CLINICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NEUROSONOGRAPHIC CHANGES DETECTED IN DYNAMICS IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL CHLAMIDIA INFECTION

Introduction. The problem of congenital chlamydial infection is still remaining relevant due to the difficulties in its diagnosis and peculiarities of the course. The aim of this study was to clarify the dynamics of the severity and nature of the affection of the central nervous system in the case of congenital chlamydial infection. Materials and methods. 103 newborns were examined. Catamnestic observations were performed during a year. Specific diagnosis was made by polymerase chain reaction with the detection of chlamydia DNA in the blood serum of newborns. The main group included 80 children; the second control group consisted of 23 healthy children. The group III involved 36 children assessed as having satisfactory health status at birth, whose mothers had Chlamydia infection. Results and discussion. Analysis of the results showed that visceral forms with congenital chlamydial pneumonia were diagnosed in almost 50% of newborns; localized forms (congenital conjunctivitis) were diagnosed in 7.5% of children. 45% of newborns of the main group had no clinical signs of the disease. Neurosonography was performed in dynamics. It demonstrated that lenticular vasculopathy, areas of increased echogenicity, thickening of the ventricular walls, both alone and in combination were found only in the children of the main group and could be regarded as markers of intrauterine infection. Neurosonographic examination during the 1 year of life of the children in the main group indicated the presence of pathological changes. In the children of the control group markers of intrauterine infection were not detected. Thus, the obtained neurosonographic data confirm the long-term and damaging effects of chlamidia infection in the children of the main group. Conclusion. Pathological changes detected by neurosonography persisted during the first year of life and correlated with the formation of stato-kinetic developmental delay, muscular dystonia syndrome, and cerebral palsy in children.