Conditions And Diseases | Pediatric Surgery

Parental Behavior Condemns Children to Premature Death

According to Steve Field, who represents 42,000 primary care physicians as the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, parental influence can be the determining factor in whether a child will grow up to be a healthy adult. Field recently wrote a letter to the Sunday Observer to bring the issue to the media. In it, he blames parents who smoke in front of their children and those who feed their children junk food for committing a type of child abuse. This belief stems from research showing a connection between these habits and the development of illnesses in children exposed to the behavior.

By modeling the behavior, parents may increase the risk of an entire generation developing health issues like diabetes and heart disease. In some cases, it may lead to premature death. When general practitioners tell a patient he needs to lose weight, the patient will often ignore the warning. It’s the same for a doctor who tells a woman to quit smoking. Many patients view general practitioners as spoil sports. Field points to hard evidence backing the warning as the reason for it. He hopes the connection between a parent’s behavior and its affect on the children’s health will inspire parents to take responsibility for their vices.

For some, changing behavior may require additional help and expense. People who have smoked their entire lives may need long-term support to kick the habit. Individuals suffering from obesity may need to work with a nutritionist to learn how to eat correctly and when to eat. If the parent doesn’t understand how to eat with nutrition in mind, how can she teach her child how to eat a balance diet?

While every visit to the doctor is a chance for a practitioner to catch early warning signs, Field believes the future of child health may depend on parents improving their lifestyles and making healthier choices.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Pediatrics Tagged With: General practitioner, Health, Heart disease, The Observer

National Organizations Issue Summer-Time Warnings to Keep Kids Safe

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Despite constant warnings, leaving a child in a car has led to 29 deaths in 2010 as of August, according to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University. As summer continues, several organizations, including Safe Kids USA, the Oklahoma Health Department, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, want parents to understand that even cooler temperatures in the 60-degree range can cause a child’s body to overheat, resulting in death.

While most parents know the dangers of leaving children in cars, the most common reason for this type of death results when a caregiver forgets the child is in the car. This can happen when your usual routine changes. One woman stopped to pick up donuts and went to work. She thought she’d dropped her child off at daycare, but she hadn’t.

~ Always double check the back seat of your car. Even if you aren’t responsible for the children, getting into this habit can help prevent unforeseen disaster when you are in charge.

~ Set up reminders when your schedule changes. You can have a spouse or friend call to remind you of the change, which can help focus it in your mind. If your spouse is responsible for the kids, take the initiative to call him or her as a reminder.

~ Put items you need for the day in the back seat of the car. This can force you to look at the back seat.

~ Unload your children first. It’s easy to unload the trunk and think you’ve gotten everything, but in reality your child may be in the car still. Unloading your child first helps prevent this type of mistake.

In addition to doing everything possible to make sure you don’t leave a child in the car, you need to take a few other precautions to prevent car- and heat-related deaths. Make sure you lock the car doors and close the trunk. Over 1/3 of deaths occurred when children were trapped in a car where they were playing. Keep your car keys out of reach and don’t let children use them as toys.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Health Tagged With: Children, Hyperthermia, Safe Kids USA

Government Panel Cautions Against Using One Brand of Flu Shot for Young Children

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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issues a directive on August 5, 2010, warning U.S. doctors to avoid using the CSL vaccine for children under the age of eight. After receiving shots of the CSL flu vaccine, young children who live in Australia and New Zealand experienced convulsions and fevers.

CSL Biotherapies is an Australian-based company that is manufacturing a portion of the flu vaccines headed to the U.S. for the fall. The remaining vaccines will come from four additional manufactures and have had no negative side effects as of yet. Overall, the U.S. anticipates receiving 170 million doses of the vaccine from the combined group of manufacturers.

While health professionals have not reported any deaths in association with the CSL vaccine, members on the panel for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices expressed concern over the negative side effects. According to the vaccine information, children under the age of five experienced almost 10 times more problems with the vaccine than with other ones. Regardless of the warning, the majority of panel members believed it would be better for doctors to adminster the CSL vaccine in children at risk of flu complications rather than skipping the shot because other vaccine brands weren’t available.

As a result of the warning, many expect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a formal warning to doctors and the public regarding the CSL vaccine. The CDC usually adopts recommendations made by the panel.

Professionals looking into the negative side effects related to the CSL vaccine have yet to determine a cause for the fevers or convulsions. However, Sharon McHale, a representative for CSL Biotherapies, said the company was cooperating with the U.S. committee. The company had already decided not to distribute one form of its vaccine and supports taking precautions with the vaccine it will send to the U.S.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Medical Research Tagged With: Health, Influenza vaccine, United States

Find Out Whether Your Child is Depressed

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When a person, even a child, doesn’t feel well for a long period of time, the illness can begin to affect mood. It’s even possible for conditions like obesity and diabetes to cause depression, which can suck the fun out of life. While most kids have moments of sadness or may seem moody, these moments should not last for an extended amount of time. According to research, three out of 100 young children may suffer from depression. The number increases to nine for those in the teenage years.

Children with depression may not exhibit the same symptoms of depression that an adult would, so it’s important to know what to look for. Symptoms of depression may include being grumpy or bored. Kids struggling with the condition may no long enjoy activities they used to do on a regular basis for fun. The depression may affect sleep patterns, weight, and the ability to concentrate. Some children may struggle with feelings of worthlessness and consider suicide.

If you think your child may suffer from depression, evaluate his level of activity. Young children may withdraw from social activities or feel tired all the time. School-aged kids may complain of stomachaches or headaches. It can also help to understand whether your child may be at a higher risk for developing depression, which may indicate a chemical imbalance. Stressful situations often contribute to the condition. Medications used for pain relief may interact with the body’s ability to regulate neurotransmitters. If you have a family history of depression, heredity may play a role, as well.

To determine whether a symptom is the result of depression, have your child visit your family doctor. It is possible for certain illnesses or disorders to mimic depression. If it is depression, your doctor can work with you to determine the best treatment option. Some children may respond to counseling, while others may need medication. At home, you can encourage your son or daughter to engage in exercise and prepare meals with a balanced diet in mind. Also, take the time to listen to your child.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Health Tagged With: Depression, Disorders, Health, Mental health

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

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If your child has trouble concentrating at school, seems to be hyperactive, or struggles to learn, she may not be getting enough sleep. According to Dr. Brian McGinley, who works with Johns Hopkins Children’s Center as an assistant pulmonary medicine professor, failing to get adequate sleep may compromise a child’s immune system and increase the risk of developing dangerous conditions like cardiovascular disease. To help parents understand the amount of sleep children need, McGinley and colleagues at the Pediatric Sleep Disorder Clinic have issued guidelines.

Children 1 to 8 weeks old need more sleep than older children, but the sleep is broken into smaller sessions. As parents know, newborns often wake at set intervals through the night. Overall, newborns should sleep a minimum of 10.5 hours each day, with the normal range reaching up to 18 hours. From three to twelve months, children begin to develop a circadian cycle and will start sleeping more at night and be more active during the day. By nine months, 80 percent of infants will sleep through the night. The range for this group is nine to twelve hours a night. Children may take thirty-minute naps throughout the day with some children napping up to four times.

From one to four, children need 12 to 14 hours of sleep at night. The increase at night may stem from the reduction in naps. Most toddlers won’t nap more than twice a day. By age seven, most U.S. children will no longer nap. Kids from five to twelve years of age need an average of 10 to 11 hours of sleep. While it can be tough to enforce, older children (from 13 to 18) need a minimum of 8.5 hours of sleep with a range up to 9.5 hours.

When a person gets the right amount of sleep, he will fall asleep and wake-up spontaneously. In the morning, he’ll feel refreshed rather than tired. To determine the correct amount of sleep, parents may want to find out how long their children sleep during the summer, when they don’t have to be up early for school.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Pediatrics Tagged With: Child, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Sleep disorder

Did Your Child’s Doctor Make the Wrong Diagnosis?

Since 1990, the number of children diagnosed with food allergies has dramatically increased. Now, doctors estimate eight percent of children have some type of allergy to foods. Because of the sharp increase, watchdog organizations doubt whether children are receiving the correct diagnosis. At the heart of the debate is self-diagnosis testing kits, but some critics are extending their doubt to practitioners who use testing methods like skin prick tests. The watchdog group NICE, or the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, claims 1/5 of self-diagnoses tests return inaccurate results.

Testing for food allergies isn’t the only indication food allergies are on the rise. Hospitals in Northern Ireland, Wales, and England are reporting a 500 percent increase over the last 20 years in the number of children admitted because of an allergic reaction to food.

To help ensure doctors get the correct diagnosis, NICE has put together guidelines to determine whether a child has a food allergy. In some cases, patients may need additional testing to confirm whether a condition or symptom is the result of a true allergy. According to the watchdog group, improper use of the word allergy may contribute to an incorrect diagnosis.

The guidelines call for general practitioners to test any child with a severe reaction, such as anaphylaxis. As part of testing, parents should remove a suspected food from the diet for a period of time and then reintroduce it. If the child is in allergic, he will have another reaction once he tries to reintegrate the food.

Typical food allergies for children include shellfish, eggs, nuts, cow’s milk, gluten, and kiwi. Some doctors think the statistics for food allergies in children are lower than the actual amount because parents may miss the symptoms of the allergy. As doctors find new ways to determine whether a child has an allergy, the numbers may continue to increase.

Filed Under: Child Care, Conditions and Diseases, Diagnosis, Health Tagged With: Allergy, Conditions and Diseases, Health