New muscle power test in neuromuscular disease: feasibility and reliability

Article Abstract:

There are many tests available to assess physical fitness. Physically handicapped children present a special case, and although clinical tests of muscle function are more common, they may provide less accurate results than laboratory measurements. A test called the Wingate Anaerobic Test was developed in 1974 in Israel; it measures muscle power and muscle endurance. This test was found to be very accurate when used to evaluate healthy adults and children. It involves a 30-second "all-out" session of arm cranking or leg cycling during which time measurements are taken. The suitability of the Wingate Anaerobic test for evaluating physically handicapped children was investigated by assessing the reproducibility and reliability of the data. Sixty-six children with cerebral palsy or other muscle diseases were assessed for upper and lower limb endurance and power. The children ranged in age from 5 to 18 years. Tests of muscle power and endurance were performed on the arm and the leg; all tests were repeated. Ninety-five percent of the subjects were able to perform the arm cranking test, while 61 percent were able to complete the leg cycling test. High reproducibility and reliability of the test results were found, and were not dependent on the type of neuromuscular disorder of the child. Reliability coefficients were over 0.95 for children with spastic cerebral palsy and other muscle diseases; values were slightly lower for children with athetotic cerebral palsy. It is concluded that the Wingate Anaerobic Test is a useful instrument for measuring muscle power and endurance in children with neuromuscular diseases. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Testing, Physiological aspects, Physical fitness, Muscles, Physically disabled children

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Diagnostic guidelines for Kawasaki disease

Article Abstract:

Kawasaki disease, also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, develops most often in infants and children less than five years old. Early diagnosis and treatment with aspirin and intravenously administered gamma-globulin decrease the risk of developing abnormalities of the coronary arteries, the major blood vessels that bring blood to the heart. The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is based on clinical signs and symptoms. The disease affects more males than females, and can occur in all races. The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is made when there is fever persisting for at least five days, with at least four of the following: (1) reddening and edema (fluid accumulation) in the hands and feet and shedding of skin at the fingertips; (2) inflammatory skin outbreaks; (3) congestion in the conjunctiva, the membrane lining the eyelids; (4) redness and cracking of lips, strawberry tongue, and widespread congestion of the mucosal tissue in the mouth and pharynx; and (5) disease of the lymph nodes in the neck. A diagnosis of Kawasaki disease requires fewer than four of the symptoms listed above if coronary artery disease develops with fever. Other significant clinical and laboratory findings involving the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous and gastrointestinal systems, and the blood, urine, skin, and joints, are discussed. The cause of Kawasaki disease is not known. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Complications and side effects, Kawasaki disease, Kawasaki syndrome

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