Childhood Illness

What Is Childhood Illness ?

Childhood illness can range from relatively mild complaints to more serious diseases. The following guide describes how they affect a child and how to provide adequate protection and treatment. Of the diseases covered, diphtheria is by far the most serious. The fact that isolated cases have been reported recently means that parent must be sure their children have been immunized. Whooping cough, too, can be serious and again, immunization should be carefully considered. Being informed is the first step towards protecting your child from illness. For some illness, prevention through immunization is one way of ensuring that a child will not suffer from them. For other, learning to recognize the illness when the first signs appear may help to prevent serious complications arising. A child who is ill needs care and attention and, at the same time, parents need to know that they are doing the right thing. Knowing when to take a child to hospital is vital, but for some of the milder illness home treatment, backed up by medical advice, will be adequate. Parents should also remember that an infected child may have to be isolated briefly from other children.      

Scarlet Fever: Causes And Symptoms

Scarlet fever is steel considered by many to be a severe illness, which necessitates isolation of the children in a fever hospital and carries the risk of unpleasant complications. But, fortunately, with modern medical treatment there are no longer great viewed as being more akin to  a nasty attack of tonsillitis. In fact the only difference between some sorts of acute tonsillitis and scarlet fever is the latter’s skin rash.

Both scarlet fever and certain types of tonsillitis are cause by the same bacterium streptococcus. However, the particular strain of this germ which causes scarlet fever also produces a toxin which in turn acts on the child’s blood and causes a red rash. One attack of  scarlet fever gives the child permanent immunity against another attack, but this does not offer any protection against the many other strains of streptococci which cause tonsillitis.

At one time any child who caught scarlet fever was extremely ill. Nowadays however, the strain of bacteria that causes scarlet fever has discovery of an effective treatment in the from of antibiotics has meant that symptoms are fairly short lived. The child first become ill about two to five after he has been in contact with the germ. There is a sudden start to the illness and the initial signs are usually of a high fever up to 40°C (140°dF) and a loss of appetite, often accompanied by vomiting. The younger child seldom seems to notice that his throat is sore, but frequently complains of a bad stomachache. This also happens in acute tonsillitis and is probably due to the lymph glands in the abdomen becoming enlarged in an attempt to fight off invading bacteria. The older child may complain of a sore throat and also notice enlarged and tender lymph glands in the neck. The rash usually starts between 48 and 72 hours after the child has become ill. The rash consists of very small red spots which appear on a flushed pink skin. They usually first appear around the neck, in the armpits and in the groin. They then spread to the chest and the rest of the body. The patient’s face is usually flushed, except for a characteristic paleness around the mouth medically known as circumpolar pallor. The flushed of the skin disappears for a  few seconds if the skin is pressed with a finger. If scarlet is not treated promptly, the skin starts to peel after about one week, coming off in tiny flakes from around the small bright red areas of the rash. The peeling is most marked over the finger’s and toes, but may affect other parts of the body including the chest, abdomen, arms and legs. Usually the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet are the last areas to peel. At the start of the illness, the throat, including the tonsils, is bright red and there are usually white spots on the tonsils. The tongue is covered in white fur with little red protuberances or papillae white strawberry  tongue. The white fur on the tongue disappears, leaving red papillae on a red tongue  strawberry  tongue. The symptoms of scarlet fever may often resemble other conditions. For instance, the appearance of the throat and tongue can also occur in acute tonsillitis. And, initially scarlet fever symptoms can be confused with measles and German measles or glandular fever. A definite diagnosis can be made, however, when a throat swab is taken and infecting germ tested.

Complications And Treatment

In the past, scarlet fever had serious complications, but fortunately these are now very rare. Before antibiotics were used the germ could cause serious septicemia and other parts of the body besides the throat could become infected with the streptococcus. Infection of the bone caused osteomyelitis. The glands in the neck could also become so seriously infected that they might cause abscesses which could burst. Later complications, starting two or three weeks after the onset of untreated scarlet fever could include infection of the kidneys (acute nephritis), which might cause permanent  renal damage. This complication would start with fever and ‘Smokey’ urine. A specimen of urine from a child with scarlet fever may still be examined two or three weeks after the illness to make sure that there is no blood or protein in it; the likelihood of this happening, however, is very small. Rheumatic fever, which can cause permanent damage to the heart, also used to develop about a fortnight after the start of untreated scarlet fever. The child’s larger joints, such as the knees, elbows, shoulders and hips, would become acutely inflamed and the pain characteristically flitted from one joint to another. Inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media), however, is still a common complication of scarlet as it is of course of acute tonsillitis.

Scarlet fever, however mild, is treated with an antibiotic: the effectiveness of this treatment means that after 24 hours the organism is no longer infectious. The perhaps take a throat swab and send it to the laboratory; but he will not wait for a report on the germs before prescribing an antibiotic for the child. Penicillin is normally the antibiotic chosen; but erythromycin may be used for a child’s urine will probably be examined two or three weeks after the start of the illness to make sire that the kidneys have not been affected. Scarlet fever today is rarely very serious and there is little risk of a child suffering further complications.

1. Give prescribed drugs at the correct time, don’t miss doses and always finish the course if your child appears to have recovered.
2. 2. At first, your child will not feel like eating. Don’t worry, simply ensure that he drinks plenty of fluids. A straw or an infant’s mug will make drinking easier and more fun.
3. 3. Until the doctor says that your child can return to school, ensure that he rests quietly but there is no need for him to be in bed.
4. 4. If your child’s urine looks ‘Smokey’ after he has apparently recovered, consult your doctor.

Children Health

Why My Child Always Sick ?

The average pre-school child suffer six respiratory infection (cough, colds, tonsillitis and ear infection) each year. If any large group of children is carefully examined, a small number will be found to have no illness, an equally small number will have them extremely often and the majority will lie somewhere in between. Although it would it seem to largely a matter of luck as to whether a child is prone to coughs and colds or not, there are one or two influencing factor. Age is an important factor : the worst ages is an between six months and two years, and seven. For the first six months children are protected from infection by antibodies from their mother’s blood and possibly breast milk. In addition they are not in close contact with lost of other children with whom germs might be exchanged. In the next 18 months they are likely to catch whatever is affecting other children with whom they mix. This is because they have not yet build up any immunity to the hundreds of micro-organisms that surround them. By the age of  two their resistance is improving as the body steadily memorizes all the germs which have attacked it and prepares defenses against them. The next run of infections tends to occur when the child enters a play group or nursery at the age of three by a further assault at school entry. The reason is simply that the child comes into close contact with larger numbers of children form whom infection can be caught. The child’s immunity gradually builds up and coughs and colds lessen. Other factors are known to put children at a disadvantage: boys suffer more infections than girls; those born prematurely have slightly more. And those children whose parents smoke unquestionably experience more chest troubles in their infancy than the children of non-smokers, possibly because tobacco smoke in the air damages the tiny hairs lining the breathing tubes which move dust and mucus out of the lungs. Breast-fed, possibly because of anti-infection material in human milk. Then there are environmental and social considerations. Town dwellers and the child of a professional couple will be likely to have far fewer coughs and colds than that of an unemployed or unskilled working class couple. The reasons for this relationship between social class and a child’s illnesses are many and may include the most important influence is probably overcrowding: the more children in contact with one another the greater the chances of infection. After all these factor are taken into account there remain some children who have more than their fair share of trouble. Some may have allergies which mimic infection: asthma can be mistaken simply for a persistent cough, allergic rhinitis for a continual cold. A few may have unexplained overgrowth of their tonsils and  adenoids contributing to ear and throat infections. And some older children may have developed chronic sinusitis an infection within hollow spaces between certain bones which acts as a reservoir for chest infection. A tiny number of children may even have an abnormality of the body’s complex immunity system. In many cases, however, it remains a mystery why some children are virtually infection-free while others rarely seem to be fit for very long.  

Environments Health For Children

What Is Environments Health ?

No one doubts that some environments are unhealthy and other the opposite. Traditionally, sanatoria for patients with serious lung diseases have been built at high altitude, will away from industrial pollution, and there seem to be some logic in this. What is more dubious is the persistent belief that one part of the country is better than another for people with a respiratory disorder, or that one seaside town is healthier than another. For example, a child specialist in Devon examined a number of asthmatics who had moved there from other parts of the country because they had been told that milder winter temperatures would help. When he himself moved to the south of England, he encountered several patients who had moved there from Devon. This was because they were convinced that the frequent rain I Devon contributed to their asthma! In reality the disease is equally common in both areas. Experiments have been carried out on adults in jobs that expose them to very different environments. These have shown, for example, that policemen on traffic duty suffer more from respiratory disorders than their deskbound colleagues. Bus conductors, exposed to cigarette smoke, have a slightly higher sickness rate than drivers. Keeping bedroom windows open in town cause more chronic bronchitis than if they are kept closed. There seems little doubt that atmospheric from motor-car exhausts, industry, domestic fires and cigarettes can all contribute to acute and chronic bronchitis and many lungs diseases in both children and adults. Much lassies know about the effects of recent changes in our lifestyles; for example, some parents are convinced that central heating, because it dries out the air, has a detrimental effect on children with croup or asthma. Whether this is true or not has yet to be established conclusively. In recent years there has been growing interest in ionizers, which alter the electrical charge on particles suspended in the air, make the air that we breathe fresher cleaner or easier to breathe thus benefiting asthmatics and people suffering from other respiratory disorders. these claims have yet to be proven scientifically. For all practical purpose, in terms of environment and health, children who live in the country have an advantage over their town- dwelling brethren. However, it does not necessarily follow moving a child with a respiratory illness to a new home in the country will make other factors play a part: his parents smoking, for example. it has been shown that even passive smoking inhaling the fumes from cigarettes other people are smoking has a detrimental effect on the lungs. Over the counter remedies for five main categories, each of which has a particular purpose.

Group A Drugs: deal mainly with pain relief. The active ingredients are aspirin and paracetamol. If all that is required is to relieve the headache, muscle pain or fever associated with a cold, then drugs of group  A are certainly effective. Include in this group are Beecham’s powders (aspirin with caffeine and vitamin C), Boots’ Cold Reliief (paracetamol and vitamin C) and Paynocil (aspirin). For relieving the symptoms of coughs and colds ingredients such as caffine and vitamin C have no proven beneficial effect.

Group B Drugs: used for relief of nasal stuffiness. The active ingredients are antihistamines and sympathomimetics. They will offer temporary relief from a blocked and runny nose, but a major problem with these drugs is the likelihood of side-effects. Antihistamines, for example, commonly cause drowsiness which may be acceptable or even and advantage if the patient is in bed, but  can be irritating at work or school, dangerous if  driving and potentially lethal if combined with alcohol. Antihistamines are present in Actifed, Benylin, Dimotane, Flavelix, Linctifed, Phenergan, Phensydel, Rinurel, Tixylix, Triominic and Night Nurse. The other major group of nasal decongestants sympathomimetics do not cause drowsiness. Included in this group are Lemsip, Oristan, Actified, Benylin Decongestant, Dimotapp, Eslcornade, Boots’ Cold Tablets with Vitami C. Medical opinion is that sympathommetics are of doubtful value. What is certain though is that they should not be taken by patients with high blood pressure (they can cause a dramatic rise), overactive thyroid gland, diabetes and those taking certain anti-depressants. Also, people taking certain anti-asthma drugs may experience unpleasant palpitations.