[Abdominal complications of systemic lupus erythematosus]

An analysis is done on the description of lupus erithematous and its diagnostic criteria, while emphasizing abdominal manifestations, its variations as well as the importance in its early detection for opportune treatment. Three patients with intestinal pneumatosis, pancreatitis and intestinal perforation, are described.

[Munchausen syndrome in children: report of 2 cases]

We report the existence of two cases of an infrequently know form of child abuse, Munchausen syndrome "by proxy" treated in the Department of Internal Medicine of the National Institute of Pediatrics. We have considered it necessary to emphasize the way this clinical entity is presented, pointing out the exact clinical data and how the relatives referred to them when faced with the treating physician, the number of people involved in treating the children as well as the exagerated number of laboratory and X-ray studies performed. The discrepancy in terminology to point to this disease, allows for the use of the term "Munchausen syndrome in children" to differentiate it from that used in psychiatry. The need to alert the medical community who treats these children on this rarely seen disease, will allow for its recognition and early treatment which avoid a reinforcement of the perpetrators attitudes.

[Endrin poisoning]

We present the case of a fifteen months female patient, who accidentally ingested "Endrin Helios" (cyclodiene organochlorinated pesticide) surviving this event. Clinical manifestations were generalized seizures without neither neurologic or hepatic damage. A review is made about the mechanism of intoxication with the toxic and also about the publications dealing with endrin.

[Algorithm of battered children at entrance to a third-level pediatric hospital center]

Many factors intervene in the diagnosis and treatment of the battered child, including all types of maltreatment. This factors are related with the patient and his social familiar background. An algorithm was established at the Department of Internal Medicine of the National Institute of Pediatrics (INP) during 10 months, that indicates the steps to be followed when a patient with suspicion of maltreatment is hospitalized. The patients were compared with others, treated with the same problem, hospitalized in other services. 37 patients were studied from which, 17 were physically assaulted, 3 sexually abused, 5 socially deprived, 9 psychologically deprived and in 3 patients maltreatment was discharged. The final algorithm signals the routes to be followed when this type of patients enter a pediatric hospital. Battered child; algorithm in.