Archive for October, 2009

The query that seems to be gnawing into the minds of countless parents is ‘How best could I shield my kid from swine flu?’ Here is what renowned child specialists have to say regarding this matter. What could parents do to safeguard their kids from swine flu? The solution lies in always being heedful and keeping a close watch on the kids. Parents need to strictly adhere to the regular suggested practices for lowering the chances of the infection spreading. This would translate to frequently washing one’s hands, staying away from hugely crowded areas, avoiding direct contact with the sickly person. In case the child has fallen ill, then staying back home is the best course of action and this holds true for their parents as well. What must one do at workplace or in a play area? In case  [...]

Scientists have asserted that those moms that dieted are nearly twice as likely to have daughters that ailed from eating disorders. The major populace of 512 teens on whom the survey was conducted stated that they felt marred by the effects of their moms dieting and outlook on food and looked upon their mothers as the major affect on their own self-worth. The study conducted on girls in the age band of 12-18years revealed that 6% of them had an eating disorder – a percentage that shot up to 10% in those whose moms were dieting. The survey showed that fifty-one percent (i.e., nearly more than half the populace) of teen girls assessed have done dieting in some point of time. Yet again, it rose to 59% in those girls whose moms dieted, while nearly 8 among 10 girls fretted about their weight  [...]

Nearly one among five school-going kids suffers eczema, medically termed as atopic dermatitis. In this form of skin condition there is immense itchiness, inflammation on the skin’s surface that mostly tends to turn into scabs and become reddish due to the constant itching. Continual itching leads to the skin breaking and mostly leading to skin infections. The skin infections caused due to MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus) show resistance to the methicillin medication and hence are tricky to treat. Amy Paller, MD, a paediatric dermatologist points out the crucial fact that nearly ninety percent of individuals with eczema have the presence of Staphylococcus aureus on their skin surface, contrasted to nearly twenty-five percent of the populace at large. Antibiotics have been the conventional line  [...]

Self-Tending at Home The signs of flu might at times prolong more than a week’s time. Care providers could allay and ease aching and discomforting symptoms by simple home care. Taking rest in bed. Keeping the child adequately hydrated with loads of fluids of their choice. Treating fever by giving acetaminophen –Children’s Tylenol, Infant’s Feverall, Junior Strength Panadol, or ibuprofen – Children’s Advil, Children’s Motrin administered in accordance with the packaging instructions or seeking consultation with the child specialist. Aspirin must not be given as it could raise the chances of the child developing Reye syndrome. A humidifier could be used in the child’s rest area for drying the air that would facilitate breathing. Infants need to be carefully monitored for  [...]

An inevitable part of infancy is throwing up, feeling nauseous and tummy upsets. With a host of reasons leading to puking or nausea, the few widely prevalent ones are: Stomach Flu – Not associated to influenza, gastroenteritis occurs due to the presence of certain kinds of bacterial, viral and parasitic forms – and mostly leading to diarrhea and queasiness among grownups and children. Allergic reaction to foods and gastric irritations – Though any kind of victuals could elicit a reaction, certain food items tend to mostly lead to food allergies like eggs, milks, peanuts, soy, wheat, fish and tree nuts. The adverse reactions of queasiness, stomach pain could begin in minutes or hours following the intake of these foods. Feelings of anxiousness and stressful times – Any kind of apprehensions,  [...]

Researchers have found the reason behind why elderly men are more prone to having kids with health issues as compared to younger fathers. Scientists from the Oxford University and the Copenhagen Hospital found that elderly men were more prone to developing non-malignant testicular tumours known as spermocytic seminomas. Though these altered cells are not of any harm to the men, the scientists consider that they could alter germ cells that produce sperms that could lead to genetic mutations in their offspring’s DNA leading to atypical growth disorders. The study backed by the Wellcome Trust and the Danish Cancer Society could explicate the reason behind the prevalence of particular ailments among kids of older-aged fathers. Helming the study, Professor Andrew Wilkie of the University of Oxford  [...]

Women that postponed maternity have led to a major soar in the number of offspring detected with Down’s syndrome in the span of the previous two decades. With documentation revealing a sharp seventy-one percent rise in cases diagnosed during pregnancy has shot up from 1,075 during 1989-1990 to 1,843 cases during the years 2007-2008. However, the rate of births of babies congenitally having Down’s syndrome has shown slight plummet over the same span of time due to the major improvement in diagnostic procedures and consequent medical terminations of pregnancy. The cases of women in their forties giving birth to children have risen twofold in ten years time. Authorized statistics during 2005 have shown more than 22,000 child births among forty-plus women that have risen from 11,300 child births  [...]

Experts from the United States have pointed out that expectant obese women could be putting their children through a lifetime of obesity except if they reduced weight prior to attempting conception. Scientists from New York and Quebec medical centres discovered that an overweight mother’s womb could transmit a signal to their foetus that promotes them into growing into an obese kid and grownup. The progression is not a mere transmission of the genes that elicit obesity but the researchers have stated that they still have to trace down a biological rationalization for the signs. Robert Waterland from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston researched the effects of being overweight among mice. He contemplated the signals in-between mother and the progeny could have major bearing on the kid’s  [...]

A legally sightless, 9-year-old boy since birth had an ailment that would gradually devour his vision, but has lately been restored to normal eyesight with merely a single shot. The implausible procedure is a ray of promising hope spelling a conclusion to blindness in some cases. The Geneticists from the University School of Medicine, USA, have successfully snapped the cipher for creating light-receptive seeing cells that would help regain sight in many blind in the UK. During this path-breaking procedure, Corey Haas was the foremost patient globally to have been given this injection with the innovatory gene therapy following which his vision has become nearly perfect. Corey was the foremost of the 5 kids and 7 adults with the rare condition LCA or Leber’s congenital amaurosis (affecting  [...]

A U.S-based girl having a congenitally atypical condition known as ‘mermaid syndrome’, cheated death for nearly a decade. Due to being born with this syndrome also called sirenomelia, Shiloh Pepin had conjoint legs, one partly functional kidney, and absence of a lower colon or genitalia. According to her doctors, Shiloh was anticipated to have a maximum life expectancy of only ten hours that could have stretched to possibly few days following her birth. However, she surpassed all hopes. Few of those children that do manage to survive sirenomelia undergo operative procedures for separating their legs. But, Shiloh was not able to undergo the surgery as the blood vessels in her circulatory system that criss-crossed from one side to the other side made it a tricky venture and would most probably  [...]

Schilder’s Disease is an atypical, progressive demyelinising condition majorly affecting the central nervous system that typically starts in infancy. This neurological disorder causes major harm to the myelin sheath of the nerve fiber observed to affect a whole lobe (a section of the brain like the frontal, occipital or parietal) or even hemisphere (the entire half of one) that could prove perilous to one who has the disorder. Schilders Disease Causes: Doctors speculate that it might be occurring due to certain kinds of medications, heredity factors among others. Though the damage to the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers is the most certain reason behind this disorder occurring. Schilders Disease Symptoms: The signs could be wide-ranging and could exhibit signs that could be confused  [...]

Every aspect of Halloween is so endearing, right from the candies to the attire; Halloween is chock-full of fun and good times for both the kiddie brigade and the parents alike. However, it could also be a holiday that might pose underlying dangers to the infant revelling gang. To assist in making this year’s celebrations a trick-free treat, one needs to adhere to the below stated crucial safety guidelines: Prettifying the small ghost Always opting for a costume that is light in colour or by adding in the glowing- in-the-night adhesive tape to the front sides and back parts of the child’s costume so that the kid could be easily traceable. Always desist from buying a costume that does not have the ‘flame-retardant’ labelling on it. This would translate to the costume easily catching  [...]

Several children exhibit sensitivities to particular foods, most of which are not grave. But, Celiac disease is a severe condition occurring due to long-standing gluten intolerance – a kind of protein present in wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease (the individual’s immune system goes into self-destructive mode). About forty thousand celiac disease cases have been detected in the United States. In case the child is having celiac disease, then consumption of gluten would cause major harm to the villi (finger-alike protuberances that line the small intestines of the child). Risk Factors: Kids are at increased risk of developing celiac disease when they are having: Type 1 diabetes. Autoimmune thyroid disease. Dermatitis herpetiformis. Down’s / Turner’s/ Williams  [...]