Introduction: Dilated cardiomyopathy is usually idiopathic and may arise secondary to infections or metabolic or genetic causes. Another rare cause is hypocalcaemia. Owing to the fact that calcium plays an essential role in excitation and contraction of myocardial muscle, myocardial contractility may decline in patients with hypocalcaemia. Materials and Methods: Patients with symptoms of congestive heart failure and rickets-related hypocalcaemia were assessed clinically and by echocardiography in a paediatric cardiology clinic. Echocardiography was performed for all patients. Rickets was diagnosed according to the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. Maternal lifestyle and living conditions were investigated, and the maternal 25-OH vitamin D₃ blood level was measured. Results: We evaluated eight patients who developed heart failure as a result of severe hypocalcaemia associated with rickets between August, 1999 and June, 2012. The age distribution of the patients was 3–12 months. Laboratory results were consistent with advanced-stage rickets. Severe hypocalcaemia was detected in all patients. The maternal 25-OH vitamin D₃ levels were low. Echocardiography revealed increased pre-treatment left ventricle end-systolic and end-diastolic diameters for age and reduced ejection fraction and fractional shortening. After clinical improvement, the patients were discharged. Conclusions: Severe hypocalcaemia associated with rickets must always be kept in mind among the causes of dilated cardiomyopathy and impaired cardiac function in infants. If diagnosed and treated in time, dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure related to rickets respond well.

Background/Aims: To contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric abdominal tuberculosis cases by assessing the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of patients who presented at our clinic and were diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Clinical, laboratory, and radiological features were reviewed retrospectively for 35 patients diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis and followed up at the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic between January 1987 and August 2012. Results: The study group included 16 female (45.7%) and 19 male (54.3%) patients with an age range of 6 months to 16 years (mean: 9.77±4.36 years). Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis peritonitis, five patients with intestinal tuberculosis, and one patient with pelvic tuberculosis. The most common signs and symptoms were ascites, abdominal pain, abdominal distention, weight loss, and fever. Mean duration of the complaints was 109 days (range: 10 days to 3 years). Conclusion: Abdominal tuberculosis is a disease with an insidious course without disease-specific clinical and laboratory signs. When the disease is suspected, laparoscopy or laparotomy could be helpful in diagnosis. Employing ultrasound and computed tomography signs, abdominal tuberculosis should be included in differential diagnoses in regions with a high incidence of tuberculosis when there is abdominal pain, weight loss, ascites, history of contact with individuals with tuberculosis, and positive tuberculin skin test when patients have not been Bacillus Calmette Guerin BCG vaccinated.

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease of the northern hemisphere. Oculoglandular tularemia is the rarest form, comprising 1.4–4.2% of all cases. We present a patient with oculoglandular tularemia that did not respond to gentamicin to demonstrate the need for prolonged antimicrobial treatment and surgical intervention.