Vision, hearing, pes planus, and scoliosis are common conditions in school-aged children and can impair learning and long-term health if unrecognized. School-based screening offers a scalable route to early identification and timely referral. We aimed to evaluate the yield of a large provincial school screening program and describe subsequent diagnostic and management outcomes. In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively evaluated routine school health screenings conducted in Batman, Türkiye, during the 2022 to 2023 academic year. A total of 8433 students (6–17 years) underwent standardized assessments: Snellen visual acuity testing, otoscopy followed by pure-tone audiometry (500–4000 Hz at 20 decibels hearing level), clinical inspection for pes planus, and the Adams forward-bend test. Screen-positive children were referred for confirmatory diagnosis and management. Demographic characteristics, definitive diagnoses, initial treatments, and follow-up plans were summarized descriptively. At least 1 abnormal finding was detected in 1876/8433 (22.3%) students. Screening yields were as follows: vision 695 (8.24%), hearing 308 (3.65%), pes planus 753 (8.93%), and suspected scoliosis 120 (1.42%). Among vision-positive cases, the distribution of refractive errors was myopia 405 (58.3%), astigmatism 224 (32.2%), and hyperopia 66 (9.5%); spectacles were prescribed in 688/695 (99.0%). Hearing-positive cases were unilateral in 202/308 (65.6%) and conductive in 277/308 (89.9%). For pes planus, 698/753 (92.7%) were flexible; 41/753 (5.4%) received orthoses. Of Adams-positive students, 78/120 (65.0%) had radiographic scoliosis (Cobb > 10°), and 45/78 (57.7%) received bracing. School health screening is feasible and low cost, yields clinically actionable findings, and enables early, conservative management of common conditions. Standardized protocols, trained teams, and clear referral pathways can support scale-up and improve child health and educational outcomes. To our knowledge, this is one of the first population-based evaluations from Türkiye linking school screening yields to confirmed diagnoses and initial treatments, with implications for national screening protocols.

Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding remains a significant challenge in many healthcare systems, including Türkiye. Pediatric emergency services in particular face high visit volumes, often driven by non-urgent complaints. Understanding the patterns and characteristics of these visits is crucial to optimize healthcare delivery and reduce unnecessary ED utilization. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric emergency department visits over a one-year period in southeastern Turkey. The goal was to identify common complaints, peak visit times, and seasonal trends to inform public health strategies and reduce inappropriate ED use. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using routinely collected administrative data from pediatric ED visits to the Batman İluh State Hospital pediatric emergency department between January 1 and December 31, 2023. All visits by patients < 18 years of age were included; no sampling was performed. Demographic variables (age, sex), temporal variables (hour, day, month/season of visit), clinical variables (chief complaints, ICD-based diagnoses), and disposition outcomes (discharge, ward admission, intensive care unit [ICU] admission, referral, death) were analyzed descriptively. For selected key proportions, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using binomial methods. Results: A total of 192,661 pediatric emergency visits were recorded during the study period; 52.0% of visits were by boys and 48.0% by girls. The highest number of pediatric ED visits occurred during winter (29.19%; 95% CI 29.0 - 29.4), followed by spring (25.22%), autumn (24.77%), and summer (20.82%); most visits took place between 16:00 and 00:00 (64.25%). Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was the most frequent diagnosis, accounting for 64.1% (n = 123,491; 95% CI = 63.9 - 64.3) of all visits, followed by acute gastroenteritis (15.06%). Only a small proportion of visits resulted in hospital admission (0.94%; 95% CI = 0.90 - 0.98), ICU admission (0.11%; 95% CI = 0.10 - 0.13), or referral to a tertiary center (0.09%; 95% CI = 0.08 - 0.10); four deaths occurred in the ED (n = 4; 0.002% of visits). Conclusions: A substantial proportion of pediatric emergency visits in this high-volume center appears to be potentially avoidable and is dominated by non-urgent infectious conditions. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions—such as parent education, after-hours pediatric care alternatives, and strengthened primary health care services—to reduce unnecessary ED utilization, guide staffing strategies, and improve resource allocation in similar settings.

Aim: This study aimed to compare treatment outcomes (mortality and relapse) between two pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) protocols (TR-ALL BFM 2000 vs ALL-IC-BFM 2009) and to describe the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients treated at a single center (2010–2015). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 121 children (<18 years) diagnosed with ALL and treated with either TR-ALL BFM 2000 or ALL-IC-BFM 2009. Baseline characteristics, risk group, immunophenotype, protocol, relapse status, and survival status were recorded. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate (p < 0.05). Results: The cohort was 53.7% male, with a mean age at diagnosis of 7.55 ± 3.89 years. B-cell ALL accounted for 78.5% and T-cell ALL for 21.5%. The overall mortality rate was 11.6% (14/121), and relapse occurred in 5.8% (7/121) of patients. Mortality differed by risk group (SRG 6.5%, IRG 7.3%, HRG 23.5%; p = 0.036). Relapse was higher in T-cell ALL than in B-cell ALL (23.1% vs 1.1%; p = 0.001). Compared with ALL-IC-BFM 2009, TR-ALL BFM 2000 was associated with higher mortality (19.2% vs 5.8%; p = 0.022) and relapse (11.5% vs 1.4%; p = 0.019). Conclusion: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, the high-risk group was associated with higher mortality, and the T-cell immunophenotype was associated with higher relapse. Patients treated with ALL-IC-BFM 2009 had lower crude mortality and relapse rates than those treated with TR-ALL BFM 2000; however, these protocol comparisons should be interpreted cautiously, given potential confounding and limited event numbers.

Objective: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients admitted to our hospital’s emergency department due to poisoning and to provide data that may inform preventive measures and contribute to national records. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed pediatric patients (0–18 years) admitted for poisoning between January 2023 and December 2024. Demographics, exposure characteristics, treatment, disposition, and outcomes were extracted from the hospital information system. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequencies (%) for categorical variables. Results: A total of 328 patients were analyzed. Males accounted for 51.5% of cases. The most common age group at presentation was 3–6 years (45.1%). The most frequent season of presentation was summer (37.8%). The most common cause of poisoning was drugs (60.4%), followed by food, corrosive substances, and carbon monoxide, respectively. The overall hospitalization rate was 53.7%, with 20.7% requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Mortality was 2.2%. Conclusion: Childhood poisonings remain a preventable public health problem. Strengthening family education, safe storage practices, and standardized ED protocols can reduce morbidity and mortality.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency in children admitted to pediatric outpatient clinics and how it varies according to age groups. Methodology: This retrospective cross-sectional study included children aged 0–18 years who presented to pediatric outpatient clinics between June 1 and December 17, 2024, and underwent serum vitamin B12 testing. Concentrations <200 pg/mL were classified as deficient and 200–300 pg/mL as borderline. Pearson chi-square tests were used for categorical comparisons. Supplementary mean comparisons used Welch ANOVA and Holm-adjusted pairwise Welch tests calculated from rounded summary statistics. Results: A total of 2987 patients admitted to pediatric outpatient clinics were evaluated. B12 deficiency was found in 6.5% and borderline levels in 28.8% of the children. Deficiency was observed in 6.7% of boys and 6.3% of girls; the overall association between sex and B12 category was not statistically significant (p=0.056). The most common presenting complaints were loss of appetite (28.7%), growth retardation (21.3%), and fatigue (15.9%). The mean serum vitamin B12 level was 393±159 pg/mL. When vitamin B12 deficiency was analyzed according to age groups, the highest rate of serum vitamin B12 deficiency was observed between 14–18 years of age (8.4%) and the lowest rate was observed between 0–2 years of age (4.8%). The distribution of B12 categories differed significantly across age groups (χ²=56.003, p<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, the rates of serum vitamin B12 deficiency in children presenting to the outpatient clinic were shown. Deficiency was found to be more frequent, especially during the adolescent period, and borderline levels were detected in 28.8% of the children. The selected sample limits generalizability; these findings alone do not establish a population screening strategy.

Aims: Rabies is a disease with fatal complications, often caused by a bite from an infected animal. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the cases admitted due to rabies risk contact. Methods: The study included 928 patients admitted to public hospitals in Batman in the last 1 year due to animal bites and risky contact. The cases included in the study were evaluated according to age, gender, residential area, season of application, place of bite, type of animal bitten and vaccination status. Results: 31.8% of the applicants were under 18 years of age. 63.5% of the applicants were male. According to the season of application, the highest number of applications was in summer with 32.4%, while the lowest number of applications was in winter with 18.8%. When evaluated according to residential areas, there were more applications from urban areas. Animal bites were 53.8% cat bites, 35.5% dog bites, 10.8% horse, donkey and cow bites. 94.5% of cases fully completed the vaccination program. Conclusion: Rabies is a major public health problem. Necessary measures should be taken to reduce the number of risky contact cases. Necessary shelters for animals, centers where they can be treated should be provided, and a preventive vaccination program for animals should be carried out in full.