No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Objectives: 1) To describe the epidemiology of acquired demyelinating disease among hospitalized children in the United States; and 2) to evaluate the relationship between the incidence of pediatric acquired demyelinating disease and hospital latitude.
Patients and Methods: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database was used to obtain information from 41 tertiary care hospitals on inpatient hospital admissions of children under the age of 18 years from December 2004 to July 2009. ICD-9 codes were used to identify children with demyelinating diseases. Incidences were calculated based on the number of cases per 10,000 hospital admissions.
Results: The PHIS database identified 1165 children with acquired demyelinating disease. The most commonly diagnosed acquired demyelinating disease was optic neuritis. Females were predominantly affected by demyelinating disease; however the male: female ratio was higher at younger ages and in patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). During the study period, the incidence of all pediatric acquired demyelinating diseases was 5.28 per 10,000 hospital admissions. No relationship was found between the incidence of pediatric acquired demyelinating disease and hospital latitude.
Conclusions: Among hospitals participating in the PHIS database, the incidence of pediatric acquired demyelinating disease was 5.28 per 10,000 admissions. There was a clear female preponderance in disease that was more evident at older ages. There does not appear to be a relationship between demyelinating disease and latitude.
Schreiner T, Ross C, Armstrong-Wells J (Aurora, CO) Background: Recognized as common co-morbidities in adult MS, few studies have examined psychosocial concerns in children with MS. Children live longer with disabilities which may impact their families. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to determine psychosocial aspects related to quality of life perception in this specialized population and their families by administering a validated parent-patient questionnaire.
Methods: We conducted a pilot sample of 10 parentchild pairs within our prospective cohort of pediatric MS patients at The Children's Hospital Colorado. Quality of life was assessed with the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ; Landgraf and Ware, 1996), which was administered by research staff during routine clinical follow-up. Selected data points are presented in this brief abstract.
Results: Of the pairs, 20 % were male; ages ranged between 10-17 years with a median of 15.5. Only 20% of patients worried about their health more than others, but 70% of parents worried more. Thirty percent of patients felt that their health sometimes limited family activities; the majority of parents (60%) felt limited. Overall, the majority of patients and families (60% and 70%, respectively) felt that their family ''got along'' well.
Conclusions: In this pilot study of children with MS, we have demonstrated that parents are disproportionately affected by their children's diagnosis. The CHQ is a feasible
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES