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Showing posts with label Pediatrics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pediatrics. Show all posts

June 12, 2012

Why does baby cry when defecating

why does baby cry when defecating
Don't be too worry when your baby is screaming and has a changed facial expression while defecating. It may not be a serious medical problem for your baby. Defecating is a new experience for babies, and it is a normal thing. There are some reasons why does baby cry when defecating.

  1. Body function is not perfect yet. Defecating while lying is difficult because it needs more pressure, so sometimes your baby will scream and cry. Babies can't sit and have to make an extra effort to coordinate abdominal muscles so the feces can be pushed. 
  2. Constipation. If your baby cries while excreting, it may be caused by constipation. Dry feces, and or after few days of no defecation are signs of constipation. To relieve constipation, increase the fluid intake. Add more sugars to his formula milk to soften the feces. If your baby is more than 4 months, you can add fresh juice to his meal. If your baby is already able to take solid meals, add high fiber vegetables such as spinach, peas, pear, and plum. If you have tried all the things and constipation still continues, consult your pediatrician. 
  3. Gassiness. Another reason why does baby cry when defecating is a gas pain. Gassiness is caused by inability to digest any nutrition from breast milk, lactation, or hyper syndrome (when mother has excessive milk production). Formula milk, constipation, and gastrointestinal infection can cause gassiness in your baby. Gassiness after drinking milk will be relieved by burping, gently massage your baby's stomach to release trapped air in his stomach. Give your baby some drops of fennel essence to reduce gassiness.

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December 26, 2011

Strep Throat Symptoms In Children

strep throat symptoms in children
Strep throat, or also known as streptococcal pharyngitis, is a bacterial infection of throat that is most common in children between age 5 and 15. It is very contagious, spread by person to person contact with saliva or nasal secretions. It easily spreads among family members. 

Strep throat symptoms in children
Strep throat symptoms may be both mild and severe. Children looks unhealthy about 2 to 4 days after having contact with the infectious matter that contains streptococcal bacteria. In most cases, symptoms begin suddenly, and include:
  • Fever, begins with slightly fever and become highest on day 2-3. Followed by chills.
  • Difficulty and pain in swallowing
  • Red throat, with white patches (sometimes confusing with dyphteria)
  • Headache
  • Nausea, appetite loss, vomiting
  • Swollen lymph in the neck
  • Rash. Some strain of streptococcal pharyngitis can lead to a scarlet fever-like rash. It is an allergic reaction to the bacterial toxins.
Your child may have those symptoms but actually he don't have strep throat. It may caused by viral infection and self limiting. Please consult your pediatrician to have a specific test of strep throat. In the other hand, it is also possible that your children have the bacteria but not having strep throat, because they are carriers of strep, which means that those children can spread strep to others but the bacteria are not now not making them sick.

Strep throat treatment
  • The causative therapy is antibiotics. The goal of antibiotics is to reduce the duration and the severity of the symptoms, as well as likelihood that the strep throat will spread to family members or school mates. The doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotics such as:
    • Amoxicillin. It is a penicilline derivative. Available in chewable tablet and syrup.
    • Cefadroxil, cephalexin, or other cephalosporin derivative.
    • Erythromycin
    • Azythromycin
    • Penicillin, for severe cases. The children should be hospitalized because it is given by injection. 
  • Symptomatic therapy:
    • Paracetamol syrup (follow the usage directions because it is harmful for the liver)
    • Ibuprofen syrup
    • Do not give aspirin because it has possibility to develop Reye syndrome.
  • Give warm drink and soft foods such as porridge.

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December 13, 2011

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms In Children

autism spectrum disorder symptoms in children
What is autism? And what is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism is a very complex developmental disabilities that cause problems with communication and social interaction. Signs and symptoms of autism start at 18 months old and then will cause delays in social developmental from infancy to adulthood. 

According to National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, people with autism have variable different symptoms so health care providers conclude autism as a "spectrum" disorder: a group of disorders with similar features. One children may show mild symptoms but another may have very serious symptoms. But both of them have an autism spectrum disorder. There are three categories of autism spectrum disorder:
  1. Classic autism or autistic disorder
  2. Asperger syndrome
  3. Atypical autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or shortened as pervasive developmental disorder.
So we use terminology "autism spectrum disorder" and "autism" to mean the same disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder symptoms in children
There are three main points of autism spectrum disorder:
  • Communication disorder: both verbal and non verbal communication. There are difficulties in speaking, pointing, smiling, eye contact, etc.
  • Social interaction incapability, such as how to give empathy, sharing emotions to others, how others think and feel, and how to hold a conversation
  • Routines or repetitive behaviors disorder, such as playing in repetitive ways, repeating actions or words, obsessively following certain routines.
Autism spectrum disorder treatments
  • As quoted from Center for Disease Control, there is no single best treatment for all children with autism spectrum disorders.
  • The most important of treatment program is structured teaching of specific skills.
  • Regular medical and dental examination should also be included in the treatment program.
  • Three basic treatments:
    1. Behavioral therapy, based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Speech therapy can help autism children improve their communication ability. Occupational therapy can help children adjust tasks to match their needs and abilities. Physical therapy is also important to build motor control and improve posture and balance.
    2. School-based options. Public schools are required to provide appropriate public education from age 3 until high school. Parents should consult to the teachers, school psychologists, and child developmental specialists to design an individual plan for their children.
    3. Medication. There are no medications that can cure autism spectrum disorder symptoms in children. SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), anti psychotics, stimulants, tricyclics, and anti anxiety are often prescribed. A hormone that helps digestion called secretin is not recommended as autism spectrum disorder treatment.
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November 11, 2011

Congenital Heart Disease In Children

Congenital Heart Disease In Children
I Have two children. My second child was 5 years old. His face often turn blue and has a slower growth compared to his older brothers at the same age. Her body was weak and emaciated. He does not like playing with each other kid. He has another symptom which his breath is wheezing and face seemed to turn blue when he run even though just 50 feet and not too fast. If he crying, so his face appears bluish. I've checked into the internist doctor and result said that he suffered from heart disease. I've started questioning whether it's Congenital heart disease in children.
The doctor advised me to bring him into a cardiologist for doing heart needed surgery. I become afraid because he is just a young child however should have heart surgery. I want to ask :
What exactly is my child's illness?
What causes them?
How much does it cost for surgery?
Are there any consequences if he doesn't take surgery?
Answer:

There are many kinds of heart diseases that affect children. One of the most important is Congenital heart disease in children. This heart disease is caused by rheuma, bacterial infection, etc.  
Types of congenital heart disease.
Congenital heart defects: tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great vessels, persistent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, stenosis of the aorta or atresi and others.
The heart is an important organ that the main function is to the channel part of the body to deliver oxygen and nutrients. Because of the cardiac abnormalities, there are some leaks so that the blood-containing acid is mixed with dirty blood that contains a lot of CO2. This causes blood that circulates throughout the body lacks oxygen and nutrients, while it's excess CO2.
Congenital heart disease in children is always weak, tired, irritability, listlessness, shortness of breath and face or body looks bluish. In addition, it causes the reduction of the heart's strength  so that blood is pumped around the body is not much, and results in acid and foods that are transported throughout the body is insufficient.
The treatment of congenital heart disease in children depends on the type of abnormality and the severity of these cardiac abnormalities.Tetralogy of Fallot and persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) can be cured with surgery. But the total transposition of the great blood vessels difficult to cure because there is no effective way, including with surgery. Ventricular septal defect and atrial light and mild pulmonary artery stenosis do not need an operation, but when severe requiring treatment by surgery.
Now let us discuss your questions:
  1. The examining doctor says that your child is suffering from heart disease. Most likely, it is a congenital heart disease. But I can't specify the type or name of congenital heart disease .
  2. Congenital heart disease in children happens before the birth of your child while still in the womb. The changes to the heart began to occur at the time the fetus (weeks 2 and 8) at the start of the process of heart formation. Causes of congenital heart disease in children include: rubella (German measles) which contains a pathway to a mother during 1-2 months, heredity, mother's age more than 40 years, vitamin A deficiency in pregnant while containing baby, anoxia (oxygen deficiency) as pregnant women, and other factors.
  3. As described above, several other severe heart disease and should be cured by surgery. Besides, there are even congenital heart disease in children that can not be treated even by way of operating. If the doctor recommends your child for surgery then treatment with surgery is the best for healing for the sake of your child's future.
  4. The cost of heart surgery is relatively expensive. Please visit your surgeon, especially a cardiac surgeon in a big city. A small percentage of severe congenital heart disease in children may persist or decrease the symptoms, but most will be more severe with increasing age. Without further treatment your child will remain as it is now for several years or even be more crowded, more weak and more bluish.
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November 10, 2011

Asthma Signs And Symptoms In Children

Asthma Signs And Symptoms In Children
Asthma is a chronic disease that attacks the respiratory tract called bronchial in the lung where there is inflammation process happened in the bronchial cavity wall. The result of inflammation process is airway constriction so the patients experience shortness of breath. Asthma is one of the most prevalent disease in developed countries, especially areas with high level of air pollution.

Asthma Signs and Symptoms in Children
Until now, the cause of asthma is unknown despite a lot of reseearches has been done by the experts. Theories how do you get asthma has not been agreed upon by experts around the world. But there is a similarity between asthmatic patients, that they have a bronchial hypersensitivity. Treatment type from physicians for asthma  condition depends on their severity. Physician need to understand the asthma pathophysiology so that patient is get appropriate treatment. The followings are factors that are believed as asthma cause/risk factors and therefore can trigger asthma attack:
  1. Hereditary factors. Genetic factors are quite significant. 
  2. Allergenic substances, such as wool, fibers, carpet, pollen, animal hair, etc. (allergy asthma).
  3. Household insects, especially cockroaches. Dead cockroaches dry and crush into powder which is very light to be floated by the air.
  4. Air pollution, from cigarette smoking (as passive smokers), factory smoke, etc.
  5. Exercise, especially vigorous ones like running race, soccer that is excessive enough to trigger asthma.
  6. Weather. Cold air and air conditioning are also stimulants for some patients.
Asthma signs and symptoms in children :
  1. Shortness of breath due to narrowing of airway
  2. Respiratory sounds (wheezing), especially while exhaling. But not all asthmatics have respiratory sounds!
  3. Prolonged cough at night and cold weather 
  4. Severe attack can cause the patients unable to speak
  5. Some patients also experience narrowing chest.
  6. On children, initial symptoms can include itching in neck or chest.
  7. During asthma attack, patients' anxiety can worsen their condition. They sometimes look very sweaty.
  8. Treatments
Asthma signs and symptoms in children, just like in adults is a disease that cannot be treated completely. This means, there are still some possibilities that asthma attacks can occur in the future Basic principles of asthma treatment are based on severity of signs and symptoms. Treatments of asthma, the principle therapies are extra oxygen, nebulizer gas, corticosteroids injection (intravenously administration), and cough relievers.
For asthmatics, it is very recommended to take the prescribed medicines regularly, always bring nebulizer, and avoid the risk factors to prevent asthma attacks.
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