Neonatal tetanus: a continuing challenge.
The authors retrospectively analyzed the case records of all the newborns admitted with the diagnosis of neonatal tetanus (NT) over a period of 36 mo. A total of 27 cases of neonatal tetanus were admitted over a period of 36 mo. Out of these 27 neonates, 17 died and thus the overall mortality was 63%. The mean age of onset of symptoms in those who survived was 8.1 ± 2.02 d whereas in those who died was 5.7 ± 1.39 d, which was statistically significant (p = 0.001). The babies with age of onset <7 d were almost 5 times more likely to die than those manifesting at 7 d or later. Thus, NT is still contributing to neonatal deaths especially in the backward areas of the country and onset of symptoms within a wk of birth is a very high risk factor for mortality.
Department of Pediatrics, M. L. N. Medical College, Allahabad, U.P., India. drruchi.rai@indiatimes.com
Ruchi
R
Rai
D K
DK
Singh
D017668:Age of Onset; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013742:Tetanus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*