Background: Meconium staining of the amniotic fluid occurs in approximately 13% of live births; this percentage increases with increasing gestational age at delivery. MAS occurs in approximately 5% of infants born through MSAF. This study was undertaken to understand the factors causing MAS and clinical profile of meconium aspiration syndrome in relation to gestational age and birth weight and their immediate outcome.Methods: The present study is a prospective study of 58 neonates admitted to NICU fulfilling the criteria of MAS were included in the study over a period of 2 years. The babies who were born with meconium stained liquor, suctioning was done by the obstetricians first at the delivery of shoulder and then handed over to pediatrician and depending upon whether the meconium is present below the vocal cords or not and whether baby is vigorous or not, endotracheal intubation and bag and tube ventilation was given. The babies with clinical features MAS were admitted to NICU and were observed for their immediate outcome in the hospital.Results: During the study period, out of 4994 deliveries, 882 (17.6%) babies had meconium stained liquor and out of these 882 babies, 58 (6.5%) babies had MAS. Out of 426 cases of respiratory distress admitted to NICU, 58 (13.6%) cases diagnosed of MAS. MAS occurred most commonly in babies having fetal distress and in mothers with history of PIH. It is seen more commonly in babies born through caesarean section and in term babies with mean gestational age of 38-40 weeks of gestation and mean birth weight of 2.68 Kg. It was most commonly associated with babies who were depressed at birth and most common cause of mortality was due to birth asphyxia contributing 37.5% of cases of MAS.Conclusions: MAS is an entity which is commonly seen in term and post term babies with birth weight >2.5 Kg.

Background: Convulsions are the most common pediatric neurological disorder worldwide. The incidence is highest in children younger than 3 years of age with a decreasing frequency in older children. The different causes of seizures are febrile convulsions, CNS infections, neurologic or developmental, metabolic, traumatic or vascular, idiopathic or epilepsy, oncologic. The objective of our study is to find out the various etiologies of convulsions in children between 1 month to 5 years of age.Methods: 200 consecutive cases admitted to the hospital with convulsions in this particular age group were studied by detailed history, thorough examination and stepwise investigations including blood counts, CSF analysis, EEG and neuroimaging studies.Results: The most common cause for seizures in our study was febrile seizures (34.5%). Hypocalcemic seizures were the predominant cause (13%) between 1 month to 1 year of age. Other causes included viral encephalitis (20%), pyogenic meningitis (11%), TB meningitis (8.5%), epilepsy (8%), hypoglycemia (2%), neurocysticercosis (1%), head injury (1%) late HDN (0.5%). Cerebral palsy, mental retardation syndromes with developmental delay and epilepsy constituted 5.5% of the cases.Conclusions: Convulsions in children can be due to various underlying pathology. A detailed history, thorough examination and certain investigations helps to recognize the cause for the convulsions and can be treated accordingly.

Background: Anemia is not a diagnosis by itself like fever but merely is an objective sign of the presence of disease. The correct diagnostic terminology for a child with anemia requires the detection of etiology, pathology, and pathogenesis of the anemia. To evaluate the role of therapeutic oral iron therapy as a diagnostic approach to hypochromic microcytic anemia.Methods: The present study is a retrospective study conducted at the teaching hospital, Chittoor district from September 2019 to December 2019. A total number of 350 cases of anemia were studied from both inpatient and outpatient services in the age group 2 months to 12 years. Hemogram, Hb Electrophoresis, and bone marrow study as necessary based on individual cases.Results: From the above analysis, the mean Hb% at the time of entry to study was 7.36gms%. The mean Hb% after the iron therapy was 11.8gms%. The mean increase in Hb was 4.4gms%. In this study, the average RBC count was 2.9 million cells/cumm.Conclusions: A therapeutic trial of oral iron is an appropriate initial step in the diagnostic approach of hypochromic microcytic anemia. Costly investigations like Hb electrophoresis and bone marrow study are required only in selected cases.

Background: A seizure or convulsion is a paroxysmal, time-limited change in motor activity and/or behavior that result from abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures are common in the pediatric age group and occur in approximately 10% of children. Most seizures in children are provoked by somatic disorders originating outside the brain, such as high fever, infection, syncope, head-trauma, hypoxia, toxins, or cardiac arrhythmias. To study the association between iron deficiency and the first febrile seizure.Methods: The present study is a retrospective study conducted at the teaching hospital, Chittoor district from August 2019 to December 2019. In this study to detect low iron status as a possible risk factor for first febrile seizures, 63 cases, and 63 age and sex-matched controls are studied and analyzed.Results: In this study family history of febrile seizures is seen only in 28.5% of cases. The mean serum ferritin level in this study is 14.5ng/ml. Thus the mean serum ferritin, HB, and MCV are found to be signed on the lower side among children with febrile seizures.Conclusions: Plasma ferritin level and blood indices are significantly lower in children with febrile seizures as compared to children without febrile seizures suggesting that iron-deficient children are more prone to febrile seizures.