Typhoid fever below five years
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K K Pandey1, S Srinivasan, S Mahadevan
1Department of Pediatrics, JIPMER, Pondicherry.
Insights
This study analyzed 53 pediatric typhoid fever cases, finding fever, vomiting, and diarrhea as primary symptoms. Salmonella typhi was confirmed in blood cultures, with eosinopenia noted on peripheral smears, and few complications observed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Typhoid fever remains a significant pediatric health concern globally.
- Understanding the clinical presentation and microbiological aspects in young children is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical features, microbiological findings, and complications of typhoid fever in children under five years of age.
- To assess the incidence of typhoid fever within pediatric admissions during the study period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 53 pediatric cases of typhoid fever admitted between 1981 and 1987.
- Clinical data including symptoms, and laboratory investigations such as blood cultures and peripheral smear analysis were reviewed.
Main Results:
- Typhoid fever constituted 13.5% of pediatric admissions. Predominant symptoms included fever (100%), vomiting (52.8%), and diarrhea (30.2%).
- Salmonella typhi was isolated from blood in 41.7% of cases. Eosinopenia was a significant finding in 86.8% of patients.
- Complications were infrequent (7.6%), and no mortality was recorded.
Conclusions:
- Typhoid fever in young children presents with characteristic symptoms, and prompt diagnosis is aided by blood culture and peripheral smear findings.
- The low rate of complications and absence of mortality in this cohort suggest effective management or a less virulent disease presentation during the study period.
Abstract:
During a seven year period (1981-87), 53 cases of typhoid fever in children below five years were seen. This accounted for 13.5% of all typhoid admission in pediatrics during the above period. Predominant symptoms were fever (100%), vomiting (52.8%), diarrhea (30.2%) and anorexia (24.5%). Chills and rigor associated with fever was noticed in 38% of the children. Salmonella typhi was isolated from blood in 22 of 53 (41.7%) cases. A significant finding on peripheral smear was eosinopenia (86.8%). Complications like endotoxic shock, enteric encephalopathy and gastrointestinal hemorrhage were noticed in only few cases (7.6%). There were no deaths.