Archives françaises de pédiatrie
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Ten homozygous sickle cell patients, aged from 4 to 20 years, underwent a periodic red blood cells transfusion program. Indications were = one stroke or more in 4 cases, repeated severe painful crisis in 2 cases, and for others = chronic anaemia induced by hypersplenism, priapism, chronic leg ulceration, dwarfism with delayed sexual maturation. Transfusion program lasted from 6 months to 6 years. ⋯ No red cell antibodies were found. An HIV contamination occurred in 3 children. All transfused patients during a period exceeding one year developed iron overload, needing a daily chelation by intramuscular deferoxamine in two of them.
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Five neonates born to women who had had varicella late in pregnancy or in the post-partum were admitted to our unit during the last year. In utero transmission of varicella-zoster virus occurred in 2 cases. One of them had no clinical eruption but specific IgM at a titer of 1/200. ⋯ It may develop severe neonatal varicella (mortality: 20-30%). A neonate in critical condition was successfully given a prophylactic treatment by Aciclovir IV (15 mg/kg/8 h for 5 days) and varicella-zona immunoglobulins (2 ml on days 1, 2, 3). This approach may be the best treatment for babies at risk for severe neonatal varicella.