Pneumonia, which usually requires hospitalization for children, is caused by various pathogens. According to recent surveys, the prevalence of atypical pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma or Chlamydia has increased, especially in preschool children. Also, the evidence has been accumulated that Mycoplasma or Chlamydia infection is associated with asthma including both inception and exacerbation. Therefore, it is important to consider how the... |
Viruses are the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and young children and are a major public health problem in this age group. Viruses were identified in 54.9-70.4% of hospitalized infants and children with LRTIs in Korea. The viral pathogens identified included respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A and RSV B, influenza (Inf) A, Inf B,... |
Reduced fetal growth is independently associated with increased risk of health problems in later life, particularly type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Insulin resistance appears to be a key component underlying these metabolic complications. It is suggested that detrimental fetal environment may program insulin resistance syndrome. An insulin-resistant genotype may also result in both low birth weight and insulin resistance... |
The incidence of small for gestational age (SGA) births is frequent, accounting for 2.3% to 8% of all live births. Several childhood and adult diseases are related to early postnatal growth and birth size, and 10% of children born SGA may have a short stature throughout postnatal life. Additionally, they may have abnormal growth hormone (GH)-insulin like growth factor axis,... |
Depending on the definition used, between 3% and 10% of live neonates are small for gestational age (SGA). The definition of SGA requires the following: (1) accurate knowledge of gestational age; (2) accurate measurements at birth of weight, length, and head circumference; (3) a cutoff, which has been variably set at the 10th percentile, 3rd percentile, or at less than... |
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of blindness that affects premature infants. With advances in neonatology, ROP is likely to emerge as the most serious problem of vision loss in children even in developed countries; such a situation could be called the third epidemic of ROP. However, controversy and uncertainty still surround favorable outcomes of ROP. For successfully... |
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Korea on 14 reports from 1984 to 2008 were analyzed. Follow-up rates were varied from 42.9% to 90.2%. Duration of follow-up ranged from 4 months to 5 years. The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) of VLBWI was as follows: 4.3-5.3% in 1980s, 7.1-9.1... |
Recent advances in perinatal care have resulted in improved survival of extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI). However, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains one of the major complications in ELBWI. BPD was originally described over 40 years ago; the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of BPD have changed markedly through this period. In this article, I have reviewed recent progress in... |
Inherited muscle diseases are heterogeneous with varying genetic etiologies and present with common symptoms and signs, including weakness, motor developmental delay, and hypotonia. To diagnose these various diseases, a meticulous family and clinical history, physical and neurological examinations, laboratory findings with electromyography, muscle biopsy, and genetic testing are needed. Here, I review several inherited muscle diseases, with a focus on... |
Seizures are a frequent symptom in metabolic disorders, although metabolic disorders are rarely found to be the cause of epilepsy. A precise diagnosis might not only influence treatment, but it might also call for counseling of the family, even if there are no direct therapeutic consequences. We review the main characteristics of epilepsy in metabolic disorders with regard to energy... |
Recently, accumulated clinical experience and advanced neuroradiological techniques have led to a better understanding of pediatric cerebrovascular disease (CVD), which was once considered rare. Approximately 10% of pediatric neurosurgical patients have CVD; therefore, it is no longer uncommon to pediatricians and pediatric neurosurgeons. Furthermore, children with CVD tend to recover better than adults after stroke because the immature brain is... |
Functional urinary incontinence, the absence of any neurologic or structural abnormality as a cause of urinary incontinence in children, is one of the most common clinical problems encountered in pediatric and urologic departments, and it can be socially and emotionally distressing for the affected children. The prevalence rates of functional urinary incontinence in school-aged children are not very high and... |
Nocturnal enuresis is a heterogeneous disorder with various underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and causes a mismatch between the nocturnal bladder capacity and the amount of urine produced during sleep at night. It is associated with a simultaneous failure of conscious arousal in response to the sensation of bladder fullness. Generally, a complete history and physical examination, with a specific focus on... |
The genitourinary tract and gastrointestinal system are interdependent but share the same embryological origin, pelvic region, and sacral innervation. Although children with voiding disturbances often present with bowel dysfunction, this coexistence was considered coincidental until recently. However, it is now accepted that dysfunction in emptying of both systems is interrelated. Afferent impulses carrying sensory information are transmitted through the spinal... |
The fluoroquinolones are an important group of antibiotics widely used in the treatment of various infectious diseases in adults, as a result of an excellent spectrum of activity, good tissue penetration and convenient ways of administration. In recent decades, there has been extensive development, clinical investigation, licensure and use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. However, the use of fluoroquinolones in children has... |
Aminoglycosides are frequently used antibiotics in children. The multiple daily dosing (MDD) in infants and children is twice or three times daily depending on age. Recent studies in adults have shown that once daily dosing (ODD) maximizes the bactericidal activity and might minimize the toxicity of antibiotics. So, I reviewed many studies about efficacy, toxicity and cost effectiveness of ODD... |
Macrolide antimicrobial agents including erythromycin, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin are commonly used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections in children. Newer macrolides that have structural modifications of older drug erythromycin show improved change in the spectrum of activity, dosing, and administration. However, recent studies reported that increasing use of macrolide antibiotics is the main force driving the development of... |
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility. The recommended evaluation includes documenting the type and severity of ADHD symptoms, verifying the presence of normal vision and hearing, screening for comorbid psychological conditions, reviewing the child`s developmental history... |
Developmental language disorder is the most common developmental disability in childhood, occurring in 5-8% of preschool children. Children learn language in early childhood, and later they use language to learn. Children with language disorders are at increased risk for difficulties with reading and written language when they enter school. These problems often persist through adolescence or adulthood. Early intervention may... |
Learning disabilities (LD) are heterogeneous group of disorders with evidences of genetic or familial trait, intrinsic to the individual and presume to be due to central nervous dysfunction. Learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the two of the most common disorders in the population of school-age children. Typically academic achievements in children with learning disabilities are significantly... |
Lymphadenopathy is a common problem in children and adolescents. A wide variety of diseases and conditions may present as lymphadenopathy and an understanding of these conditions is essential to determine the most appropriate diagnostic work-up for each patient. A detailed history and physical examination with careful attention to the anatomical regions drained by the involved lymph node or mass often... |
Bone pain in a child could be associated with cancer as an initial manifestation of the disease. The childhood malignancies that frequently present bone pain are leukemia, neuroblastoma, and primary bone tumors such as osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Persistent bone or joint pain associated with swelling, mass, or limitation of motion implies underlying serious causes. Systemic manifestations such as lymphadenopathy,... |
Enlargement of organs or other solid tissues usually presents as an abdominal mass. Often, abdominal masses in children are found by an unsuspected parent or by a physician during a routine examination. Most masses have no specific signs or symptoms. Abdominal masses in children require immediate attention. History and physical examination may provide clues to the diagnosis. Ultrasound examination is... |
Korea is now classified as an area of intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B virus (HBV), due to the implementation of universal HBV vaccination and national preventive programs for HBV infection. A national program of HBV vaccination was launched in Korea in 1988 for school-going children and was listed on a vaccination guideline in 1991. In 1995, universal vaccination for newborn... |
The age-specific anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence rates in South Korea have changed markedly since the last 2030 years with an improvement in the socio-economic, housing, and environmental-sanitation conditions. These changes are characterized by very low anti-HAV seropositive rates among individuals less than 30 years of age; however, nowadays, most adolescents and young adults at an increased risk of developing... |
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) develops in genetically susceptible individuals as a result of progressive autoimmune destruction of beta cells. There is a large global variation in incidence among children aged 0-14 years. The incidence of T1DM in Korea is very low. The latest survey in Korea was conducted in 2001 by the Korean Society of Pediatrics to analyze ... |
The prevalence of obesity in Korean children is estimated to be around 10%, and has increased significantly over the past 20 years. Metabolic syndrome, which includes central obesity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, is a well documented risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, but there is no general consensus concerning its definition for children. In this study, ablut 30-40%... |
The government neonatal screening program has a 17-years history. Therefore, it can now provide information on the prevalence of endocrine and metabolic diseases which included in neonatal screening. Knowledge of the prevalence of metabolic diseases is very important with these results, the most effective screening methods can be determined and diseases can be identified that should be added to neonatal... |
Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology, usually occurring in infants and young children. Although the etiology of Kawasaki disease remains uncertain, its serious complicationssuch as giant aneurysm formation, coronary arterial stenotic lesions, and thrombotic occlusionhave been proven to cause myocardial ischemia or infarction in patients with Kawasaki disease. To prevent and treat these complications, several modes of... |
Kawasaki disease (KD) was first described by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in his 1975 study, published in Pediatrics. Its pathogenesis is still not clearly understood. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important to preventing concomitant coronary artery complications. Most KD patients respond well to the standard treatment of aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin; however, some of them are refractory to the standard... |