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Biomedical subjects

R N Srivastava

Publications and source records attributed to R N Srivastava.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bacteriuria and urinary tract infections in malnourished children.

We prospectively examined the incidence of bacteriuria in malnourished patients between 6 months and 5 years of age. For each patient, a normally nourished control matched for age, sex, and presence of fever and diarrhea was included. Of 112 patients (65 boys), 55 had moderate and 57 had severe malnutrition; 43 had diarrhea and 35 had fever. Clean-catch and suprapubic urine specimens were examined microscopically and cultured. Significant bacteriuria was found in 17 (15.2%) malnourished and 2 (1.8%) control subjects ( P<0.01). The incidence of bacteriuria in malnourished and normally nourished subjects with fever was 28.6% and 5.7%, respectively ( P<0.05). The risk of bacteriuria increased significantly with the severity of malnutrition and in patients with diarrhea. Bacteriuria was associated with symptoms (70.6%) and elevated levels of acute-phase reactants (88.2%), indicating the presence of urinary tract infections (UTI) rather than asymptomatic colonization. Our observations show that malnourished children, particularly those with fever, are at risk for UTI. Urinalysis is useful for screening for UTI in these subjects. Urine culture should be performed in patients showing an abnormal urinalysis, and if the likelihood of detecting bacteriuria is high (as in patients with fever or diarrhea). Significant bacteriuria in malnourished subjects should be treated with appropriate antimicrobials.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗

Isolated asymptomatic proteinuria.

Proteinuria is occasionally detected on "routine" examination (not done for a suspected renal or urinary tract problem) and often presents a diagnostic problem. Even mild proteinuria is abnormal and needs an explanation. Its degree and persistence should be ascertained and associated hematuria looked for. Nonpathological (including orthostatic) proteinuria and renal tubular disorders should be excluded. Persistent proteinuria is mostly due to a primary or secondary (eg hepatitis B) glomerular condition, which requires expert evaluation of renal biopsy. Aggressive therapy may be needed in some cases. The intensity of proteinuria can be decreased with ACE inhibitors. Long-term observation is essential.

Child↗

Asymptomatic haematuria in children.

Asymptomatic haematuria is not an uncommon problem in children and adolescents. Isolated haematuria even when gross is less sinister than haematuria associated with proteinuria. Extensive evaluation is usually not necessary in such cases and they can generally be followed up after careful evaluation to rule out urinary tract infection, hypercalciuria, familial (benign) haematuria, and structural abnormalities (cysts, stones, obstruction, Wilms' tumour). Patients with various forms of glomerulonephrtis usually have associated proteinuria and may require renal biopsy. Intravenous pyelography, cystoscopy and renal angiography should be carried out when very clearly indicated.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of focal glomerulosclerosis with pulse steroids and oral cyclophosphamide.

Patients with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome often have an unsatisfactory long-term outcome and are at risk of developing chronic renal failure. We prospectively treated 65 children with idiopathic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) with intravenous pulses of corticosteroids and oral cyclophosphamide. Dexamethasone (5 mg/kg) or methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) was administered intravenously, initially 6 pulses on alternate days, followed by 4 fortnightly and 8 monthly pulses. Oral cyclophosphamide therapy was given for 12 weeks and tapering doses of prednisolone were administered for 52 weeks. The mean age at treatment was 85.7+/- 44.9 months. Five patients developed serious infections during administration of initial alternate-day pulses and were excluded. Of 59 patients who completed initial alternate-day therapy, 17 had complete and 8 partial remission; 34 (57.6%) patients did not respond to treatment. The median urine protein to creatinine ratio decreased from 10.0 to 0.75 (P<0.005) and serum albumin increased from 1.9 g/dl to 2.4 g/dl (P<0.01). The median duration of follow-up after stopping pulse therapy was 25.6 months. Thirty-four patients were followed for more than 3 years (median 4.5 years). Of these, 22 (64.7%) patients had a favorable outcome; persistent complete remission was seen in 15 patients and steroid-responsive relapses in 7. Seven patients had non- nephrotic-range proteinuria, 2 had nephrotic-range proteinuria, and 3 (8.8%) were in chronic renal failure. There was no significant difference in the short- and long-term outcome of patients with initial (n=28) and late resistance (n=31). The outcome in patients receiving intravenous dexamethasone (n=48) or methylprednisolone (n=11) was also similar. The chief side effects included worsening of height standard deviation score (47.4%), transient hypertension (42.5%), and serious infections (18.5%). We conclude that prolonged treatment with intravenous corticosteroids and oral cyclophosphamide is beneficial in patients with steroid-resistant FSGS. Expensive protocols can be successfully modified and used, depending upon the availability of health resources.

Administration, Oral↗