Medical check-up of newly arrived unaccompanied minors: A dedicated pediatric consultation service in a hospital

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Healthcare for the increasing number of migrants in Europe, and particularly of unaccompanied minors (UMs) seeking asylum, has become a major challenge. We aimed to describe the health issues of UMs managed in a dedicated pediatric consultation service in a care center in Paris.

METHODS

All UMs attending a dedicated migrant medical consultation service in Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France, were included in a single-center retrospective observational study from September 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018.

RESULTS

Out of the 107 UMs who were included, 87% had a health problem (n=93) and 52% had an infectious disease (n=56). The main infectious diagnoses were schistosomiasis (22%), latent tuberculosis (22%), intestinal parasitosis (16%), and chronic hepatitis B (8%). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and overweight were common (35% and 20%, respectively). The median age was 15 years old (IQR, 14-16), the male/female ratio was 95/12. Most of the children were from sub-Saharan Africa (n=67), 46% had crossed Libya (n=49) and, when compared to the other migration routes, faced an increasing risk of violence (69%, p=0.04), imprisonment (53%, p=0.03), and forced labor (48%, p=0.02). The median duration of the trip before reaching France was 6 months (IQR, 2-13), the median time to consultation was 2 months (0-5) and was not associated with an increased risk of health problems. A total of 43 UMs were lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Health problems, particularly infectious diseases and PTSD, are common among UMs and should prompt an early medical consultation with psychiatric evaluation. Follow-up is problematic and could be improved by an on-line health book.

Clinical and metabolic aspects of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)

Experience with CAPD in 14 patients, treated for periods of 2–10 months, is presented. Clinical and biochemical control of uremia appeared adequate in all patients except one. Control of extracellular volume and hypertension was easier with CAPD than with intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD). Nine episodes of peritonitis occurred in 5 patients (one peritonitis/8 patients months). Mean protein loss was 9.7 ± 2.7 g per day. In 6 patients on IPD oral glucose tolerance test resulted in a paradoxical rise of HGH, whereas this was not observed after 4 months of CAPD.

Management and prevention of imported malaria in children. Update of the French guidelines

Since the 2007 French guidelines on imported Falciparum malaria, the epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of malaria have changed considerably requiring guidelines for all Plasmodium species to be updated. Over the past decade, the incidence of imported malaria has decreased in all age groups, reflecting the decrease in the incidence of malaria in endemic areas. The rates of severe pediatric cases have increased as in adults, but fatalities are rare. The parasitological diagnosis requires a thick blood smear (or a rapid immunochromatographic test) and a thin blood film. Alternatively, a rapid antigen detection test can be paired with a thin blood film. Thrombocytopenia in children presenting with fever is highly predictive of malaria following travel to a malaria-endemic area and, when detected, malaria should be strongly considered. The first-line treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria is now an artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), either artemether-lumefantrine or artenimol-piperaquine, as recommended by the World Health Organization in endemic areas. Uncomplicated presentations of non-falciparum malaria should be treated either with chloroquine or ACT. The first-line treatment of severe malaria is now intravenous artesunate which is more effective than quinine in endemic areas. Quinine is restricted to cases where artesunate is contraindicated or unavailable. Prevention of malaria in pediatric travelers consists of nocturnal personal protection against mosquitoes (especially insecticide-treated nets) combined with chemoprophylaxis according to the risk level.

[Fever in children returning from travel]

Child travelers are numerous, exposed to the risk of diseases, both infectious and noninfectious, for which practitioners often lack experience. The assessment of febrile returning child travelers is becoming more frequent and challenging. The question of previous travel should be foremost in the checklist of the interview of any febrile child traveler, because this implies a possible tropical disease such as malaria that may be life-threatening. These need to be investigated and treated effectively and rapidly. There are highly contagious infections that could pose public health risks requiring implementation of hygienic and public health measures. A detailed immunization, medical, and travel history for exposure to infectious risks using geographic, seasonal, environmental, sociocultural, and epidemiological data are needed. Along with clinical examination and elementary first-line investigations, the history should guide second-line exams, which will provide the etiology and optimal treatment in approximately 75 % of cases. The majority of children will have a cosmopolitan infection that resolves spontaneously or is simple to treat. Malaria will need urgent and specific treatment. This article describes guidance on first-line evaluation and management of febrile child travelers as recommended in France.

Long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria

BACKGROUND

In erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), an inherited disease of porphyrin-biosynthesis, the accumulation of protoporphyrin in the skin causes severely painful phototoxic reactions. Symptom prevention was impossible until recently when afamelanotide became available. Afamelanotide-induced skin pigmentation has statistically significantly improved light-tolerance, although the clinical significance of the statistical effect was unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To assess clinical effectiveness by recording compliance and safety during prolonged use.

METHODS

We report longitudinal observations of 115 ambulatory patients with EPP, who were treated with a total of 1023 afamelanotide implants over a period of up to 8 years at two porphyria centres; one in Rome, Italy, and the other in Zurich, Switzerland.

RESULTS

Since the treatment first became available in 2006, the number of patients treated with 16 mg afamelanotide implants rose continuously until June 2014, when 66% of all patients with EPP known to the porphyria centres were treated. Only three patients considered afamelanotide did not meet their expectations for symptom improvement; 23% discontinued the treatment for other, mostly compelling, reasons such as pregnancy or financial restrictions. The quality of life (QoL) scores, measured by an EPP-specific questionnaire, were 31 ± 24% of maximum prior to afamelanotide treatment, rose to 74% after starting afamelanotide and remained at this level during the entire observation period. Only minor adverse events attributable to afamelanotide, predominantly nausea, were recorded.

CONCLUSION

Based on the improved QoL scores, high compliance and low discontinuation rates, we conclude that afamelanotide exhibits good clinical effectiveness and good safety in EPP under long-term routine conditions.

[Counsel for traveling children]

Consultation of child traveler has two main objectives: to assess of health risk related to the child's health status and history and also the risk related to travel environment; to counsel and prescribe preventive measure to reduce these travel health risks. The evaluation is based on physical examination and a detailed interview including personal history and information regarding the regions of proposed travel. Up to date knowledge of the epidemiology of visited sites, preventive measures and presumptive treatment is required. Essential health recommendations include, in case of exposure, prevention of malaria, arthropod borned diseases and vaccine preventable diseases. For all destinations advice regarding prevention of diarrhea, accident risks and aggravation of preexisting chronic diseases is needed. Universal primary prevention counselling is valuable for all travellers regardless of their age. In the case of children, special attention must be given to food and water hygiene, sun and heat exposure, swimming risks and transports security measures. Evaluation of risk and health education take time and often several visits are needed to complete the immunization schedule before departure.

Four novel mutations of the coproporphyrinogen III oxidase gene

Here we report the characterization of four novel mutations and a previously described one of the coproporphyrinogen III oxidase (CPO) gene in five Italian patients affected by Hereditary Coproporphyria (HCP). Three of the novel genetic variants are missense mutations (p.Gly242Cys; p.Leu398Pro; p.Ser245Phe) and one is a frameshift mutation (p.Gly188TrpfsX45).

[Immunization for children travelling to the tropics: neglected vaccines]

Each year hundreds of thousands of children leave France to travel to developing countries where they are exposed to infectious agents that can be prevented by vaccination. During the child's pre-travel check-up, practitioners should check that all mandatory immunizations are up-to-date and provide advice on relevant vaccines in function of the epidemiological situation at the chosen destination. However various factors hinder full compliance with this approach and some vaccines are underused. Underused vaccines are referred to as neglected vaccines. In the French vaccination schedule three vaccinations can be considered as neglected. The first is the hepatitis B vaccine that has a low coverage level in France due to strong reluctance to its use despite the fact that the virus is widespread in tropical areas. The second is pneumococcal vaccine that should be administered to all infants less than 2 years of age, especially for travel to areas where pneumonia and meningitis are frequent. The third is BCG vaccine that is now at greater risk of being neglected in child travellers because its use has been downgraded from a general requirement to a recommendation only for children at risk. A serious limitation on the use of travel vaccinations is cost that can lead families to neglect some infectious risk such as hepatitis A that is a major risk for child travellers as well as for their relatives during or after the trip and typhoid fever that is essentially an imported disease. Rabies vaccine is also underused due to its cost and to poor understanding of the risk by many practitioners and families. The purpose of this article is to underline the need to improve information and access to vaccines that are all too often neglected in child travellers.

[Children arthropod bites protective measures: insecticides and repellents]

Vector transmitted diseases are often a serious threat for child health, especially for children traveller in tropical regions. Few arthropod borne diseases are preventable by immunization or chimioprophylaxis. Prevention of most of them is based on personal protection against arthropod bites. The evidence of its efficacy has been established by the use of impregnated bed nets, impregnated clothes with permethrin or mosquito repellent which reduced significantly child malaria morbidity and mortality in endemic countries. These personal protective measures are able to minimize arthropod bites and prevent Chikungunya infection, dengue fever and Lyme disease. The choice of a repellent among the commercialised products need to be efficacy and safety evidence based. This article propose to raise this issue and to give pragmatic recommendations, with a focus to children below 30 months who are at a high toxicological risk. Severity of these diseases allowed to use potentially toxic repellents if misused.

Vaccinations de l'enfant voyageur

Each year, half a million of children leave France to travel towards countries south or east of the European Union, sometimes in poor sanitary conditions. In order to propose essential or useful immunizations for these trips, the current synthesis will allow the practitioner to insure that the routine French immunization schedule has been followed, and to complete it if needed, to protect the child according to the epidemiological situation in the visited area, to try to reduce the limitations of the immunization of the traveler child. In case of emergency, or close departure, it may be useful to follow an accelerated schedule of the last minute, and, sometimes, to immunize traveler children with a chronic disease. Informations on Internet sites useful for the knowledge of current infectious risks in the destination country are also provided.

[Acute uncomplicated malaria treatment in children in France in 2002]

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES

Imported P. falciparum malaria cases are rising in France reaching 1300 estimated children in 2000. Three years after the publication of therapeutic guidelines, the Groupe de Pédiatrie Tropicale conducted an observational survey in order to describe the practice of acute uncomplicated malaria treatments in children, to identify their limits and to make proposals to improve them.

METHODS

A self administrated questionnaire has been proposed to 29 pediatric wards declaring over 10 malaria cases in 2000. Questions were focused on treatment practices and monitoring of children diagnosed with acute uncomplicated malaria in 2002.

RESULTS

Twenty-six services, who treated more than 700 children, responded. Twenty-two on 26 services hospitalized systematically malaria cases. Mean duration of hospitalization was 2.2 days (S.D. +/- 0.9). First line treatment was halofantrine in 22 on 26 services and mefloquine in four services. A second halofantrine dose was given systematically at day 7 in three services. No clinical cardiac effects happened. Quinine was used in perfusion only in cases of gastric intolerance. Treatment failure has never been experienced in the 22 services using halofantrine and has been experienced at least once in two on four wards using mefloquine. Relapse occurred at least once in 19 on 22 wards treating with halofantrine.

DISCUSSION

Halofantrine with hospitalization is still the leading treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria in children in France. In spite of the absence of clinical cardiac incident, a second cure of halofantrine was not often used, exposing to a high rate of relapse. Mefloquine is three time more used than in 1997, in spite of its digestives side effects that can explain failures of treatment. When done, the systematic clinical and parasitological control confirms failures after mefloquine and the high incidence of relapse after one cure of halofantrine. Only used in case of severity or digestive disorders, quinine is a little less prescribed in acute uncomplicated malaria in 2001 than in 1997.

CONCLUSIONS

The limitations of antimalarial drugs used in France in case of acute malaria argue for an improvement of protocols (systematic second reduced dose of halofantrine after day 7, mefloquine associated with antiemetic drug) and a systematic clinical and parasitological monitoring. As alternative, efficient combinations of antimalarial as first line treatment are needed in France.

What happens to eating disorder outpatients who withdrew from therapy?

OBJECTIVE

Dropouts are frequent among eating disorder (ED) patients, but less is known about their natural history. This paper assesses the outcome of outpatients who dropped out from a therapy programme and its possible causes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

From 1992 to 1994, we assessed 222 ED subjects. Psychiatrists expert in EDs evaluated these subjects by defining baseline parameters and diagnosis was made according to the 3rd revisioned edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. One hundred and twenty-eight subjects (57%) dropped out during the treatment. In 1997, we contacted them, reassessed the same baseline parameters and asked for a self-judgment about their social and clinical condition during the previous 2-5 years. Patients were classified as "improved" and "not improved" (stationary or worse) according to their social, physical and psychological condition. The relation between baseline condition and outcome was determined statistically.

RESULTS

Seventy-one percent of subjects were "improved" and no deaths were recorded. A significant correlation was found between "duration of illness" and no treatment following a dropout.

DISCUSSION

The high percentage of improvement among dropouts was unexpected. Shorter duration of illness and lack of specific therapy in the improved patients suggest the existence of a subset of ED patients with acute onset and a spontaneous tendency to improve. This point obviously requires further investigation.

The frontotemporal region plays a role in the genesis of migraine without aura

We have compared the migraine-inducing effect of nitroglycerin ointment applied to the frontotemporal region of the head, which is innervated by the ophthalmic and maxillary divisions of the trigeminal nerve, with that of nitroglycerin applied to the chin (innervated by the mandibular division), the posterolateral region of the neck (innervated by the second and third cervical roots), the lateral surface of the proximal third of the forearm (innervated by the sixth cervical root), and the medial surface of the upper-arm region (second dorsal root). One hundred patients suffering from migraine without aura were randomly divided into five equal groups. Each group received an application of 5 mg nitroglycerin in 2% ointment on a preselected body area for 2 hours. Frontotemporal nitroglycerin induced a significantly greater number of early onset migraine attacks with respect to the arm and forearm regions. In all cases, nitroglycerin applied to the frontotemporal region resulted in subsequent migraine, whereas there was a significant number of negative trials with nitroglycerin applied to the neck, arm, and forearm vs the frontotemporal area. It, therefore, appears that the trigeminal nerve endings in the affected frontotemporal region are particularly sensitive to the migraine-inducing effect of the nitrate. This suggests a peripheral neurogenic hypothesis of migraine genesis.

Long-term treatment with carbamazepine affects CSF somatostatin immunoreactivity in epileptic patients

A number of pharmacological evidence supports the view that somatostatin (SS) may be importantly involved in the seizure susceptibility both in humans and in laboratory animals. In a previous report the Authors have provided the finding that a short-term carbamazepine (CBZ) administration is able to reduce SS-CSF-IR in epileptic patients. The present study has been carried out to investigate whether a long-term treatment with CBZ affects in a similar way SS-IR content in CSF from temporal lobe epileptics (CPS). The results confirm and expand previous evidence suggesting that CBZ lowering effect on CSF-SS-IR may be relevant to its anticonvulsivant action.

Source of pain and primitive dysfunction in migraine: an identical site?

Twenty common migraine patients received a one sided frontotemporal application of nitroglycerin (10 patients) or placebo ointment (10 patients) in a double blind study. Early onset migraine attacks were induced by nitroglycerin in seven out of 10 patients versus no patient in the placebo group. Subsequently 20 migraine patients, who developed an early onset attack with frontotemporal nitroglycerin, received the drug in a second induction test at other body areas. No early onset migraine was observed. Thus the migraine-inducing effect of nitroglycerin seems to depend on direct stimulation of the habitual site of pain, suggesting that the frontotemporal region is of crucial importance in the development of a migraine crisis. This is not consistent with a CNS origin of migraine attack.

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of indobufen in the prophylaxis of migraine

In a double-blind randomized trial of 42 patients with classic or common migraine, indobufen, an antiplatelet drug that inhibits platelet cyclo-oxygenase, was compared with placebo in the prevention of migraine. The duration of treatment was 3 months, and the efficacy was assessed on the basis of the following variables: frequency and duration of attacks, headache index (intensity x frequency); 35 completed the investigation. Indobufen at an oral dose of 200 mg b.i.d. reduced all the variables considered, where placebo did not. The drug was generally well tolerated. The findings of the preliminary trial suggest that indobufen might be an useful alternative in the prophylaxis of migraine.

Flunarizine in prophylaxis of childhood migraine. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study

An 8-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of flunarizine in the prophylaxis of migraine has been performed in 70 children. After 4 weeks of medication-free base-line observation, 35 children (group A) received flunarizine (5 mg/day) and 35 (group B) received placebo over a 12-week period. After a 4-week washout they crossed treatments for another 12 weeks. Sixty-three patients completed the trial. In both groups flunarizine significantly reduced the frequency and average duration of headache attacks. In group A efficacy was maintained after placebo crossover for the last 4 months of the study. Five subjects in group B stopped placebo because of ineffectiveness; two children in group A discontinued flunarizine treatment, one because of excessive daytime sedation and the other because therapy was ineffective. The main side effects were daytime sedation and weight gain. It is concluded that flunarizine is an effective drug for the treatment of childhood migraine. In a study of this length no serious side effects were discovered.

Platelet function in childhood migraine

Platelet function in vitro and in vivo (ADP-induced platelet aggregation, circulating platelet aggregates, beta-thromboglobulin plasma levels) has been studied in children with common migraine, in headache-free intervals. Migraine patients demonstrated increased circulating platelet aggregates when compared with controls. Moreover, two of ten patients had pathological beta-thromboglobulin levels. These data indicate that in some children with migraine there is an abnormality of platelet function during headache-free periods.

Flunarizine v. placebo in childhood migraine. A double-blind study

Successful migraine prophylaxis with flunarizine has been reported in adults by several authors. We used flunarizine in a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial in childhood migraine. Twenty-four children with classical or common migraine were followed by a 12-week flunarizine treatment period. Each patient took 5 mg/day of the drug before going to sleep. Twenty-four children with similar clinical characteristics were assigned to placebo treatment. Efficacy of flunarizine versus placebo was assessed on the basis of the reduction of headache frequency and duration. A statistical comparison was performed between values reported in the treatment period and those in the three months before. Children treated with flunarizine experienced a statistically significant reduction in headache (66%) and duration (51%). These results were statistically superior to those observed in the placebo group. Sixteen patients on flunarizine therapy experienced an improvement of more than 50% of both parameters. We found flunarizine is an effective agent in children's migraine prophylaxis. Moreover it is suitable for the low incidence of mild side effects.

[Platelet aggregation in vasomotor headache]

Employing optical density methods, platelet aggregation in response to increasing concentration of ADP was tested in 24 patients with migraine and 15 controls. The migraine patients don't demonstrate platelet hyperaggregability when compared with controls. Platelet aggregate ratio (P.A.R.) was measured in 13 patients and 15 controls by the method of Wu and Hoak: a significant difference was found between and controls. The hyperaggregability found here, even if only for the P.A.R., may help explain the increased incidence of stroke and heart attack in migraine patients that has been reported elsewhere.

Response to dexamethasone in affective disorder outpatients

Plasma cortisol suppression following 1 mg dexamethasone administration was investigated in patients with affective disorders. Twenty-nine depressed outpatients, 8 bipolar depressed inpatients during manic or hypomanic phase, and twelve healthy volunteers entered the study. Depressed patients were divided into 2 groups according to Research Diagnostic Criterio of Spitzer et al. (1978). The first group consisted of 10 patients affected by minor depressive disorders. The second group was formed of 19 patients with major depressive disorders (7 bipolar, 12 unipolar). No difference between patients and controls was found in baseline 4.00 p.m. serum cortisol levels. Healthy volunteers, patients with minor depressive disorders and bipolar subjects in manic or hypomanic phase showed normal suppression. On the other hand, only 42% of patients with major depressive disorders showed suppression. These results suggest that altered response to dexamethasone is a state-dependent phenomenon. Moreover, a dexamethasone suppression test is able to identify subgroups of suppressor in affected patients.