Is your child in daycare? Then it's probably just a matter of time before she comes home with a case of the highly contagious, pink eye.
If your child comes home from school or daycare with an itchy, red eye, then beware. She likely has the common, and very contagious eye infection, conjunctivitis. Also known as pink eye, it is usually accompanied by a thick, yellow discharge, often crusting the eyes shut in the morning. Pink eye can be viral or bacterial in nature. Viral infections are self-limiting and need to run their course, whereas bacterial infections require antibiotic eye-drops. The only way to know for certain whether your child's eye infection is bacterial or viral is to have her seen by her doctor.
The good news is that while pink eye is uncomfortable, it is rarely serious. Pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Roy Cline elaborates. "Conjunctivitis is an infection of the eye surface. Normally it should be nice and white. But if it's red and swollen with discharge, it's usually caused by the same type of virus that causes an upper-respiratory condition. And when it comes in that combination then you have pink eye."
If your child has pink eye then you may want to keep your child away from school or daycare until the infection has cleared, so as not to pass it around to other children. Also it's advisable to avoid sharing towels, and avoid touching the eye area. As Dr. Cline explains "it's a very contagious disorder and really requires children to be meticulous about hand-washing. It's spread by tear drops so you don't want a child touching back and forth."
Overall, it is wise to have any problems with eyes or vision assessed by a doctor. Finally, if your child's eye infection is accompanied by a fever, swelling and a general sense of malaise, do have your child seen by a physician immediately, as this may require prompt treatment.
Children suffering from ear infections should be seen by their physician, and for good reason!
If your child complains of ear pain and has a fever, chances are she's suffering from a common childhood ailment, otitis media, otherwise known as an ear infection. Ear infections require medical attention for many reasons; they can be extremely painful, and without treatment can lead to complications such as meningitis. Some research points out that recurrent ear infections lead to hearing loss and in turn, delay in speech development. Fortunately prompt treatment with antibiotics usually clears up an ear infection within a few days. Still, even once your child is on antibiotics, it's important to monitor her progress says pediatrician Dr. Mickey Lester. "If the doctor puts the child on antibiotics, the parents should monitor the situation to be sure the symptoms and the fever disappear within a couple of days. If not, they should report to the doctor. They should also return to the doctor after a couple of weeks to be sure that the infection is completely cleared. "
For those with stubborn ear infections, a doctor may suggest keeping a child on a low dose of antibiotics for many months, adds Dr. Lester. "Prophylactic antibiotics, which are administered in small doses once a day, for three to four months will hopefully clear up the infection. It gives nature time to heal the middle ear and return to normal so it will not be prone to further infections." Even with this, some children continue to have recurrent ear infections in which case a common and safe operation called tube surgery may be suggested. This is when ventilating tubes are inserted through the eardrum and into the middle ear to drain fluid.
Ear infections are most common in young children under three because the tube between their ear and throat is immature and not quite developed. Because many young children aren't yet verbal, parents need to be attuned to the signs of a child with an ear infection says pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr. Lesley Salkeld. "Young children may be fussy or irritable or may appear to be in a lot of pain that makes sleeping or eating difficult."
Is an ear infection ever a medical emergency? Most physicians would agree that the older child suffering from an ear infection could usually be treated with acetaminophen to reduce the pain, and then be seen by a physician within 24 hours. But Dr. Salkeld warns, "if a young child has a high fever, I consider it a medical emergency for which a diagnosis and treatment should be immediately commenced."
The sun may seem like a summertime friend, but without the right protection it can also be our children's enemy.
With our depleted ozone layer, in many ways the sun has become more of a danger than a pleasure. Gone are the days of basking in the sun with little or no protection. Now we're told that blistering sunburns double the chance of developing malignant melanoma (skin cancer) later in life. So if we want to protect our children from the sun's damage then we need to use more than just sunscreen, explains dermatologist Dr. G. Daniel Schacter. "Sunscreens are important, but when trying to protect a child remember they need a hat with a wide brim and we need to cover their skin with as much clothing as possible. Whatever isn't covered you should cover with sunscreen."
Babies under a year of age should not be put in direct sunlight. And Dr. Schacter says there are times when it's best for all children to avoid the sun altogether. "From 11 to 3, or 11 to 4, the exposure to sun is greatest and if possible children should play indoors as long as possible. If they have to play outdoors, protect them."
Many doctors recommend finding a sunscreen with Parsol 1789 in it, as this is a very good UVA block. And when it comes to the strength of the sunscreen Dr. Schacter says look for a higher SPF. "SPF stands for sun protection factor. Sunscreens are rated from two to fifty. The higher the rating, the greater the protection. If it's a SPF of fifteen it means they can play fifteen times as long in the sun without burning. That's a guide. You shouldn't spend fifteen times as long in the sun."
If you've misjudged how long your child can be in the sun or when the sunscreen needs to be reapplied, then a sunburn may occur. So how do you treat it? Dermatologist Dr. Thomas Christianson says "the age old methods of keeping the skin comfortable are the same as always such as the use of cold compresses and bland cream. If they get to the point of erosion and sores on the skin, at that point they may want to seek a medical opinion to make sure that there's nothing that can be done."
Is your child's cough hanging on longer than normal? Then you may want to have him checked for asthma.
Most of us associate asthma with attacks that leave children wheezing and having difficulty breathing. But asthma can often be detected before it gets to this state. One sign of asthma in a child is a cough that goes on long after a cold is over, explains pediatrician and asthma specialist Dr. Barry Zimmerman. "Asthma is a bit like an iceberg. Once a child wheezes, that's the tip of the iceberg, and everybody can make the diagnosis. But really what a parent should think about is, every time a child gets a cold does it get into their chest and leave them coughing for a few weeks? One out of five children gets a cold that hangs around, and in theses cases asthma should be considered."
In most cases, asthma symptoms develop before age five. Once asthma is diagnosed, most physicians will prescribe medication to open airways and decrease inflammation. Dr. Zimmerman stresses that it's important that these medications are used at the first sign of an attack. "You fight asthma like a fire, when it's a few sparks and not an inferno. There should be none of the sudden, acute attacks. If a child requires the use of the bronchodilator a lot and has sudden episodes, then the inflammation and asthma are not being controlled."
Pediatric respiratory specialist Dr. Stephen Kent adds that while medication is vital, it's also important to be aware of what triggers your child's asthma attacks such as dust mites, pollen or animal dander. "The important first for parents is to control the environment as best as they can, including controlling the humidity so it doesn't go above 50% which is conducive to the growth of mold and dust mites, removing dust catchers, pets in the child's room and second hand smoke altogether."
If you suspect your child has asthma, have him or her seen by a physician. Asthma can be a serious condition if left untreated.
With the emergence of super bugs, there's good argument for being judicious in our use of antibiotics.
It's hard to believe that around a half a century ago, before antibiotics became widely used, just the thought of a bacterial infection such as strep throat could put the fear of death into parents. Fortunately antibiotics have virtually wiped out many of those illnesses that at one time were considered deadly. But that is not to say that antibiotics are the answer to every fever, cough and cold. As pediatrician Dr. Alan Goldbloom explains, antibiotics are only useful when bacteria cause your child's illness. "Probably 90% plus of all the infections young children get are caused by viruses for which antibiotics don't work. The number of infections for which antibiotics work is still relatively small. They are used for ear, bladder and some throat infections, particularly strep throat. For all the others, the flues, colds, etc., antibiotics won't do anything at all."
Unfortunately, we've become so accustomed to using antibiotics that they have often been either over-used or misused. Pediatrician Dr. Paul Theissen says that because of this overuse "we're seeing the emergence of serious bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics. This is the biggest concern about antibiotic abuse - the emergence of strains of very nasty bacteria for which we have no antibiotics with which to treat them."
Besides the advent of super bugs, there are other reasons why you should use antibiotics judiciously. "The reason you don't want to take an antibiotic if you don't need it, is to prevent the side effects to yourself or your child," explains Dr. Theissen. "Side effects include diarrhea, rashes, vomiting and sometimes a serious inflammation of the bowel. So there are very good reasons as to why you don't want to take an antibiotic unless you need to."
When a child's illness is due to a bacterial infection, antibiotics do play an important role in treatment. Still, proper use of those antibiotics is vital says Dr. Goldbloom. "What's really important is to complete the course of treatment. This is very difficult for a lot of parents, because the children seem to get better after three days of treatment. But often the bacteria lie around longer than the symptoms do. Therefore, for things like strep throat it often takes longer to eradicate the bacteria then it does for children to get better."
Every year people die from food poisoning. However it's easy to avoid with a little care and a lot of cooking.
If your child eats food contaminated by bacteria, food poisoning can occur causing abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Several types of bacteria can lead to food poisoning including, among others, salmonella, which is most commonly found in uncooked meat and poultry, eggs, and un-pasteurized milk. Botulism can be a deadly food poisoning caused by bacteria often found in improperly canned food and sometimes, honey. Other bacteria that cause food poisoning are staphylococcus-aureus and clostridium-perfringens usually transferred by a food handler, making hand washing vital to healthy food preparation.
E-coli bacteria cause one of the most serious forms of food poisoning. Often referred to as 'hamburger disease', it can cause "the more serious form of gastroenteritis", explains pediatrician Dr. Aliza Lipson. Generally a child will ingest e-coli "typically from undercooked hamburger meat, but it can come from other sources as well." Hamburger disease can be deadly, so if your child is vomiting and has bloody stool, Dr. Lipson stresses you must immediately call a physician. "Children can die from it, and the other side of the coin is that they can completely recover and never look back. The dangerous part is that sometimes the kidneys get involved and children can go into renal failure. There's other systems that can be involved but it's usually the renal problems that are the long lasting ones."
Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Ron Gold says prevention of hamburger disease is quite simple. First don't let raw hamburger come into contact with any other uncooked food such as salads. Second, wash your hands well before and after preparing raw hamburger, and wash all utensils and countertops with hot, soapy water after they've come into contact with the raw meat. And make sure you store ground beef properly. Dr. Gold says "the problem with meat is that if the meat isn't refrigerated or stored properly the bacteria can multiply so that you can get a lot of the toxins released, and then if the meat isn't cooked properly you can get sick. We have to get out of the habit of eating rare hamburger. To be safe it should not be pink at all."
Treatment for food poisoning can include antibiotics. But the best bet is prevention through cleanliness and thorough cooking. Finally, when you're finished cooking, be sure to store those leftovers immediately, and when you go to reuse them ensure that they are thoroughly reheated before serving.
If your child has trouble breathing or gets hives after eating, then she may have a life threatening food allergy.
In children, particularly young ones, intolerance to certain foods is fairly common. But actual food allergies, when the body's immune system reacts to certain foods, are rare, effecting only one to three percent of the population. Nonetheless, food allergies can be dangerous and even life threatening.
Allergist Dr. John Dean explains some of the signs of a true food allergy. "Possible signs of a food allergy are severe eczema, swelling around the mouth, in the mouth, vomiting, maybe coughing & wheezing. (It occurs) often with certain foods particularly peanuts, raw eggs, sometimes milk, soya, shellfish and nuts, when these children ingest the food."
If your child has a food allergy, there are two main concerns. First and foremost is that the child avoids the food that he or she is allergic to. The second concern is that parents work closely with a specialist to ensure that their child has an adequate diet explains allergy specialist, Dr. Edward Hein. "For children with food allergies, it's a very good idea to work with a physician and to also talk to a dietitian or nutritionist in order to make sure that the diet is adequate so that the child will grow and develop normally."
Once your child has been tested and the food allergy is confirmed, then it's vital that he or she is well informed of what food he or she is allergic to and that this food is avoided without exception says Dr. Dean. "If your child has been identified as having a specific food allergy, it's absolute avoidance. You cannot smuggle food, so any food that contains that food product such as milk solids in a hot dog has to be avoided."
Dr. Dean hastens to add that it's imperative anyone in regular contact with your child such as teachers and caregivers know just what to do if your child ingests the wrong stuff. Part of that game plan may include adrenalin. "If anyone has any major problem in their throat, difficulty swallowing or speaking, adrenalin is the only safe drug to use, and obviously you go straight to hospital," says Dean. It's recommended that children with food allergies carry a special emergency kit that contains a shot of adrenalin.
If you suspect your child has a true food allergy, then have her seen by a physician so testing can be arranged. Food allergies can be life threatening and therefore, must be taken seriously.
