All issues > Volume 3(1); 1960

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1960;3(1):52-57. Published online June 30, 1960.

CLINICAL OBSERVATION ON THE DIPHTHERIA DURING 19585~1959

Hee Sook Keh¹, Yong Chui Han²

¹Department of Pediatrics, college of medicine, Seoul, National University,Korea.
²Department of Pediatric Internal medicine, Seoul National University School of Medicine

Abstract

The clinical observation on 85 cases of diphtheria under 15 years of age who were admitted to Seoul University Hospital during 1958~1959 are reviewed, and the results are as follows. 1.Among 85 cases, male was 60 and female was 25, and the most of the cases were under 7years of age. The mortality rate was 5.9%. 2.The occurrence of diphtheria was highest during winter (Dec., Nov., Jan., Feb.) but rare in from July to September. 3.Type of diphtheria was devided into pharyngeal, laryngeal, nasal, laryngopharyngeal, nasopharyngeal and nasolaryngo pharyngeal type on the basis of clinical findings. Among these types, the pharyngeal occupied the majority of the cases and the laryngopharyngeal, the laryngeal was next in order. 4.Fever was noted in 89.4%, dyapnea in 51.8% and cervical lymphnode swelling in 16.5%. of the cases. 5.Toxic myocarditis was ssen in 3 cases, of whom 2 patients died and sinus arrhythmia in. 5 cases and pneumonia in 2 cases as complication. 6.Serum sickness was ssen in only one case. 7.5 cases in whom sensitivity test was done, diphtheria bacilli were sensitive to the most of antibiotics but 4 cases out of 5 were proved to be moderate sensitive to penicillin and， streptomycin. 8.Tracheotomy was performed on 20 patients (23.5%), two deaths out of these 20 patients. 9.In all cases diphtheria antitoxin was given. Antitoxin was combined with antibiotics in 76. cases. There was no difference in rapidity of disappearance of diphtheria bacilli from the lesion between the group treated with antitoxin penicillin and that treated with antitoxin erythromycin. In most of cases diphtheria bacilli disappeared within 5 days by the smear and culture (68,8%, 76.5%).

Keywords :