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Biomedical subjects

S R Meadow

Publications and source records attributed to S R Meadow.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Berger disease: Henoch-Schönlein syndrome without the rash.

Identical 7-year-old twin boys each had a proved adenovirus infection at the same time. A few days later one developed florid Henoch-Schönlein purpura, severe alimentary tract symptoms, and transient joint symptoms. He had an acute nephritic syndrome, which progressed to nephrotic syndrome and renal insufficiency. Biopsy showed severe proliferative glomerulonephritis with crescents and marked deposition of IgA, IgG, C3, and fibrin. The second twin had hematuria and abdominal pain but no rash. Biopsy showed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with mesangial deposits of IgA and, to a lesser extent, IgG and C3. The appearance was characteristic of Berger disease, and the subsequent clinical course has been that of symptomless microscopic hematuria and recurrent macroscopic hematuria with normal renal function. Immunologic studies have not revealed why these identical twins responded differently to the same provocation. Perhaps Berger disease may be considered a variant of Henoch-Schönlein nephritis.

Adenoviridae Infections↗

Long term prognosis of recurrent haematuria.

A long term follow up study of 100 children referred with recurrent haematuria for at least one year to two regional paediatric nephrology units is described. The mean duration of follow up was 8.2 years. An adequate renal biopsy was obtained in 96 and eight cases of Alport's syndrome and 10 of IgA nephropathy were diagnosed (20% and 26% respectively of the biopsies examined by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence). Five patients developed end stage renal failure and six hypertension requiring treatment, with the occurrence of these complications increasing progressively with increasing duration of follow up (1% at five years compared with 12% at 10 years). Adverse prognostic features were persistence of microscopic haematuria, proteinuria at presentation, and appreciable changes on renal biopsy. Eighty four patients had first degree relatives tested for haematuria; 30% of these families had another affected member. With long term follow up recurrent haematuria is associated with considerable morbidity and potential mortality.

Adolescent↗

Corticosteroid-induced cataracts in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Th incidence and severity of posterior subcapsular cataracts were studied in 58 children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome. Eight (14%) children had cataracts. Visual acuity was normal in all but one child. There was no relationship between total dose or mean daily dose of prednisolone (corrected for body surface area) and cataract formation. Alternate-day treatment with prednisolone for an average of half the total treatment time did not prevent cataracts. These studies show there is little risk of causing permanent visual handicap in children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome, provided prednisolone treatment is carefully controlled.

Cataract↗

Cure og giggle micturition..

Two boys, aged 11 and 13, had involuntary, unstoppable, and complete emptying of the bladder on laughter. In one the wetting occurred only when standing and in company, but in the other occurred regardless of posture or company. One boy had a strong family history of wetting including a grandmother who had giggle micturition as a teenager. The symptoms had been present for between 1 and 2 years. However, unlike cases previously reported, each boy was cured--one within 6 weeks and the other within 6 months. It is not clear how much of the success was due to the general sympathetic and confidence-building measures used, advice about posture, or to the drug propantheline.

Adolescent↗

Steroid-responsive and nephrotic syndrome and allergy: clinical studies.

Eighty-four children with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome who had been shown to have, or were believed to have, minimal change histology were investigated to study the relationship between steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome and allergy. They were found to have a greater incidence of the standard atopic disorders--asthma, eczema, recurrent urticaria, and hay fever. Their 1st-degree relatives had an increased incidence of these atopic disorders too. A nasal discharge was a frequent precursor or an accompaniment of nephrotic syndrome, but an overt atrophic disorder at the same time was rare. Such disorders, related to relapse, occurred in only 5 children; in none was it a consistent or recurrent happening at the time of each relapse. No example of pollen hypersensitivity nephrotic syndrome was found, and no particular allergen could be identified with certainty as responsible for a child's nephrotic syndrome. No association was found between the time of relapse and the season of the year, or the season in which the child was born. Children with nephrotic syndrome had a greater incidence of positive skin tests to common antigens, the comparative frequency of positive reactions to different antigens being similar to that found in children with asthma, although the total frequency was about half that of children with asthma. Despite the increased incidence of clinical features of atopy, measures to reduce the frequency of relapse of nephrotic syndrome by allergen avoidance, the use of sodium cromoglycate, and the use of a new oral antiallergic drug were unsuccessful.

Adolescent↗

Steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome and allergy: immunological studies.

Immunological studies were performed on 84 children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome as part of an investigation of the relationship between steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome and allergy. Serum total IgE levels tended to be raised, particularly in children who had frequent relapses of nephrotic syndrome. Ten children had extremely high levels (greater than 1500 IU/ml) and several of them had neither a history of atopy nor any other identifiable cause. 25% of the children had at least one positive test for specific IgE antibody. IgE was not detected by immunofluorescence in renal biopsy tissue from 25 children, regardless of whether the child was in remission or relapse at the time of biopsy. Serum IgG and IgA levels were depressed particularly at the time of a relapse. Serum IgM tended to be raised and to remain so, even in children who had been in remission for more than a year. No clinically useful relationship was found between the frequency of HLA antigens and the occurrence or course of the syndrome, whether or not accompanied by atopy. Clinical and immunological features of atopy are more common in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. This may be a causal or non-causal association. Pollen sensitivity is a rare cause of nephrotic syndrome; careful search for provocative agents may show other causes.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of Bartter's syndrome in early childhood with prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors.

The diagnosis of Bartter's syndrome was made in a 9-month-old boy investigated for poor weight and height gain. Initial treatment with oral potassium supplements and later spironolactone had little or no effect on his growth, although plasma potassium rose to normal after spironolactone. At 33 months indomethacin therapy was started with dramatic results. His symptoms went and his height and weight accelerated into the normal range. In view of the toxicity of indomethacin it was replaced after 12 months by another prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, ketoprofen, with a satisfactory result. During the change-over period from indomethacin to ketoprofen the expected deterioration in clinical well-being was observed, accompanied by a rise in urinary prostaglandins and plasma renin activity. Prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors provide the best available treatment for Bartter's syndrome.

Bartter Syndrome↗

Students' assessment of paediatric teaching and their opinions 7 years later.

A prospective study of the long-term validity of student assessment of paediatric teaching began during the period 1968--70. The students gave scores to the different parts of the course in a standard questionnaire. Between 6 and 8 years later the same students were given the same questionnaire to complete. 76 of the original 92 students responded. By this time most of them were either principals in general practice, or senior registrars or consultants in hospital medicine. The 18 items in the paediatric course were given remarkably similar scores in the two questionnaires, and the popularity ratings of only 2 items had altered significantly during the 7-year interval. The doctor 6--8 years after the course seems more likely to appreciate the need for teaching about communication skills.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗

Prognosis of Henoch-Schönlein nephritis in children.

All the survivors of a series of 88 patients with Henoch-Schönlein nephritis were examined after a follow-up of six and a half to 21 years (mean 9-9). Sixty-one patients had no demonstrable abnormality; six had minor urinary abnormalities; five had hypertension without urinary abnormally or renal dysfunction; four had heavy proteinuria; eight were in chronic renal failure, three of whom were on regular dialysis; and four patients had died within 25 months of onset. Neither corticosteroids nor immunosuppressive drugs alone or in combination appeared to influence the outcome. A clinical presentation with a combination of acute nephritis and a nephrotic syndrome and a high proportion of crescents in renal biopsy specimens was associated with a poor outcome. Neither the clinical presentation nor the renal morphology were, however, precise determinants of outcome. Outcome was not related to age, associated streptococcal infection, or recurrences of the rash. The clinical state two years after presentation was compared with the state six and a half years or more after presentation in 76 patients. The clinical state had changed in 32 patients, in 17 of whom it had deteriorated. It was not possible to identify with any certainty the patients who would deteriorate (or improve). Patients who have had Henoch-Schönlein nephritis should be followed up for at least five years.

Adolescent↗