Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae infection has been the predominant cause of death among children with sickle cell anemia (SS). We report our observed change in the pattern of progression of septicemia to meningitis and death in non-immunized SS children who were not on prophylactic penicillin in the face of a persistently high incidence of pneumococcal disease. Of 233 SS children less than age 6 observed for 781 person years, the overall incidence rate of pneumococcal septicemia was 5.9 episodes per 100 person years. Prior to July 1972, of 23 children who had pneumococcal septicemia, 8 (35%) died and 15 (65%) developed meningitis, whereas since July 1972, 11 children have had pneumococcal septicemia, but no children died and only 2 (18%) developed meningitis (P<0.05). This decrease in major morbidity is attributed to the establishment of a clinical program which provides close medical supervision of the SS child with fever and the rapid institution of parenteral antibiotic therapy.
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Powars, D., Overturf, G., Rigau-Perez, J. et al. 853 PNEUMOCOCCAL SEPTICEMIA IN CHILDREN WITH SICKLE CELL ANEMIA. CHANGING TREND OF SURVIVAL. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 584 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00878
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00878
