While we were studyng on RRheumatic Fever in Korean children, wehad noticed an increasing tendency in morbidity rate of streptococcal infections in spite of using antimicrobial agents. However little attention has been directed specifically to the subject of Rheumatic Fever as well as nephritis in Korean children, and very few papers appear to have been published to date dealing with this special problem.
Considerable data concerning the physio-chemical activities of strains of streptococcus have been accumulated, but the mechanism by which streptococci are able to cause nephritis is still not fully understood.
The purpose of our investigation was (1) to stut y the interrelation of some of the streptococcal infections such as rheumatic fever, sore-throat, upper respiratory infection, nephritis, and skin infection such as impetigo, (2) to determine normal value of ASL- O titer in the normal Korean children as well as abnormal valus in those diseases mentioned above (1), (3) to investigate the preceding infection, predisposing factor such as sore-throat, upper respiratory infection, and skin lesions, and (4) to evaluate the value for therap eutic effects of anti streptococcal agents for nephritis.
This study is an analysis of 401 cases of nephritis seen at the Presbyterian Hospital and the Children´s Hospital in Taegu between 1952 and August, 1960. In addition, during this period, 140 cases of rheumatic fever, 116 cases of sorethroat occuringin children under 15 years of age have been presented. The data, have been analyzed from the standpoint of yearly, age, sex incidence, the symptoms, preceding infection, laboratory studies including bacteriologic study, antistreptolysin-O titer. C.R.P., sed rate and so on, and of treatment and prognosis.
The average yearly incidence of nephriis in our series accounts for about 0.7%(0.68%) of out-patien is and about 20/, of in-patients in children. This study
demonstrates the feasibility of significance of close relationship of those streptococcal infections in its morbidity rate. However the incidence of nephritis is much higher than rheumatic fever and scarlet fever. An upper respiratory infection usually precedes the appearance_of acute nephritis by 1 to 3 weeks, but pyogenic skin infection, such as impetigo usually the infecting organism in preceding infection.
We had seen an epidemic occurance of 12 acute nephritis patients in an orphanage.
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