Cystic neck masses are uncommon in children, and a minority of them are soft. Internal jugular vein phlebectasia (IJVP) is a rare cause of soft neck cysts. It presents usually as a unilateral soft neck mass of changing size. In most cases it is unilateral, right sided and predominantly in males. Imaging study modalities are diagnostic and helpful for observation and follow up. In the vast majority of cases, it decreases in size with time requiring only conservative treatment. However, surgery might be necessary in large or complicated phlebectasia. IJVP is underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed especially in pediatrics, with few cases documented in medical literature. To improve awareness of presentation and management-plan of this rare case, the authors present an extremely rare case of huge left internal jugular phlebectasia in a 14 year-old boy worsened and complicated over years of wait and see approach that needed surgical treatment.
Background Breastfeeding is a vital practice for infant health and well-being, with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first six months being particularly crucial. Despite its benefits, EBF is sub-optimally practiced in many low-to-middle income countries. This study focuses on Somalia, a country with historical political instability and poor health indicators, aiming to identify the prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding among women with infants under six months attending SOS Mother and Child Hospital in Mogadishu. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional design was used, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 345 mothers, selected using a systematic sampling technique. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess breastfeeding practices and determine factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding prevalence. Result The study found that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among the study population in Somalia was 44%, influenced by factors such as maternal education, employment, and utilization of antenatal and postnatal care services. Male infants and younger infants had higher odds of being exclusively breastfed. Conclusion and recommendations The study emphasizes the importance of promoting exclusive breastfeeding as the optimal feeding practice for infants in Somalia, highlighting the need for comprehensive health education during antenatal care visits and postnatal counseling. It recommends the development of supportive policies, such as maternity leave and workplace accommodations, along with community-based initiatives and support groups to facilitate and encourage exclusive breastfeeding practices.
Objective Women have continued to bear a heavy burden of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality with hypertension as the flagship. This is partly because as the modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors are falling in rate, gender specific risk factors have persisted. One of them is age at first pregnancy and delivery. Methods In order to contribute to this discourse, we secondarily analysed data generated in a previous field study on risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in free living adults in Plateau State, Nigeria. The women were divided into four groups and we looked at blood pressure at the time of study from the perspective of age at first pregnancy. Reults It was found that those who had their first pregnancy in the late teenage years had the lowest mean arterial blood pressure many years down the line; better than those who started child bearing earlier and those who started later. There was also significant within and between group differences in the blood pressures (p = 0.000). Conclusion To stem the tide of female hypertension later in life, child bearing should not start in the early teenage years nor be unnecessarily delayed. Sociocultural conditions that promote early teenage marriage and pregnancy should be discouraged.
We report 2 cases of vitamin B12 deficiency in children due to deficient intake. These were 2 girls aged 4 years (case 1) and 6 years (case 2), respectively, hospitalized in December 2020 and March 2021 in the pediatric ward of Le Dantec hospital. Both patients presented with aregenative anemia, melanoderma and undernutrition. The bone marrow count in case 1 showed a dysmyelopoiesis with megablastosis. The blood vitamin B12 level was low in both cases. Folic acid blood levels were normal in both patients, but an associated martial deficiency was found in case 2. The dietary survey revealed a lack of intake of animal products rich in vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 replacement therapy was effective with rapid regression of all clinical signs observed in both children. The control of the vitamin B12 level after 1 month of treatment was normal in both patients. The disappearance of the symptoms under substitute treatment confirmed the deficiency of Vitamin B12 intake in both patients. Conclusion: Both of our patients had a profound Vitamin B12 deficiency in a context of deficiency in nutrition. The regression of the symptoms was spectacular under vitamin B12 replacement therapy, confirming the deficiency. We recommend in our context a contribution in micronutrients such as vitamins in children after weaning to avoid dietary errors.
