Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0231835 (tachypnea)
 2,543 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The association between P.E.M. and frequent and severe life threatening infections including lower respiratory tract infections have been always reported. Lack of the usual general and local signs of infection in P.E.M. makes the diagnosis difficult and sometimes only postmortem. This study evaluated the frequency of chest infections as well as the sensitivity, specificity and predictivity of different signs and symptoms of the disease in 100 children with severe P.E.M. (marasmus, kwashiorkor, and marasmic kwashiorkor). Sixty two percent of the studied children had chest infection (33% pneumonia, 29% bronchitis). Although most patients were symptomatic, yet, signs and symptoms were few and mostly non specific. Chest roentgenograms are thus mandatory in evaluating patients with P.E.M. whenever possible. The only valuable signs suggestive of chest infection in P.E.M. were tachypnea (> or = 40/min) and/or chest indrawing. Both were moderately sensitive, highly specific and predictive of the disease particularly pneumonia. Their presence thus, its indicative of the need for early institution of antibiotic therapy even before the results of chest roentgenograms. Total Leucocytic count was of little diagnostic value while contrary to the common belief that tuberculin test is usually negative in P.E.M., the use of double the usual dose of P.P.D. (i.e. 10 TU) yielded positive reaction in some of the studied patients and thus must not be omitted from the routine investigations of malnourished patients.
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PMID:Clinical and radiologic study of the frequency and presentation of chest infection in children with severe protein energy malnutrition. 129 87

Cross-sectional morbidity in 2 successive quarterly survey rounds and subsequent 27-months mortality were studied in a random sample of 4238 preschool children in the rural health zone of Bwamanda in northern Ubangi, Zaire. 45-48% of the subjects displayed signs of morbidity such as oedema, marasmus, cough, fever, diarrhea, and tachypnoea. Being particularly vulnerable, children aged 3-6 months exhibited the highest prevalences of all morbid patterns except for isolated fever. Further, while isolated cough was more prevalent in the dry season and probably attributable to nightly indoor woodburning, all other morbid patterns were significantly more prevalent in the rainy season. Diarrhea with cough constituted half of all diarrhea cases. The authors continue by concluding that children at increased risk of death may be readily identified by posing a few simple questions on major symptoms and a brief examination by paramedical health workers. The method could be employed at under-5 clinics. Prognosis, however, is particularly bad in severe malnutrition, especially when associated with diarrhea, in diarrhea with cough, cough with fever/tachypnoea, and for children who are found sick both in the rainy and the subsequent dry season.
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PMID:Child morbidity patterns in two tropical seasons and associated mortality rates. 814 93