3: Sick Child 1 - Common acute illnesses Flashcards
Do children have the same diseases as adults?
No
Children have (larger / smaller) heads than adults.
larger heads
How do children’s airways differ from adults?
Larynx is more anterior - more difficult to access
Different respiratory infections e.g bronchiolitis
Children have (faster / slower) heart rates than adults.
faster HRs
Children have (faster / slower) respiratory rates than adults.
faster
Children have (higher / lower) systolic BPs than adults.
lower systolic BPs
Children have (larger / smaller) occipital bones than adults.
larger
their heads have larger surfaces areas than when in adulthood
What is the blood volume of a baby in ml/kg?
80ml/kg
so a 3kg child will have 240ml of blood
What change occurs with regard to haemoglobin when you are born?
Foetal Hb > Adult Hb
What are the three big causes of childhood mortality?
INFECTION
Prematurity
Birth trauma / hypoxia
Which continent has the highest child mortality rate?
Africa
What respiratory diseases commonly affect children?
Bronchiolitis
Croup
Pneumonia
Which GI disease commonly affect children?
Gastroenteritis
What are common chronic diseases seen in children?
Epilepsy
Asthma
Coeliac / IBD
What complication of infection is the commonest reason for acute illness in children?
Sepsis
Any site of infection can develop into what?
Sepsis
What is acute inflammation of the bronchioles called?
Bronchiolitis
What infectious agent tends to cause bronchiolitis?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
fact from 1st year
How is bronchiolitis treated?
No anti-virals for RSV, so SUPPORTIVE:
Oxygen
Anti-inflammatories
Nutrition
What is croup?
Infection of larynx, trachea, or upper bronchial tree