Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is an important respiratory bacterial pathogen, especially among children. It causes acute upper and lower respiratory infections.Objective: This study was aimed to measure anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies among hospitalized children who were admitted to hospital diagnosed with acute respiratory tract infections.Method: Automated ELISA technique was performed to detect anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies (IgM and IgG antibodies) in serum from 108 children less than 5 years old. The children were admitted to the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Suleimani city/Kurdistan Region/Iraq because of acute respiratory tract infections. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic and clinical data from those children.Results: IgM anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies were positive in 15 (13.9%) out of 108 children. The highest seroprevalence was found in the age group 25-36 months while the lowest is in the age group 1-12 months. M. pneumoniae infections were more common among males than females though results were statistically not significant, and attendance of kindergarten or nursery, residency, history of chronic diseases, history of contact with similar conditions, and family history of chronic diseases, they were all statistically not significant. The IgMseropositive children were suffering from bronchitis, croup, pneumonia, or other respiratory infections, in frequencies of 7 (46.6%), 4 (26.7%), 3 (20%), and 1 (6.7%) respectively. Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, diagnosis of croup, and diagnosis of bronchitis were more frequent in M. pneumoniae infected group and the results were statistically significant. The IgG anti- M. pneumoniae antibodies were positive in 31 (28.8%) out of the 108 children, and the greatest IgG seroprevalence was highest in age group 49-60 months.Conclusion: M. pneumoniae is an important respiratorypathogen among hospitalized children in Sulaimanigovernorate/Kurdistan/Iraq, and nearly one third of childrenhad experienced M. pneumoniae infection by the age of fiveyears
Abstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead l
... Show MoreBackground: The timing of eruption of permanent teeth is of considerable importance to the dental health planning for diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic measures for children and teenagers. The purposes of this study were to determine timing of maxillary and mandibular permanent teeth emergence (except third molars) and to evaluate the effect nutritional status by anthropometric measures on the eruption time of permanent teeth, investigations had been done according to jaw and gender variations. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among four to fifteen years old children and teenagers from kindergarten and schools in Basrah city in the south region of Iraq. The total sample composed of 1807 children and teenagers that were
... Show MoreNonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a group of Iraqi obese children attending children welfare teaching hospital
Back ground: One out of six children in the
world today is involved in child labor, doing
work that is damaging to his or her mental,
physical and emotional development.
Objective: Assessment of some health
problems among the studied working children.
Method; A cross-sectional study was
conducted in Al Amen Primary Health Care
(PHCC) during the period from January to
August 2009, a sample of 6048 children were
selected randomly(3218girls and2866 boys age
between 5-17 years ) and interviewed to collect
information using a structured questionnaire
form, information related to different aspects
of child labor prevention were included in the
form as well as a general medical examination
and lab
Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses are the major health problem in the worldwide. In the Middle East, the prevalence of HBV in general population with the chronic infectionsis 2-5%,whereas the prevalence of HCV is about 1% in Arabian Gulf countries. World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the risks of HBV and HCV transmissionas well as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through the transfusion of contaminated blood and blood products is high, because of the fragility of health services in these countries. Several viral diseases are transportby different modes like bloodtransfusion, sexual contact, and unsafe injections. The mostcommon blood-transmitted viruses are hepatitis B virus(HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and humanimmunodeficie
... Show MoreBackground: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic disease of childhood. Increased prevalence of periodontal disease and dental caries in juvenile idiopathic arthritis is due to difficulties in executing good oral hygiene. This study was conducted to assess oral health status in patients with Juvenile idiopathic arthritis according to age and duration of illness. Materials and methods: A research was conducted among Juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients attending Baghdad Teaching Hospital with different age and both gender, underwent a clinical evaluation of their dental and oral condition. Diagnosis of dental caries was done according to the criteria of WHO (1997). Dental plaque, gingival condition, calculus were assessed by PI/
... Show MoreBackground: Pneumonia is the common lower respiratory tract infection among pediatrics, especially under five; it is a common cause of under-five children morbidity and mortality. Objectives of study: To identify nurses' perceptions toward therapeutic strategies for children with pneumonia and to find the association between their perceptions and their demographic variables. Methods: A Convenient sample of 46 nurses in Baghdad city from three hospitals) Kadhimiya Hospital for Children, Central Teaching Hospital of Pediatrics, and Child Welfare Teaching Hospital) included in the study to identify their perceptions regarding pneumonia in children. Results: The results of the study present that most of the nurses' participants in the a
... Show MoreObjective: to evaluate body image and depression symptoms of children with precocious puberty, and find out association between children`s sociodemographic characteristics and their body image and depression signs. Methodology: A cross sectional study, sample of (80) child from both gender, > 7 years were included due to their ability to express their own feeling, diagnosed with precocious puberty, attending out-patient endocrine clinics at pediatric hospitals in Baghdad city. Data collected, during the period from May to November 2018. Consent form has taken from children and their guardians to participate in study. Child body image scale (CBIS) was used to evaluate children body satisfaction (1) and Mood and feeling questionnaire (M
... Show MoreBackground: Oral health and nutrition are in interdependent relationship that good nutritional health enhancing good oral health. Nutrition can affect the development and integrity of oral cavity and the progression of oral disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of the gingival health condition in relation to the nutritional status, among 10 years old primary school children in urban and rural area in Al-Hillah city. Material and method: Eight hundred ninety one (891) students, aged10 years old, selected randomly from different primary schools, in urban and rural area in Al-Hillah city, were included in this study. Oral examination including of plaque index assessment, which was done according to the criteria
... Show More