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Query: UMLS:C0043167 (pertussis)
 19,595 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

5-15% of all 3-15 year old children in the world are mentally impaired. In fact, 0.4-1.5% (10-30 million) are severely mentally retarded and an additional 60-80 million children are mildly or moderately mentally retarded. Birth asphyxia and birth trauma account for most cases of mental retardation in developing countries. 1.2 million newborns survive with severe brain damage and an equal number die from moderate or severe birth asphyxia. Other causes of mental retardation can also be prevented or treated such as meningitis or encephalitis associated with measles and pertussis; grave malnutrition during the 1st months of life, especially for infants of low birth weight; hyperbilirubinemia in neonates which occurs frequently in Africa and countries in the Pacific; and iodine deficiency. In addition, iron deficiency may even slow development in infants and young children. Current socioeconomic and demographic changes and a rise in the number of employed mothers may withhold the necessary stimulation for normal development from infants and young children. Primary health care (PHC) interventions can prevent many mental handicaps. For example, PHC involves families and communities who take control of their own care. Besides traditional birth attendants, community health workers, nurse midwives, physicians, and other parents must also participate in prevention efforts. For example, they should be trained in appropriate technologies including the risk approach, home risk card, partograph, mouth to mask or bag and mask resuscitation of the newborn, kick count, and ictometer. WHO has field tested all these techniques. These techniques not only prevent mental handicaps but can also be applied at home, health centers, and day-care centers.
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PMID:Prevention of mental handicaps in children in primary health care. 178 28

In the present study, auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded in 60 high-risk neonates in the intensive care unit selected by the following criteria: Birth-weight less than 2000 g, hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy or exchange transfusion, idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome, artificial ventilation, asphyxia, sepsis or meningitis, intracranial haemorrhage, neurological symptoms and potential ototoxic medication (aminoglycoides, furosemide). The infants tested ranged in gestational age from 27-44 weeks. The ABR testing was performed in a sound-proof room using the Madsen (ERA-74) equipment. Four infants did not reveal responses to 70 dB HL ("nonresponders"), and the total of 10 neonates (16.6%) had abnormal ABR-tests, when the physiological changes related to gestational age and conceptional age (gestational age plus the age after birth) were taken into account. The 10 neonates with abnormal tests were reexamined after discharge, and in six there were no improvement of threshold sensitivity. three of the "nonresponders" were retested several times within the two years after birth (one died at age 18 months of pertussis), and none of them revealed ABR at stimulus intensity of 70 dB HL. They all attend an audiological training program started at age of six months as a consequence of the early diagnosis of impaired auditory function. It is our opinion that a routine ABR-evaluation should be performed on high risk neonates (criteria mentioned above) in the newborn intensive care unit. Retesting of infants with abnormal responses within three months, and several times within the next two years if abnormal responses persist, is important. Transient impairment of auditory functions is not uncommon in these infants. However, the children with persisting hearing impairment should be discovered early to attend an early audiological training program.
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PMID:Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in high-risk neonates. 718 Apr 39