What are the most common paediatric disorders?
In today’s day and age, with advancements in science and technology, everyone is busy. From a homemaker to an entrepreneur, there is a constant hustle in each person’s life. When children of such adults suffer from paediatric disorders, life comes to a standstill.
Here is an excerpt from a video interview of Dr Rajsekhar B, Sr. Consultant Paediatrician & Associate Medical Director at Giggles by OMNI Hospitals, Visakhapatnam on Common Paediatric Disorders and measures that can be taken to keep them at bay.
Q. What are the common paediatric disorders?
A. The most common paediatric disorders are,
1. Throat infection
2. Fever
3. Cough
4. Cold
5. Malaria
6. Abdominal pain
7. Chikun Gunya
8. Dengue
9. Typhoid and
10. Malnutrition
Q. What is the ideal body temperature of a child?
A. The ideal body temperature of a child can range between 97 F to 99 F. Although if a child is active even at 99.2-99.4 F, it is still normal.
Q. Which temperature can be considered as that which inclines towards a fever in a child?
A. When the temperature of a child is more than 100 F, it indicates that he/she is beginning to suffer from a fever.
Q. When body temperature is measured with a thermometer, is it required to add one degree to the recorded temperature?
A. Adding one degree to the recorded temperature is an ideal method of measuring body temperature.
Although this isn’t required in the case of a digital thermometer as it gives an accurate reading.
Q. When a child suffers from fever, is it ideal to bring the body temperature down by wrapping the forehead with cloth dipped in ice-cold water?
A. When a child is suffering from fever, the body temperature is higher than room temperature already. In such a case, a cloth dipped in tap water and wrapped around the head intermittently is more than enough to decrease the overall body temperature of the child. There is no necessity to use ice-water as that might cause shivering and chills.
Q. Can a child take antibiotics?
A. Yes, an antibiotic taken the right dosage will cause no harm to children. Although, the child should be above at least above 7 years of age.
Q. Do antibiotics help in reducing a fever? If so, how?
A. A fever is usually caused by an infection or inflammation. Antibiotics only help in treating bacterial infections. They do not help in treating viral or any other forms of infections and inflammations.
Hence, during a viral fever, an antibiotic is given in combination with paracetamol. Paracetamol brings down the body temperature to normal and antibiotics help in attacking the cause of fever i.e., bacteria.
Paracetamol or antibiotics taken separately are not enough during a viral fever.
Q. Which foods are ideal to eat during a fever and which foods shouldn’t be eaten during a fever?
A. A fever decreases the body’s metabolism rate. Due to this, the taste buds go numb hence reducing the child’s food intake automatically. If a child is able to eat about 50-60% of the food that he/she usually eats, it is good enough during a fever.
Limiting food options during a fever will only further decrease the child’s appetite. Hence, all foods can be consumed in the right amounts even during a fever. Although cold drinks and cold foods like ice creams, desserts, cold fruit bowls etc. should be avoided.
Q. Can a child eat rice during a fever?
A. All foods can be consumed in the right amounts even during a fever. Although cold drinks and cold foods like ice creams, desserts, cold fruit bowls etc. should be avoided.
Q. What is the cause of Dengue fever?
A. Dengue fever is caused by a virus known as ‘Dengue Virus.’ There are five types of dengue virus. The virus is transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes.
Q. Is Dengue fever life-threatening?
A. Dengue fever can present itself as just a viral fever with body and joint pains or as a more serious condition. Although, even in a serious case, if the patient is brought to the hospital at the right time and is under good care and medication, the fever can easily be averted.
Q. What is a common cold?
A. Common cold presents itself as a stuffy nose or a headache. Usually, a common cold is allergic in nature. It can sometimes also be biological in nature.
Q. During the day of vaccination, is it okay if the baby cries continuously for a long period?
A. After vaccination, usually, a baby suffers from fever and may cry due to discomfort and uneasiness caused by a fever. There might also be a swelling in the area of the vaccination.
As doctors, if we see the above symptoms, we give a mild antibiotic dosage. The effect of the medicine is seen in about 30 mins and if the child starts to settle down after this, there is no problem.
Pain due to vaccination stays for about 24-48 hours and during this period, the baby should be given extra attention and care.
Q. During a Dengue fever, does the platelet count decrease? And if so, is it dangerous?
A. Every fever has its own course of action. Dengue fever is caused by a virus and presents itself as a viral fever with body and joint pains. When a person suffers from dengue fever, his/her platelet count decreases after the third day of fever.
Dengue virus attacks the bone marrow which is the main centre for platelet production and hence there is a platelet number decrease in the patient. The percentage of reduction varies from patient to patient.
In most patients, the platelet count rises after the 5th or 7th day of the fever. If this doesn’t happen, and there are symptoms of bleeding or less than 10000 platelet count in the patient, then necessary action is taken to revive the patient’s condition immediately.
Q. How is Dengue treated and what are the preventive measures one can take to evade Dengue?
A. During the first few days of mild dengue fever, the patient is prescribed to take paracetamol as it is the safest medication for the patient at that point in time.
But in case of severe dengue fever, the patient needs to be admitted in the hospital and constantly monitored.
Q. If a 20-month-old baby is facing constipation for a period of 3 months, how can it be treated and cured?
A. If a baby faces constipation, the first step to prevent and treat it is to modify the diet of the baby.
As the baby is just 20 months old, a fibre diet can be given to the baby. This helps prevent constipation and also revive the baby’s health. Some mild medication can also be given to regularise the baby’s digestive system.
Constipation can also occur due to thyroid. So it is essential to rule out the baby’s thyroid levels first before switching diets and taking any form of medication.
Q. What is loose motions and how can it be treated?
A. Usually, when a child suffers from loose motions during a trip or in the night, the parent is bound to get tensed. Loose motions are generally caused due to a viral infection. This infection is present in the body for about 3-4 days.
The best treatment that a child can be given during this period is using a replacement fluid. During loose motions, the child tends to lose a lot of water from the body and hence to balance out the water levels in the body, Oral Rehydration Syrup (ORS) needs to be given.
Other fluids like coconut water, lemon juice and buttermilk can also serve as effective replacement fluids. Fruit juices and glucose water needs to be avoided as they cause ‘Osmotic diarrhoea’ which results in more water loss from the body.
Q. How does a common cold spread?
A. Common cold presents itself as a stuffy nose or a headache. Usually, a common cold is allergic in nature. It can sometimes also be biological in nature.
As common cold occurs due to a virus, this virus can spread through saliva droplets of an affected person. It can also spread through any fluid exchanges with the affected person.
Q. What are the immediate precautions to be taken when a child develops loose motions?
A. Usually, when a child suffers from loose motions during a trip or in the night, the parent is bound to get tensed. Loose motions are generally caused due to a viral infection. This infection is present in the body for about 3-4 days.
The best treatment that a child can be given during this period is using a replacement fluid. During loose motions, the child tends to lose a lot of water from the body and hence to balance out the water levels in the body, Oral Rehydration Syrup (ORS) needs to be given.
Other fluids like coconut water, lemon juice and buttermilk can also serve as effective replacement fluids. Fruit juices and glucose water needs to be avoided as they cause ‘Osmotic diarrhoea’ which results in more water loss from the body.
Q. What are the vaccines that can be given to a baby to prevent loose motions?
A. The most common vaccine that can be given to a baby to prevent loose motions is Rotavirus vaccine. This is easily available and affordable too. Rotavirus is the main virus responsible for diarrhoea, hence vaccinating the baby with this helps destroy the existing virus and also prevent future infections.
The other vaccine that a baby can be given is the Cholera vaccine.
Q. Which food should be avoided during loose motions?
A. Loose motions often cause a fever. Fever decreases the body’s metabolism rate. Due to this, the taste buds go numb hence reducing the child’s food intake automatically. If a child is able to eat about 50-60% of the food that he/she usually eats, it is good enough during a fever.
Limiting food options during a fever will only further decrease the child’s appetite. Hence, all foods can be consumed in the right amounts even during a fever. Although cold drinks and cold foods like ice creams, desserts, cold fruit bowls etc. should be avoided.
The best treatment that a child can be given during this period is using a replacement fluid. During loose motions, the child tends to lose a lot of water from the body and hence to balance out the water levels in the body, Oral Rehydration Syrup (ORS) needs to be given.
Other fluids like coconut water, lemon juice and buttermilk can also serve as effective replacement fluids. Fruit juices and glucose water needs to be avoided as they cause ‘Osmotic diarrhoea’ which results in more water loss from the body.
Q. Are all ear infections treated in the same way?
A. Not all ear infections are the same as the infection can occur in any of the three parts of the ear, inner, middle or external. Each of these is treated differently.
Q. How are ear infections treated in small children and how can they be prevented?
A. Some ways in which ear infections can be prevented in children are
1. Do not use earbuds as a child’s eardrum is very fragile and there are chances of piercing into the ear-drum while cleaning ear wax.
2. Ensure hygiene and safety at all times.
Q. How do we know if a baby is suffering from pneumonia?
A. It is important to diagnose pneumonia at the right time to avoid serious circumstances. Whenever a baby suffers from fever, cough and cold which doesn’t subside for a long time, then consulting a doctor becomes very important. Such conditions should not be neglected.
Prolonged fever, cough and cold can be early signs of pneumonia.
Q. What are the different reasons for a baby to cry continuously?
A. The following are the reasons that might cause a baby to cry continuously.
1. Stomach pain
2. Ear pain
3. Hunger and
4. Injury
Q. What is pneumonia?
A. Pneumonia is an infection of the lung. Pneumonia causes difficulty in breathing. A lot of mucus is also generated which increases as the infection increases. This mucus clogs the lungs and obstructs the swallowing and breathing process.
Q. Many babies develop jaundice after birth, is it dangerous?
A. 60-70% of babies suffer from physiological jaundice which is a common form of jaundice. It occurs in a pattern in babies where the she/he is affected with jaundice on the 2-3 day of birth and it subsides after the 7-8 day.
In this type of jaundice, after the child’s bilirubin levels are checked and are higher than usual, then the necessary treatment is taken immediately to revive the baby.
Q. Can sunlight treat jaundice in newborns?
A. Sunlight is one mode of therapy to treat jaundice in babies. Although from a scientific perspective, as sunlight contains UV Rays and Infrared Rays, it might be harmful to the baby. Hence, sunlight is not advised as a treatment method to treat jaundice.
Q. What should be the mother’s diet during jaundice?
A. There is no restriction to diet during jaundice. It is a myth that only certain foods can be consumed and certain foods cannot be consumed during a certain illness.