YOUR WORLD-WIDE SOURCE FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS PRODUCTS
 |
WELSH HEALTH SYSTEMS |
 |
HOME : CONTACT : ABOUT WELSH HEALTH : PRIVACY POLICY : DISCLAIMER : FREE INFO
CHILDREN'S HEALTH
In this issue we have a short article on how to spot a disease from the symptoms, but first I have a complete free eBook for you. Many of my readers subscribed from our sister site childhood-diseases-online.com but have not really had much for subscribing. Even though the newsletter is free, I like to keep as many members as possible supplied with good information relevant to their needs.
Bed wetting is a problem which most parents come across and have to deal with. There are many reasons for this and it is important that the problem is treated sympathetically since most children are embarrassed or ashamed. There is really no need for them to be so since they do not do it deliberately, and the parents, and others, can help them to overcome it.
This eBook, entitled 101 Tips To Stop Your Child's Bedwetting Forever is for sale elsewhere on the internet for up to $9.99. Here you get it free. It is such an emotive subject with many parents that I shall not charge for this useful information. So, CLICK HERE to download it.
It is currently in Word DOC format, but if you need it in PDF (MAC users for example) please drop me a note at pete@welshhealth.com and I will convert it to PDF for you. If rich text format is better
CLICK HERE for the rtf version.
I hope it helps those of you with this problem, and please read it through. It really is good information and a sympathetic approach which understands the problem from the child's perspective.
How To recognise Common Diseases From The Symptoms
This is not as simple as it appears, since many diseases have the same symptoms in the early stages. It is also no longer valid to discount some diseases due to their being almost eradicated, since many parents are now refusing to allow their child the MMR vaccine which has resulted in a recent increases in the number of reported cases of measles, mumps and rubella (German measles).
The parents' reasons for this are understandable, but modern parents are too young to remember the dark days of the 1940s and 1950s when tens of thousands of children died from measles each year in England alone. I now read of measles parties, where parents are sending their children to visit friends who have the disease in order to ensure that their children also contract it, and so gain immunity.
What's the point of this? Measles is a killer of young children. If you decide against allowing your child immunity by vaccination, at least have the decency to keep her well away from any known case while in childhood. It is not so serious in teenagers and adults, assuming they are fit, not malnourished and their immune system is not weakened in any way.
I remember mumps and German measles parties as a child: in fact I was sent to a mumps party, but not measles parties. I have read they were common, but never that I can remember because all parents knew that measles could kill their child. The main ultimate cause of death was pneumonia, measles being a disease of the respiratory system.
Mumps could cause fertility problems in adults attacking the testes in males and, not widely known, the ovaries in females. German measles, or rubella, can cause grave problems in the developing fetus if contracted by a woman in the first 8 - 16 weeks of pregnancy. The chances of damage to the fetus have been estimated at between 40 and 90% I do not know the reason for the discrepancy, but it is a very high probability. These diseases, however, are not serious in children prior to puberty, so it makes sense to ensure that they get them before they grow up. But not measles! Never measles! Measles kill.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of childhood diseases are a bit of a sniffle, a runny nose, sore throat, possible cough, loss of appetite and an elevated temperature. These symptoms can be
So not much help there!
As a parent, therefore, you can't tell much until the second stages start, which is where you may spot differences. I say 'may' since it is not definite that you will. However, here is what happens next.
The temperature, or fever, will either go up or down, a rash may appear, a cough may develop or the child will feel pain. How each of these happen determines what the infection is. Thus:
Measles: with measles the temperature will be at around 38 - 39 Celsius (100.4 - 102F) About 2 - 3 days after the first symptoms a rash will appear on the inside of the cheeks just opposite the molars. This will look like small red bumps with a grain of sand or sale in the middle, called Koplick's spots. They only last about a day or so, but if you spot them they definitely indicate measles. No other disease has them. If you miss them, the temperature will drop slightly, then rise to up to 105 F (40.5C), again indicative of measles. A rash will start to appear at the hairline then spread to the face and neck, eventually covering the whole body. This is the measles rash which starts 3 - 4 days after the first symptoms. The child will also normally have a hacking cough. So for measles:
Koplick's spots, hacking cough, fever reduces then increases to 103 - 105F, rash starting at hairline 3-4 days after first symptoms.
German measles (rubella): Very much like measles, but without the Koplick's spots or the hacking cough. The rash tends to appear a bit quicker than measles, and the whole thing can be over 3 days after the first symptoms. There is often a painful swelling behind the ears and the back of the neck.
So for German measles: no Koplick's (but you might miss these in normal measles anyway), swollen glands behind ears and neck which are painful, rapid rash, no cough.
Scarlet Fever: Similar start to the others, but the throat is sorer and the back of the throat gets inflamed with white spots (strep throat). The rash appears after 2 days, quicker than measles, and starts on face and neck, then the body and back. The body looks scarlet. The are around the lips may be untouched. Scarlet fever is distinguished by the sore inflamed throat with pus-filled spots and the rash which is like bright scarlet sandpaper. It is rarer than it once was.
Mumps: Same initial symptoms, but the jaw starts to feel sore. Some children say they feel generally uncomfortable first around the jaw before the pain starts. The parotid glands at the lower jaw by the ear start to swell until the whole neck is swollen. So for mumps, it is the painful jaw which is the initial main symptom, followed by the swelling.
Chickenpox: The main symptom here are the hundreds of small blisters filled with fluid, very itchy and very distinctive. This is the first symptom which many parents will notice.
Diphtheria: This is now very rare in developed countries and apart from the same initial symptoms, diphtheria is distinguished by a rasping cough followed by a difficulty in breathing. Breathing becomes labored and the child will start drooling. Swallowing is painful and the fever may be accompanied by chills.
Meningitis: This is a dangerous disease because it is often misdiagnosed by doctors. It is similar to tonsillitis and a myriad of other diseases. It has many symptoms, not all of which appear in every case so it can resemble measles, German measles, tonsillitis, etc. The initial symptoms are the same as above. If a rash appears it will probably be restricted to the arms, legs and feet, and may be coarser than the finer rash of rubella, measles or scarlet fever. The child is more sensitive to light than in measles, and is more irritable. He will feed poorer with a weaker suck, and the cry will be shriller. In the later stages he will become disinterested in his surroundings.
These are symptoms which only the mother will notice, and frequently the mother's instincts tell her that her child is sicker than the doctor is diagnosing. This was true of my wife who save dour son by taking him to Accident and Emergency against our doctor's wishes.
Encephalitis: Very difficult to diagnose and very similar to meningitis. The main symptom in a young child will be a bulging fontanelle (the soft part of skull) due to the swelling of the brain. However, this is not for parents to diagnose. If you think your child is really ill get her to A&E and forget your doctor.
All in all, then, it is not easy for parents to diagnose their child's illness, and they are not expected to. What parents should is call their doctor when the child's temperature reaches 38C (100.4F). I suggest calling the doctor to attend the child, or at least let him or her know the child's temperature. I would not take the child to surgery except in an emergency since the surgery is a dangerous place.
Childhood diseases are frequently infectious before you even know the child has it, and for a few days after the symptoms appear. Many diseases such as chickenpox, measles and German measles can be dangerous to anyone else in the surgery. For example pregnant women or anyone with a weakened immune systems such as HIV or AIDS sufferers and anyone receiving cancer treatment. No one will thank for bring an infected child among them.
So use your common sense. If you think your child is ill enough, or his temperature reaches 38C, call your doctor. If you are unhappy, and his mother feels that he is a lot iller than the doctor seems to think, go with her instincts. Better safe than sorry: many a child's life has been saved by an obstinate mother.
.
If you have not already registered for this newsletter, please do so here:
Please use the search box below to seek any other topics on this website, our sister website or Google
RETURN TO MAIN PAGE