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Factors associated with sclerema in infants with diarrhoeal disease: a matched case-control study

Mohammod Jobayer Chisti1, Tahmeed Ahmed, Abu Syed Golam Faruque

  • 1International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. chisti@icddrb.org

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|January 15, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Infants with diarrheal illness and sepsis who develop sclerema face higher mortality. Hypothermia and low serum protein/prealbumin levels are key indicators associated with sclerema in these infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Sclerema neonatorum is a rare but serious condition affecting newborns.
  • Diarrheal illness and clinical sepsis are common in infants, particularly in resource-limited settings.
  • Identifying risk factors for sclerema in septic infants is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine clinical and biochemical factors linked to sclerema in infants with diarrheal illness.
  • To investigate the outcomes associated with sclerema in this vulnerable population.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study comparing 30 infants with sepsis and sclerema to 60 matched controls without sclerema.
  • Analysis focused on variables including hypoxia, hypothermia, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum total protein, and prealbumin.
  • Statistical methods included chi-square tests and t-tests/Mann-Whitney tests for comparing proportions and means.

Main Results:

  • Infants with sclerema had a significantly higher case-fatality rate (30% vs. 2%).
  • Adjusted analysis revealed that sclerema was associated with hypothermia (OR 11.6), lower serum total protein (OR 1.12), and lower prealbumin (OR 1.5).

Conclusions:

  • Hypothermia, low serum total protein, and low prealbumin levels are significant factors associated with sclerema in infants with diarrheal illness and clinical sepsis.
  • These findings highlight critical indicators for identifying infants at risk of developing sclerema.
Abstract

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