Background:The objective of the study was to determine the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and respiratory complications of varicella zoster pneumonia (VZP) in children. Material and methods: Relevant data, age, gender, month of admission, demographic data, past medical and family histories, physical findings during admission, laboratory findings, treatments given, and outcome of these treatments with diagnosis of varicella pneumonia were collected retrospectively. Results: In a two-year period, 15 cases were identified and their data were analysed. Eight patients were male (53%) and seven were female (43%). The mean age was 4.7 ± 3.7 months. Twelve cases (80%) were under six months of age and nine patients (60%) had household contact with persons with chicken pox infection. After onset of the chicken pox rash, the mean time for development of respiratory symptoms was 3.5 ± 1.0 days. The mean hospital stay was 13 ± 1.8 days and ranged from 9−17 days. The persisting fever, fatigue, and cough episodes were major presenting symptoms upon admission in almost all the patients. All patients received acyclovir and non-specific pneumonia treatment and all recovered. None of the children were previously immunized against varicella. Conclusions: Varicella zoster pneumonia should be considered in patients with prolonged fever and accompanying cough in patients with chicken pox. Probably the best approach would be a trial of high dose acyclovir treatment in children who develop VZP.

Background: In the present study, we aimed to detect the relation between Neutrophile/Lymphocyte, Platelet/Lymphocyte rates, platelet parameters and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Materials and Methods: Eighty paediatric patients between One and 15 years of age who were admitted to Dermatology clinic of Dicle University and diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis without any chronic systemic diseases were enrolled into the study. As a control group, 80 healthy children with age ranged between one and 16 years who admitted to paediatrics department for general health control and did not have any systemic disease known were included. Results: Eighty patients admitted because of cutaneous leishmaniasis included 40 females (50%) and 40 males (50%); the age average was 8.53 ± 3.92. In the control group, 80 patients consisted of 34 (42.5%) males and 46 (57.5%) females. No statistically significant difference was detected in age, lymphocyte, neutrophile/lymphocyte rate and platelet values when compared with the control group whereas white blood cell count, neutrophile count, platelet/Lymphocyte rate and mean platelet volume values were found significantly lower in the patent group than the control group. Platelet distribution width was detected statistically significant higher in the patient group when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Since haemogram parameters such as platelet/lymphocyte rate, white blood cell count, neutrophile count, mean erythrocyte volume, mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width maybe used to determine inflammatory status and to assess treatment efficiency for the patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis. We believe that to evaluate all these with other inflammatory markers might reveal more accurate results.