How to Treat Common Cold in Kids

[minisoji]

Tonsillitis


Open Mouth - Tonsils Tonsil is a mass of lymphatic tissue one each in the lateral(side) walls of the nasopharynx(where the far end of the nasal cavity meets with the oral cavity)the size of almonds. The basic function of these tissues is to provide resistance against disease and they normally subside by the time the kids are in their teens. The problem arises when they get inflamed and enlarged and start interfering with normal swallowing and eating. Infection of the tonsils is commonly seen in school going children.

Signs and symptoms:
Pain at the angle of the jaw and also sometimes in the ear.
Difficulty in swallowing.
Fever is often present.
Foul breath.
Inflamed oral cavity.

Treatment:

* It normally would consist of antibiotics for 7- 10 days, analgesics(pain relievers) and warm saline gargles.

Complications:

* Greatly enlarged tonsils, i.e. when tonsils meet each other in midline, can lead to difficulty in breathing.

* Attacks of acute tonsillitis can be associated with recurrent attacks of pain & infection in the ears.

* When certain bacteria are the causative organisms of acute tonsillitis and the infection is not resolved it may lead to heart disease in these patients.

* A child suffering from recurrent attacks has a slow development & frequently misses out on school.
* In adults, recurrent attacks of acute tonsillitis can predispose to formation of intraoral abscesses which then present as emergencies.


Surgery for Tonsillitis:
If the child is having recurrent attacks (approximately two attacks in a month); when tonsils are interfering with speech swallowing & respiration; when there is risk of developing heart disease then surgery to remove the tonsils( tonsillectomy ) should definitely be considered.

Keywords: kids care, kids health, kids fever,

[minisoji]

Worms

Worm infestations constitute an important health problem, especially in the children. Worm infestations are generally not noticed but can sometimes lead to significant problems, which affect many organ systems. Most of these are a result of unsanitary living conditions and poor food preparation. In countries like India, these constitute an important public health problem because infestation by hookworms is the cause of anemia in a significant number of children

A wide variety of worms infest humans, these range from half-inch pinworms to tape worms as long as 30 feet. The more important among them are the pinworms, the roundworms, and the hookworms.

Most (not all) of the worms live in the intestines and generally don't cause prominent symptoms unless they penetrate the intestinal wall and move to another part of the body. Any worm infestation can lead to respiratory or cardiovascular complications.

Pinworms:
These are very small worms, the size of about 2-4 mm, white in color and generally seen in clumps. It is characterized by the intense itching it produces in the anal area. Pinworms live in people's lower intestinal tracts. The female worm leaves the anus to deposit eggs in the anal area at night and induces severe itching. The consequent scratching transfers the eggs to the host's fingers. If inadvertently eaten, the eggs reach the intestines - hatch in the intestines and thus the cycle continues.

Roundworms causing Ascariasis:
Roundworms constitute a major public health problem. It is estimated that upto 1/4th of the world's population is infected with roundworms. It lives in the small intestine, lays enormous quantities of eggs that are excreted in the feces. The eggs remain viable for a long time in the soil and can enter the body in unwashed or raw food. Foods that are eaten raw like salads and vegetables readily transmit the infection. Children playing in soil can also pick up infection.

Hookworms:
It has been estimated that more than 200 million people are infected in India alone. Hookworms enter the body through skin, commonly through bare feet. It may also be acquired by food also.

The larvae migrate to the small intestine, where they may live for several years taking nutrients from the intestinal walls. Hookworm infection causes chronic blood loss and depletion of body's Iron stores leading to Iron deficiency anemia. This can lead to retarded growth; Low Birth Weight babies (if the mother is infected). Their eggs are excreted in feces; if the infested feces contaminate soil, the cycle is repeated.

Symptoms
Apart from the characteristic itching in the anal area produced by pinworm infection most of the symptoms of worm infection are non characteristic. These include:

* Anemia
* Diarrhea
* Nausea, vomiting
* Changes in appetite and fatigue
* Wheezing, coughing or other breathing difficulties.

Diagnosis
Most of the worms can be diagnosed from stool samples, which demonstrate their eggs/cysts. Pinworms can be diagnosed by using a piece of sticky tape to pick up any eggs that may be around the anal area; the tape is then checked under a microscope. The worm itself is sometimes visible in stool samples or around the anus.

Treatment
Most worms, thankfully, can be treated with a wide variety of available medicines effectively. Medicines commonly used include Mebendazole, Albendazole, Piperazine and Pyrantel.

The treatment is usually repeated after two weeks to ensure removal of the worms and their eggs.

Prevention

* Make sure children always wash their hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
* Keep fingernails short to reduce the chances of picking up worm eggs underneath them.
* Wash all the vegetables, fruits thoroughly before eating raw.
* Meat, especially pork should be thoroughly cooked before eating.
* Ensure that children don't play barefoot in soil.


Keywords: kids care, kids health, kids fever,

[minisoji]

Bedwetting

Bedwetting or nocturnal enuresis is involuntary passage of urine while the child is asleep at an age beyond which the sphincter control is normally developed. An occasional lapse by child should not cause concern. Bedwetting is of two types - Persistent (or primary) type and the Regressive type. In persistent type child has never been dry at night and in regressive type, the sphincter control is developed at normal age and child remains dry for several months after which child again starts wetting bed at night.

Prevalence of nocturnal enuresis at 5 yrs of age is 7% for males and 3% for females. At 10 yrs of age it is 3% for males and 2% for females and at 18 yr of age it is 1% for males and rarely present in females. There is a marked familial pattern.

Persistent Type

Persistent type of bed wetting is due to delay in maturation of neurological control of sphincters. Persistent type of nocturnal enuresis may also be due to inadequate or inappropriate toilet training. Parents who demand rapid toilet training may generate an angry response, the child unconsciously defy them by wetting the bed. But on the other hand parents who do not understand the timely need of toilet training may undermine childs effort to control the bladder.

One hypothesis also suggests that these children sleep deeply hence signal from distended bladder indicating the need to empty the bladder does not reach the conscious level of their brain during sleep.

Treatment for Persistent type of Nocturnal Enuresis

(a) Children should not be given liquids after dinner
(b) Child should void before going to sleep
(c) No punishment or humilation of child
(d) Reward therapy - Reward the child for being dry at night
(e) Conditional devices (alarm that rings when child wets the sheet) is reserved for persistent and refractory cases and is successful in more than 90% cases.
(f) Bladder stretching exercises
(g) Drug treatment is effective only briefly and there is exacerbation of symptoms once drug is discontinued.

Regressive type
This type of bedwetting is precipitated by stressful environmental events such as birth of a sibling, death in family, marital conflict and moving to a new home.

Treatment for Regressive type of Nocturnal Enuresis

This type of bedwetting is transitory. Prognosis is better and management is easier than persistent type.

In both types of bedwetting organic pathology is found only in small number of cases. Organic causes such, as anomalies of urinary tract, juvenile diabetes; nephropathies and neurologic illnesses should be excluded by physical examination and investigations.

Keywords: kids care, kids health, kids fever,