presentation are more prone to have significant GIS bleeding., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Hypotonic-Hyporesponsive Episode (HHE) is an adverse event after vaccination, mainly associated with whole-cell pertussis vaccines. It is characterized by a sudden onset of muscle flaccidity, reduced response to stimuli and pallor or cyanosis. Although the HHE is infrequent, it is considered a severe adverse event., Objective: To report a case of HHE following the administration of the whole-cell pertussis combination vaccine (DTwP-HB-Hib), which is included in National Im munization Program (PNI) of Chile, and to contributing to the knowledge of this adverse event in the country., Case Report: A 6-month-old infant, 3 hours post-vaccination with the third dose of DTwP-HB-Hib vaccine, presented a decreased level of consciousness that was interpreted as atonic seizure but finally considered as EHH. The infant progressed favorably after 2 hours of clinical observation and was discharged 24 hours later. Parents were suggested to continue the immunization schedule of the infant with acellular pertussis vaccines as a preventive measure., Conclusions: The lack of knowledge about the EHH may discourage childhood immunization. Therefore, it is important for the medical staff to inform parents of the patients about this benign, self-limited and non-recurrent adverse event. In these cases, it is recommended to continue the immunization schedule of the infant with acellular pertussis vaccines.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is a recognised cause of lower limb peripheral arterial disease in young adults. We describe the cases of two otherwise healthy brothers who presented with the condition 5 years apart. The first brother, who is also the first author of this case report, presented aged 19 with worsening, right-sided, exercise-induced lower leg pain and transient foot pallor. Imaging confirmed PAES and irreversible localised arterial damage. Surgery was performed to release the entrapment and resect the section of diseased artery. The limb was revascularised using an autologous interposition saphenous vein graft. The second brother began experiencing left-sided, exercise-induced lower leg pain aged 24. Again, imaging revealed PAES and irreversible arterial damage. A similar revascularisation procedure was performed. Both siblings fully recovered and are symptom free. Arterial duplex scans have confirmed patent grafts. A correlation in siblings has only been reported in the literature five times previously., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Introduction: Pancytopenia is a relatively common hematological entity and is a manifestation of many illnesses which can be life threatening at times. The severity of pancytopenia and the underlying pathology determine the management and prognosis. This study was conducted to evaluate hematological and bone marrow findings in patients presenting with pancytopenia., Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in Department of Pathology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara from January 2011 to December 2016. Clinical and hematological parameters including bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were evaluated in all patients who presented with pancytopenia., Results: Among 138 cases studied, patients' age ranged from 2 to 82 years with a mean age of 43.95 years, and there was male predominance. Most of the patients presented with generalized weakness, pallor, dypnoea and fever. Hypoplastic marrow was seen in 38 (27.5%) cases, followed by 26 (18.8%) cases of megaloblastic anemia and 19 (13.76%) cases of acute leukemia. Other findings included one case each of hemophagocyosis, leishmaniasis, plasmodium vivex malaria and metastatic carcinoma., Conclusions: This study highlights that pancytopenia is a common hematological problem and that the study of detailed primary hematological investigations along with bone marrow study in patients with pancytopenia will help to identify the cause for further planning and management.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (also known as Kala Azar) is a parasitic infection caused by Leishmania Donovani in the East and Leishmania Infantum in the west. It is prevalent in many countries including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Africa and part of America. The disease follows chronic course and is usually lethal if left untreated. It has also been reported from different parts of Pakistan, including Northern areas, Districts Mansehra & Abbottabad and Hilly areas of Khyber Pukhtoonkhawah. Most the cases have been reported in paediatric population. Except one case, reported previously from Abbottabad. The present two cases were also seen in adults.

Adult cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), predominantly males, have been reported in the past decade from natives of high altitude areas of North Indian state of Uttarakhand. We report 14 pediatric cases of VL, who were diagnosed and treated successfully over the past 7 years. All these children were born and brought up in this area and had never visited any of the endemic areas. High prevalence of pallor, splenohepatomegaly, thrombocytopenia and poor association with HIV are cardinal features of VL in this region. Although newer drugs have become available, the protozoan continues to be sensitive to sodium stibogluconate. We conclude that the transmission cycle of VL has been established in this region and VL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any child presenting with fever and hepatosplenomegaly. However, molecular and epidemiological studies are needed to identify the ancestry, vector and animal reservoir if any in this region., (© The Author [2016]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A previously healthy 9-month-old boy presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of pallor and reduced activity. A detailed history and initial blood tests revealed the diagnosis of oxidant stress-induced hemolysis caused by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. However, the child also had a second diagnosis that was revealed with additional testing. This case is described to illustrate the dual diagnosis and management guidelines for both potentially serious conditions.

Purpose: Previous studies have shown that the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism in children with breath holding may be generalised autonomic dysregulation. Thus, we performed cardiac rhythm and heart rate variability analyses using 24-hour Holter monitoring to evaluate the cardiac effects of autonomic dysregulation in children with breath-holding spells., Methods: We performed cardiac rhythm and heart rate analyses using 24-hour Holter monitors to evaluate the cardiac effects of autonomic dysregulation in children during a breath-holding spell. Our study group consisted of 68 children with breath-holding spells - 56 cyanotic type and 12 pallid type - and 39 healthy controls., Results: Clinical and heart rate variability results were compared between each spell type - cyanotic or pallid - and the control group; significant differences (p<0.05) in standard deviation of all NN intervals, mean of the standard deviations of all NN intervals for all 5-minute segments, percentage of differences between adjacent RR intervals >50 ms, and square root of the mean of the sum of squares of the differences between adjacent NN intervals values were found between the pallid and cyanotic groups., Conclusions: Holter monitoring for 24 hours and heart rate variability parameters, particularly in children with pallid spells, are crucial for evaluation of cardiac rhythm changes.

Harlequin color change is a distinctive cutaneous phenomenon presenting as a well-demarcated color change, with half of the body displaying erythema and the other half pallor. Only a few cases have been reported, possibly because of under-recognition. Recognition of this benign, self-limited condition may enable physicians to avoid unnecessary interventions. Herein we describe a neonate with nonimmune hydrops fetalis due to neonatal hemochromatosis who developed Harlequin color change after abdominal paracentesis., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in children may have atypical presentations causing diagnostic delay. Guidelines for prompt referral have been published. The utility of the specified criteria is unknown., Material and Methods: Symptoms, signs and laboratory findings at the time of diagnosis were reviewed in a consecutive series of 100 children with ALL in order to determine the frequency of atypical features and to evaluate the Danish referral guideline., Results: Only 36% had involvement of all three haematopoietic cell lines, and 23% presented with the classic clinical triad of pallor, fever and purpura. Symptoms of bone marrow insufficiency had been present in 77% for an average of two weeks as a late occurrence following musculoskeletal pains (in 49%, duration eight weeks) and constitutional symptoms (in 82%, duration four weeks). Organ infiltration was manifest in 71%. In 22%, only one or no cell count was abnormal; in this group, musculoskeletal symptoms were more frequent and symptom duration longer (two months versus one month). In 15%, lymphoblasts could not be detected in the blood. At the time of diagnosis, the Danish criteria for accelerated investigation were fulfilled in 98% of cases., Conclusion: The clinical presentation of ALL is variable, and full-blown bone marrow insufficiency is a late occurrence as the disease progresses. Reduction of the diagnostic interval requires meticulous examination for organomegaly and attention to subtle haematologic changes., Funding: Not relevant., Trial Registration: Not relevant.

Recurrent headache is increasingly recognised in young children. Migraine and tension-type headache feature commonly amongst the primary headache disorders seen at this age. Headaches at this age are more likely than in older patients to be 'unclassifiable', possibly a reflection of the difficulties in obtaining a detailed headache history from a young child. Together with recent epidemiological data this review highlights the more prevalent primary headache types with advice on making a focussed headache assessment and guidance on management in this age group.

Objectives: To investigate the prehospital presentation of paediatric leukaemia and identify the disease and non-disease related factors which facilitate or impede diagnosis., Design: Thematic analysis of qualitative semistructured interviews., Setting: One tertiary referral centre in Southern England., Participants: 21 parents and 9 general practitioners (GPs) of 18 children (<18-year-old) with a new diagnosis of acute leukaemia., Results: The majority of children were first seen by GPs before the characteristic signs and symptoms of leukaemia had developed. In their absence, behavioural cues such as the child becoming apathetic or 'not themselves' often triggered parents to seek medical help. Most GPs were unclear about the nature and severity of the child's presentation: then, safety netting, thorough history-taking and examination, and reliance on contextual information about the parents or from prior hospital paediatrics experience were used to manage diagnostic uncertainty. The nature of the doctor-parent relationship helped and hindered the diagnostic pathway. GPs' prior perceptions of parents as being 'sensible' or 'worriers' influenced how gravely they treated parental concerns, with 'worriers' being taken less seriously. Some parents believed GPs failed to listen to their anxieties and discounted their expert knowledge of their child. Specific delay factors included lack of continuity of GP; some GPs' reluctance to take blood from children; and some parents feeling unable to voice effectively their concerns., Conclusions: The presentation of paediatric leukaemia in primary care differs from that described in many hospital studies, with greater diversity and intermittency of symptoms, and the frequent absence of 'red flags' of serious illness. A wide range of non-disease related factors potentially delay the diagnosis of paediatric leukaemia, including tensions in the doctor-patient relationship and the doctors' cognitive biases. The identification and attempted modification of these factors may minimise diagnostic delay more successfully than raising awareness of 'red flags' of disease.

A 33-year-old athletic male was unexpectedly found dead in his bed. For several days prior to his death he complained of tenderness and swelling of his right buttock. The post-mortem examination revealed unilateral pale gluteal muscles and pustular impetiginized skin lesions of the right lower leg. The muscle histology demonstrated pronounced acute inflammation and limited necrosis of muscle fibers confined to the right gluteal muscles. Vascular occlusion and renal abnormalities were excluded by post-mortem angiography and histology respectively, and the diagnosis of non-tropical pyomyositis, possibly originating from the dermatological infection, was made. Toxicological testing revealed a potentially lethal intoxication with fentanyl and morphine. Pyomyositis is etiologically attributed to an infection and predominantly affects large limb or trunk muscles. Males are affected more frequently than females. Histologically, it is dominated by acute inflammatory infiltrates and may lead to sepsis and subsequent death. Although occurring less frequently, pyomyositis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of macroscopic localized muscle pallor, together with vascular occlusion and rhabdomyolysis. In such cases, only the examination of fresh frozen muscle tissue samples from different locations, together with the histological examination of the internal organs, particularly the kidneys, will facilitate the confirmation of the correct diagnosis.

There is a scarcity of clinical data in the field of aplastic anaemia from rural India. Present study was conducted in North Bengal Medical College to find out the clinicohaematological profile and the possible aetiological factors in patients with aplastic anaemia. The study population (n = 83) included 21 children with male to female ratio 4.93:1. Weakness was present in all cases and pallor was present in 74.70% cases. Fever, bleeding episodes and localised infection were found in 55.42%, 48.19% and 27.71% cases respectively. There was no difference in clinical manifestations between children and adult except occurrence of fever (p = 0.0365). We identified possible aetiological factors in 32.53% cases as relevant drug intake in 10.84%, exposure to chemicals in 13.25% and hepatitis in 8.43% cases. We found low mean haemoglobin (3.81 +/- 1.71 g/dl), leucocyte and platelet (3.05 +/- 1.3 and 37.30 +/- 35 x 10(3)/cmm), neutrophil (30.28 +/- 21.76%) and high lymphocyte (67.27 +/- 22.50%) in peripheral blood. At the time of presentation, aplastic anaemia was moderate in 59.04% cases, severe in 48.19% cases and mild in 4.82% cases. We estimated the prevalence of aplastic anaemia in 4 districts of West Bengal including tea garden areas was 2.98/million populations per year. It was concluded that aplastic anaemia is a major non-malignant haematological disease in this part of India, and an increasing use of chemicals in agricultural and tea garden areas might be the responsible factor. Larger population based study is suggested.

Background/aim: To examine late vaginal mucosal reactions in patients following interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) compared with that of intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT)., Patients and Methods: We introduced a modified Dische score to examine late reactions in vaginal mucosa of patients with gynecological cancer who underwent vaginal brachytherapy at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 60 months after treatment. A comparison was made between patients who underwent ISBT (n=37) and those under conventional ICBT (n=63) with a median follow-up time of 41 months. The ICBT group included only patients with newly diagnosed cervical cancer, whereas the ISBT group included 17 patients with recurrent and 20 with newly-diagnosed cancer., Results: Grade 1 reactions of bleeding and discharge were exhibited by <12% of patients. Erythema was detected in approximately 30% (mainly grade 1) of the patients. A total of two (3%) patients developed superficial ulceration after ICBT, whereas three (8%) grade 1 ulcers were detected in patients after ISBT. Telangiectasias were detected in approximately 70% (60% grade 1 and 10% grade 2) of patients. No statistically significant difference was found between the patients after ISBT and ICBT. After ISBT, patients have a higher stenosis rate than after ICBT (p=0.003). The pallor scores showed a strong correlation with stenosis (p<0.0001) and were higher in patients after ICBT than in patients after ISBT (p=0.006)., Conclusion: After ISBT, patients exhibited milder but similar late mucosal reactions compared to those after ICBT, except the fact that the stenosis was more severe and the pallor reaction was milder in these patients. It can be, therefore, concluded that the pallor reaction is related to stenosis.

Background: The typical presentation of infantile hemangioma is well known and is easily recognizable. However, it may have many atypical presentations, as reported in the literature. Most of the hemangiomas are not visible at birth and become apparent at about 3 to 4 weeks of age. There are very few case reports of hemangioma presenting as a pale patch in the dermatology literature, and none of them describe the etiopathogenesis of this presentation and its clinical implications., Objective and Conclusion: We report a case of an infantile hemangioma with a trichrome presentation: an erythematous oval patch with a dark red macule at the periphery enclosed by a hypopigmented halo. A brief description of the etiopathogenesis of the pallor sign is also given.

Chronic cold agglutinin disease is a subgroup of auto-immune haemolytic anaemia. Primary cold agglutinin disease has traditionally been defined by the absence of any underlying or associated disease. It usually affects elderly. The term cold refers to the fact that the auto-antibody involved reacts with red cells poorly or not at all at 37 degrees C, whereas it reacts strongly at lower temperature. Here a case of severe pallor, jaundice and red colour urine in winter season for last 10 years diagnosed as a case of primary cold agglutinin disease is reported.The patient was managed conservatively.

Aim: To determine the nature, incidence, and severity of oral manifestations that occur in chronic renal failure (CRF) in patients attending two hospitals in North Karnataka, in comparison with healthy, disease-free controls., Methods: The study was carried out with 200 individuals (100 CRF patients and 100 controls). The case group was randomly selected from a population of CRF patients whose glomerular filtration rate (GFR) values were between 15-30 mL/min; the control group was selected in the same age group with normal GFR and was apparently disease free. The patients were asked about dry mouth, taste and halitosis, and mucosal pain, and were examined for oral changes such as tongue coating, pallor, ulceration and enamel hypoplasia. The results obtained from the study were then compared with various other similar studies., Results: The most common oral findings in the CRF patients were dry mouth (91%), pallor (87%), altered taste (42%), and halitosis (34%). CRF patients showed significantly more oral changes than those in the control group. These changes could be attributed to metabolic disturbances due to renal failure., Conclusion: In the patients studied, the impact of CRF on the oral cavity was evidenced by significant oral changes, which pointed to an inter-relationship between oral health and CRF. Further studies are required to relate the extent of such changes with disease progression.

The phenomenon of erythrocyte sickling observed in sickle cell anaemia is responsible for ischaemia and tissue infarction compromising several organs and systems including the mouth and face. This brief paper reports the case of a 17- year-old female with a complicated sickle cell anaemia, hypertension and paraplegia (after an ischaemic stroke at the age of six years). Oral examination revealed the absence of tooth 12, fractures of teeth 11, 21 and 22 (from trauma), active caries lesions in the enamel of teeth 36, 37 and 46, mucosal pallor, and a smooth tongue. Oral radiographs revealed bone rarefaction and trabecular bone coarsening. Dental surgeons and physicians should be aware of the general and oral abnormalities that can be present in individuals with sickle cell anaemia to allow for preventive measures and implementation of effective treatment options.

Thalassaemia is the most common haemoglobinopathy in the Chinese population. However, recurrent painful digital swelling is not a typical manifestation of this well-known hereditary condition. We describe a case of co-inheritance of beta-thalassaemia and sickle cell trait in a Chinese family and a child who suffered from sickle cell/beta-thalassaemia with recurrent dactylitis. This report highlights awareness of this rare condition in the Chinese population, since acute manifestations can be life-threatening and mimic other emergency conditions. Prompt management can prevent further complications and avoid unnecessary interventions due to delay in diagnosis. A detailed family history and examination of the patient's peripheral blood smear is crucial to reach a correct diagnosis.

A 39-year-old man presenting with acute delirium is reported who suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest shortly after being sedated. Death followed 2 days later from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. At autopsy, marked pallor and edema of his left sternomastoid muscle was observed which was shown on microscopy to be due to confluent coagulative necrosis. Myoglobin casts in his renal tubules corresponded to an antemortem creatine phosphokinase level of 31,940 U/l. Death was due to rhabdomyolyisis and excited delirium complicating cocaine toxicity with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, against a background of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Extensive confluent pallor in a single muscle may be a useful marker of chronic cocaine exposure associated with hyperthermia and muscle necrosis. Confirmatory toxicology is required.