OBJECTIVE. Paediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire is a health-related assessment tool designed for children with allergic diseases. This study aimed to translate the original English version of the Questionnaire to Chinese and to provide psychometric evidence on the validity and reliability of the translated version.

DESIGN. Cross-sectional study.

SETTING. Out-patient clinic of a non-teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS. The Paediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire was translated to Chinese and then completed by a group of 115 Hong Kong Chinese children (66 male and 49 female; mean age, 11 years) with allergic disease(s). All subjects were asked to respond using visual analogue scales dealing with issues related to the perceived morbidity of allergic diseases. To assess test-retest reliability, 2 weeks later a subgroup of 16 individuals was retested with the same Questionnaire.

RESULTS. The internal consistency of the Chinese Paediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha=0.92). The correlation between the total Questionnaire score and the visual analogue scale score was moderately significant (Spearman's rho=0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.62). Structural validity as studied by confirmatory factor analysis found that the structure of subscales was remarkably similar to the original English version. The intra-class correlation between the Questionnaire score from the first and the second test in the subgroup of 16 subjects was 0.75, indicating adequate repeatability.

CONCLUSION. The validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Paediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire was established for clinical use.

Key words: Asthma; Child; Eczema; Quality of life; Rhinitis, allergic, perennial

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OBJECTIVES. To determine the period prevalence, demographic characteristics, cost of treatment, and outcomes of patients admitted to the intensive care unit for continuous renal replacement therapy.

DESIGN. Descriptive case series.

SETTING. Intensive Care Unit in a Hong Kong tertiary referral, teaching hospital.

PATIENTS. All patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit from January to December 2007 who underwent continuous renal replacement therapy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Period prevalence of continuous renal replacement therapy, patient demographic data, referral sources by specialty and hospital location, diagnosis, daily cost of disposable items, duration of renal replacement therapy, intensive care unit length of stay, and hospital mortality.

RESULTS. Of 1652 patients admitted to the intensive care unit over a 12-month period, 131 (8%) underwent continuous renal replacement therapy, of whom 56% were admitted from general wards (the department of medicine being the source of 59% of referrals). The median age of these continuous renal replacement therapy patients was 67 (interquartile range, 55-76) years, with a slight male predominance (66%). The mean APACHE II score of the patients was 29 (standard deviation, 7). Chronic renal failure requiring either haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis was present in 20/131 (15%) patients. Sepsis was the diagnosis most commonly associated with renal failure deemed to warrant continuous renal replacement therapy (43%). The median duration of such continuous therapy was 55 (interquartile range, 25-93) hours and the median intensive care unit length of stay was 120 (interquartile range, 51-289) hours. The mean daily cost of disposables for the provision of continuous renal replacement therapy was HK$3510. The overall intensive care unit mortality of patients having continuous renal replacement therapy was 38% and the hospital mortality was 53%. The corresponding rates for patients with acute renal failure were 45% and 56%, respectively. Patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy had prolonged intensive care unit stays (120 vs 24 hours; P<0.05) and higher corresponding hospital mortality rates (53% vs 20%; P<0.001) compared to those not having such therapy.

CONCLUSION. The 8% period prevalence of patients admitted to the intensive care unit undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy was somewhat higher than in recently published reports in the international literature. However intensive care unit and hospital mortality rates for such patients were lower than previously reported. The corresponding total daily cost of relevant disposables was similar to costs reported internationally, whilst the length of intensive care unit stays for our cohort were relatively short.

Key words: Acute kidney injury; Intensive care units; Mortality; Renal replacement therapy

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OBJECTIVES. To compare early and late presentations of fetal haemoglobin Bart's disease in the Kowloon West Cluster in Hong Kong, and to find reasons for the re-emergence of late presentations.

DESIGN. Case series with internal comparisons.

SETTING. Two tertiary obstetric units in Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. All cases with confirmed diagnosis of fetal haemoglobin Bart's disease from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2009.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Primary outcome: antenatal care in the current pregnancy. Secondary outcomes: clinical presentations, ultrasound features, and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS. A total of 59 cases (46 early presentations and 13 late presentations) of fetal haemoglobin Bart's disease were identified during the study period. All the late presentations were identified from year 2003 onwards. Late presentations were significantly associated with non-eligible obstetric patients (69% vs 11%; P<0.001), non-booked status at our antenatal service (62% vs 0%; P<0.001), and unavailability of partner's mean corpuscular volume status (23% vs 0%; P=0.009). Mothers presenting late were more likely to have symptoms or signs (85% vs 0%; P<0.001) and to suffer from gestational hypertensive disorder (54% vs 0%; P<0.001). Ultrasound features of these pregnancies included cardiomegaly (94%), placentomegaly (98%), and hydrops fetalis (77%). All pregnancies presenting early were either legally terminated or miscarried. The perinatal mortality in late presentations was 85%.

CONCLUSION. The re-emergence of late presentations of fetal haemoglobin Bart's disease after 2003 was related to influx of non-eligible obstetric patients without proper antenatal screening and diagnosis of thalassaemia. Maternal low mean corpuscular volume and characteristic prenatal ultrasound features such as cardiomegaly, placentomegaly, and hydrops fetalis are useful for detecting affected pregnancies in this group of patients. Better education of both patients and doctors is necessary to explain the importance of early diagnosis of the disease and the seriousness of complications due to late presentations, so as to reduce undesirable maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Key words: alpha-Thalassemia; Congenital abnormalities; Hemoglobins, abnormal; Hydrops fetalis; Prenatal diagnosis

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OBJECTIVE. To study the presentations, diagnoses, and outcomes in adolescents with menstrual disorders.

DESIGN. Prospective cohort study.

SETTING. Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology Clinic, Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS. A total of 577 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. The presentations and diagnoses of adolescents with menstrual disorders were reviewed and their menstrual outcomes determined by a telephone survey.

RESULTS. In all, 47% presented with menorrhagia, prolonged menstruation, and short menstrual cycles; 27% had secondary amenorrhoea, 12% had dysmenorrhoea, 11% had oligomenorrhoea, and 3% had primary amenorrhoea. Significant diagnoses included congenital genital tract anomalies, premature ovarian failure, anorexia nervosa, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Polycystic ovarian syndrome was diagnosed in 16% of the cohort. In all, 24% of these 577 patients had abnormal menstrual cycles 4 years later. Direct logistic regression analysis indicated a cycle length of more than 35 days at presentation (adjusted odds ratio=2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-4.5), previous diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (adjusted odds ratio=2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.4), and current body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or higher (adjusted odds ratio=1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-3.0) were risk factors for persistently long menstrual cycle exceeding 35 days. Adolescents who were screened out with a definitive diagnosis after initial assessment were at low risk of persistently long menstrual cycles at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio=0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.8).

CONCLUSIONS. Adolescent menstrual disorders should not be ignored. Long cycle, diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome at first consultation, and a current body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or higher were statistically associated with persistent problems.

Key words: Adolescent; Amenorrhea; Menstruation disturbances; Polycystic ovary syndrome

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OBJECTIVE. To review the clinical characteristics of patients presenting after centipede bites in Hong Kong.

DESIGN. Descriptive case series.

SETTING. Emergency departments of two public hospitals in Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. Patients presenting after centipede bites between 2006 and 2010.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Demographics, time and locations of bites, symptoms and signs, treatments and outcomes.

RESULTS. A total of 46 relevant patient records were retrieved. The bites were frequently at night, indoors, on lower limbs, and consistently resulted in pain. The majority of the victims were treated with analgesia, anti-histamines, and antibiotics. One patient developed necrosis and five re-attended for delayed pruritus and relapsed/recurrent swelling.

CONCLUSIONS. Centipede bites are usually uncomplicated, but may lead to necrosis or delayed hypersensitive reactions.

Key words: Arthropods; Emergency treatment; Insect bites and stings; Necrosis

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