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[A clinical study of severely mental and motor retarded children]
A Ishikawa1, N Fukushima, A Takase
1Department of Pediatrics, Sapporo City General Hospital.
Insights
This study followed 73 children with severe mental and motor retardation, most with early onset. Respiratory issues were a major concern, leading to frequent hospitalizations and interventions.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Disabilities
Context:
- Study period: 1986-1992.
- Involved 73 patients with severe mental and motor retardation.
- 82% had onset before one year of age.
Purpose:
- To describe the clinical characteristics and healthcare needs of children with severe mental and motor retardation.
- To analyze hospitalization patterns and causes of death.
Summary:
- Congenital or neonatal diseases were the etiology in 48 patients.
- All patients required feeding assistance; many needed tracheotomy, home oxygen, or mechanical ventilation.
- 63 patients had 343 hospitalizations, primarily for respiratory disturbances, with increasing long-term admissions.
Impact:
- Highlights the significant burden of respiratory complications in this patient population.
- Informs clinical management and resource allocation for children with severe developmental disabilities.
- Underscores the need for specialized care and support services.
Abstract:
From 1986 to 1992, we examined 73 patients with severely mental and motor retardation. The onset age of 82% of the patients was less than one year. The number of patients was 29 and 54, in 1986 and 1992, respectively. The etiology for 48 patients was congenital or neonatal diseases. All patients were unable to eat by themselves. Tracheotomy was made on ten cases. Eight patients were on home oxygen therapy. Twenty-one patients had the history of mechanical ventilation. Sixty-three patients had the history of hospitalization and their total number of hospitalization was 343. About a half of hospitalizations was for respiratory disturbance. The number of cases with long term hospitalization recently increased. Ten patients died, only one patient died of pneumonia. Unexpected sudden death occurred in three patients.