The present study shows that obese children and adolescents were at greater risk for ID and IDA than their normal-weight peers. Low grade inflammation induced by excessive adiposity may be a reason for the observed low iron levels. This is also strengthened by the elevated serum ferritin levels, comprising an acute phase protein that is plausibly increased in inflammation.

IntroductionHyponatraemia is the most common electrolyte imbalance seen in clinical practice, and a common laboratory finding in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study aimed to identify the incidence of hyponatraemia in cases of CAP, to find predictive tools in order to classify the severity and outcome of CAP and to explore possible differences of clinical importance between the two sexes.Material and methodsThe medical files of 54 children (66.4% males), 4.67 ±2.88 years old, were retro-prospectively reviewed.Results35/54 (64.8%) children with pneumonia had normal values of sodium at admission, 18/54 (33.3%) had mild hyponatraemia and 1 child (1.9%) moderate hyponatraemia. Increased heart rhythm and tachypnoea at admission were correlated with lower values of sodium (z= −2.664, p = 0.007 and z = −1.705, p = 0.089 respectively). No differences were found between the two sexes concerning the characteristics of pneumonia or the range of sodium in serum at admission. A correlation was found between sodium admission values and: a) C-reactive protein (p = 0.000), and b) leukocyte count (p = 0.006). Sedimentation rate (p = 0.021) was also considered as a possible risk factor affecting the value of sodium at admission to hospital. Finally, a negative association was also observed between the degree of hyponatraemia and the duration of hospitalization (z = −3.398, p = 0.001).ConclusionsAlthough studies in larger population groups are needed, in our study increased heart rhythm, tachypnoea, leucocyte count, C-reactive protein, and also erythrocyte sedimentation rate could be considered as possible risk factors influencing the degree of hyponatraemia, and thus the outcome of hospitalized children with CAP.

IntroductionMigraine is considered to be a multifactorial, complex disease. Various genetic and environmental factors contribute to the manifestation of this disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms in the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) region are associated with the risk of migraine. We examined the association between 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of TNF-α and TNF-β genes and migraine.Material and methodsThe study included two groups of children (group A and group B). Group A consisted of 103 unrelated children with typical migraine without aura 5–14 years of age. Group B (control group) consisted of 178 unrelated healthy children. The diagnosis of migraine was, in all patients, made according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD II).ResultsAccording to our results positive family history was present in 62.2% of patients of group A. No significant differences were found in the frequencies of genotypes or alleles between patients and controls. The non-parametric analyses of variance showed no significant differences in the age at onset between genotype groups of the TNF-α and TNF-β gene polymorphisms. Comparison of genotype frequencies between boys and girls in affected patients and control individuals were not significantly different (p = 0.089, p =0.073 respectively). The distribution of TNF polymorphisms was not associated with the presence of family history of migraine in patients.ConclusionsOur data indicate that TNF-α and TNF-β gene polymorphisms are not a significant risk factor for migraine without aura in Greek children.

IntroductionNocturnal enuresis (NE) and obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) are common problems during childhood, and population studies have reported a significant correlation between them. This study aimed to assess whether habitual snoring, mouth breathing and daytime sleepiness are associated with increased incidence of NE in children with OSAHS.Material and methodsPolysomnography was performed in 42 children (66.7% males), 3.5-14.5 years old, who were evaluated for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).ResultsFourteen out of 42 children (33.3%) presented mild, 16 out of 42 (38.1%) moderate and 12 out of 42 (28.6%) severe degree of OSAHS. Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ranged between 1.30-94.20 (10.54 ±15.67) events per hour of sleep. Nocturnal enuresis was reported in 7/42 (16.7%) of them. The main observed symptoms were snoring (90.5%), restless sleep (81%), mouth breathing (71.4%), nasal congestion (76.2%), and difficulty in arousal (52.4%). A statistically significant association was found between NE and mouth breathing (p = 0.014) or nasal congestion (p = 0.005). Children with OSAHS and NE had a higher arousal index (8.14 ±8.05) compared with OSAHS children without NE (4.61 ±7.95) (p = 0.19, z = –1.28). Snorers had higher levels of AHI (11.02 ±16.37) compared with non-snorers (6.05 ±4.81) (p = 0.33, z = –0.96), and habitually snorers (23/42, 54.76%) were at greater risk of having NE (4/23) than were non-snorers (0/4, p = 0.36). However, the prevalence of enuresis was not related to the severity of OSAHS, expressed as AHI (p = 0.70).ConclusionsMouth breathing, nasal congestion and high threshold of arousal during sleep should be more carefully evaluated in cases of children with NE who do not respond to standard treatment and present SDB.

Objective: To examine the accuracy of maternal ability to classify their children's weight status correctly using a verbal and a visual classification instrument and to detect significant correlates of maternal misperceptions. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Primary schools in four counties from north, west, central and south Greece. Subjects: A representative sample of 1858 primary-school children aged 9-13 years was examined. Two different instruments to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status, i.e. a verbal and a visual one, were used. Results: Verbal and visual maternal underestimation rates of children's weight status were 15?0 % and 41?3 %, respectively. The frequency of underestimation was much higher among overweight and obese children for both instruments. The highest underestimation rates of 87?9 % and 82?1 % in overweight and obese boys, respectively, were obtained with the visual instrument. Multiple logistic regression modelling revealed that the likelihood of both verbal and visual maternal underestimation of their children's weight status was significantly higher for overweight mothers and for those with a lower educational level. Furthermore, children's male gender and a nanny or someone other than the mother as the child's primary caregiver were found to increase the odds of visual and verbal maternal underestimation of children's weight status, respectively. Conclusions: The present study showed that the verbal instrument used to assess maternal perceptions of their children's weight status was more accurate compared with the visual one. However, both instruments showed that a considerable number of overweight and obese boys had their weight status underestimated by their mothers. Educating mothers to classify their children's weight status correctly might be a key factor for the implementation of successful childhood obesity prevention initiatives.