Adolescent Health Flashcards
What is an e-cigarette?
- battery attached to a chamber containing liquid and energy from the battery heats the liquid and converts it to vapour which is inhaled
- liquids can be flavoured, can contain multiple chemicals including propylene glycol, glycerol and nicotine
What are the “benefits” of e-cigarettes?
- do not stain teeth or fingers
- no bad breath
- absence of strong tobacco taste
What are some of the dangers of e-cigarettes?
- labels do not necessarily match the amount of nicotine contained
- can get a bolus of nicotine which has potential for acute cardiac events
- exposure to fine particulates in the aerosol generated
- batteries have exploded on occasion
- the e-cigarettes may include various metals, ceramics and rubber
- nicotine poisoning from e-liquids and discarded cartilages among young kids is increasing
Are e-cigarettes approved in Canada?
-no Health Canada has not approved e-cigarette product
What are some recommendations for regulations at the government levels regarding e-cigarettes?
- maximum dose of nicotine in liquids should be strictly enforced
- should package them with warnings about the harmful effects
- package e-liquids in child-resistant packaging
- band advertising e-cigarettes
- should tax all e-liquids with nicotine the same way tobacco is taxed
- sell only where tobacco is sold legally
- ban e-cigarettes in public spaces and work
What is the definition of street involved youth?
-youth who is not necessarily homeless but is exposed to and experiencing the physical, mental and emotional and social risks of street culture
What are some of the reasons youth turn to a life on the street?
- poverty
- dysfunctional family life
- violence
- sexual and physical abuse
- underlying mental illness
- parental drug use
- curiosity
What is the ‘street economy’?
-sex trade, selling drugs, panhandling
What are some individual barriers to street youth seeking health care?
- lack of money, transportation and knowledge to access appropriate health care
- issues with trusting adults
- worries about confidentiality
- fear of being reported to authorities
What are formal or systems-level barriers to street youth seeking health care?
- need to present a health card
- need to supply a permanent address
- perceived need for adult’s consent/involvment
- lack of knowledge regarding mature minor protocols
- services poorly coordinated or difficult to access
Given the challenges of street youth seeking health care what should be involved in the first visit with them?
- comprehensive check up
- prompt treatment of STIs without lab confirmation
- mental health screen
- ask them about housing and food security
- ask if they are able to follow through with follow up appointments or referrals
- ask about ability to pay for medications
What are some health problems that street youth are particularly at risk for?
- respiratory problems, especially TB
- dental disease
- lice, scabies
- acne
- eczema
- MRSA
- foot problems
- malnutrition
- injuries (from intoxication, burns, violence)
- lower sense of self
- not fully immunized (increased risk for Hep B, HPV)
- STIs
- HIV (screen for this at minimum at initial visit)
What mental health issues are street youth at increased risk for?
- mood disorders
- bipolar
- conduct disorder
- PTSD
- attempted suicide
- substance use
What is pathological gambling?
-impulse control disorder, characterized by persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behaviour that leads to significant deleterious legal, financial, physical and psychosocial consequences (not better accounted for by a manic episode)
What are some different forms of gambling?
- lottery tickets
- playing cards and bingo for money
- getting scratch tickets as gifts
- sports betting
- online gambling
- slot machines
- there is legalized gambling and self-organized gambling (e.g. dice games, sports pools)
What are risk factors that put someone at increased risk for having a gambling problem?
- depression
- loss
- abuse
- impulsivity
- antisocial traits
- learning disabilities
What comorbid disorders are commonly seen with people with gambling-related problems?
-personality disorders
-alcohol abuse
-life-time drug use
mood disorders
-conduct disorders
-ADHD
-depression
-anxiety
What are some red flags that should make you screen for gambling problems?
- parents express concern about their youth’s emotional health
- academic performance seems to be suffering
- sleep problems
- money or possessions in the home go missing or there is criminal activity (e.g. theft)
- known or suspected that adolescent is misusing substances
- impaired relationships with family or friends
What are some important roles we can play as paediatricians with gambling?
- screen for it
- become familiar with resources for treatment
- advocate for advertising to be regulated and controlled
- advocate for this to be talked about in school curriculum
What is the difference between UVA and UVB light?
- UVA responsible for the immediate pigment darkening on exposure
- UVB is responsible for further darkening of the skin in the days following exposure
- erythema and sunburn are acute reactions to excessive amounts of UVR
Who is at increased risk for cutaneous malignant melanoma?
- light skin colour
- freckles
- skin moles
- red or blond hair colour
- easy to burn skin that tans poorly
- first degree relative or personal history of melanoma
- early life exposure to UVR
- increased risk with increased # of years and hours of tanning
What are the scary stats associated with melanoma?
- not the most common of skin cancers but is the deadliest
- accounts for 75% of deaths from skin cancer
- rates are increasing
How does the WHO classify tanning beds?
Class I physical carcinogens
What are some reasons youth say they use tanning beds?
- improved appearance
- sense of well-being and feeling of relaxation
What is tanorexia?
becoming obsessed with or addicted to tanning and believing oneself to be unattractively pale even when quite tanned
What are some side effects of tanning beds?
- sunburn
- more serious burn
- skin dryness
- pruritis
- nausea
- photodrug reactions
- infections
- skin-aging
- increased skin cancer risk
What are the regulations around about of UVR exposure and age for tanning beds?
- no enforceable limits to amount of artificial UVR exposure
- can tan at multiple places in the same day
- majority of provinces do not have a age limit for who can tan (only NS and vancouver island)
What are things paediatricians should advocate for with regards to tanning beds?
-kids
True or False. Young people with a serious chronic condition or with a disability are at increased risk of being sexually, physically and emotionally abused.
True :(
What are some risk factors that increase the risk of abuse in patients with a serious chronic condition or disability?
- dependent on others for their care
- little control over decisions that directly affect them
- social stigma may lead to a false perception that their mistreatment is deserved or should not be reported
- illness may limit freedom of movement, ability to have privacy or communication of abuse
- lack of sexual health education in special needs classrooms
- may have physical limitations like weakness or mobility
- intellectual disability may increase vulnerability to manipulation or coercion
What are some clues on presentation that a patient with a disability may have been abused?
- STIs (even if report consensual sex)
- vaginal or anal trauma
- unexplained UTIs
- unexplained fear of physical or deny exam
- avoidance of specific caregivers
- self-harm
- sleep disturbances
- encopresis
- sexualized behaviour
- sexual experimentation with age-inappropriate partners
- sexually abusive behaviour towards others
- running away
- somatic complaints with no organic cause
What are some things a paediatrician can do to help facilitate disclosure of abuse for a patient with a disability?
- crease safe environment that is conducive to open communication
- find a skilled interpreter who is trained in sexual abuse for pts with communication difficulties
- still need to adhere to formal legal and reporting standards
- always be respectful during physical exams for these patients even at a young age
- anticipatory guidance to patient and parents
- advocate for institutional policies to screen volunteers and employees who work with children with disabilities
What are some negative outcomes of treating adolescents as adults in the criminal justice system?
- risk of trauma, violence, abuse
- interferes with cognitive, emotional, psychological development
- higher likelihood of reoffending
- not aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child act
- fewer developmentally appropriate resources in the adult system
- worse staff-to-offender ratio
What is the window within which you can take emergency contraception?
120 hours (5 days) but it is most effective in the first 72 hours for PO and up to 7 days for the copper IUD
What are the different options for emergency contraceptions?
- Plan B (progestin-only) - preferred
- Yuzpe methods (combined hormonal)
- ulipristal acetate (not available in Canada)
- Copper IUD (can be used up to 7 days)
What are the effects of emergency contraception on a pregnancy that has already implanted?
none
What are some situations in which emergency contraception pills should be considered?
- -totally unprotected sex
- mistimed fertility awareness
- ejaculation onto genitals
- -coitus interruptus
- condom breakage
- IUD expulsion or midcycle removal
- dislodgement of diaphragm or cervical cap during sex
- one more more missed OCP during week 1 of the pill or 2 or more missed during week 2 or 3 of the pill package
- one or more progesterone-only pills is missed or delayed by more than 3 hours
- depot late by 2 weeks or more
- transdermal patch detached for 24 hrs or longer during week 1 or for 72 hrs or longer during week 2 or 3
- nuva ring expelled or removed for 3 hours or longer during week 1 or removed for 72 hrs or longer during week 2 or 3
- nuva ring left in for more than 5 weeks in a row
- start of OCP is delayed by 24 hr or more
- sexual assault
- condome alone or spermicide alone plus recent teratogen exposure
- advance prescription for any girl who does not want to become pregnant and may find herself in one of the above situations
What are the absolute and relative contraindications to taking PO emergency contraception?
- known pregnancy (b/c it won’t work) o known allergy to one of the components
- in pts with RF for stroke it is preferred to use the progestin only emergency contraception (Plan B method) if possible but can give the estrogen-containing one (Yuzpe)
How do you instruct a patient to take emergency contraception?
- as soon as possible after the event
- can be any time in the menstrual cycle
- can prescribe or is available OTC
- for Plan B: take 2 pills (0.75 levonorgestrel each) at once
- for Yuzpe (combined): take one pill and then repeat 12 hours later, if miss the second one then need to restart; can give gravel 1 hour before to help with nausea
- if vomit within 1 hour of taking the pill then take it again
What are the side effects of progestin only (Plan B) and Yuzpe (combined) emergency contraception?
- Plan B: headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness
- Yuzpe: nausea and vomiting
What physical exam do you have to do before giving emergency contraception?
-none unless indicated by history (e.g. pregnancy test, pelvic exam, STI testing)
For whom is the copper IUD a good emergency contraception option?
- up to 7 days after unprotected sex in women who are in a stable, mutually monogamous relationship and low risk for STIs
- do need to exclude pregnancy before insertion
- take swabs for STIs at time of insertion
When should you expect a period after taking emergency contraception?
usually within 7 days of expected period date
What are some barriers to emergency contraception use?
- perceived pregnancy risk
- motivation to prevent pregnancy
- knowledge about emergency contraception
- how and where to obtain it
- resources to obtain it
- being rural
- lack of experience by doctors or pharmacists with giving it
When can you restart birth control pills after taking emergency contraception?
- the day after taking emergency contraception
- do warn pt that it works by delaying ovulation so there is a risk of becoming pregnant in the days following taking the emergency contraceptive pill
What % of young women experience an eating disorder before reaching adulthood?
5%
When does anorexia nervosa typically occur?
mid-adolescence
What is the most effective treatment for kids with anorexia nervosa?
-family-based treatment (outpatient)
What is family based treatment for anorexia nervosa?
- parents are given the responsibility to return their child to physical health and ensure full weight restoration
- outpatient model with a multidisciplinary team
What are the advantages of family based treatment for anorexia?
- teen stays in own environment
- stays connected with friends, family and activities
- family becomes empowered
- cheaper
What are key things to educate parents about with anorexia and family based therapy?
- let parents know that the eating disorder is not heir fault but it is their responsibility to ensure their child gets well
- ED is a combo of different factors (genetic and environmental)
- child unable to care for themselves b/c are overwhelmed by this powerful illness
- parents need to take a firm stand and insist on adequate nutrition
- refeeding starts immediately but goes slowly and will be difficult
What are some ways to establish rapport with a teen with an eating disorder?
- meet with them alone every single visit
- confidentiality
- can talk about the symptoms that may be bothering them (e.g. thin hair, always being cold, intrusive thoughts)
How often should you meet with a teen with an eating disorder?
-once every 1-2 weeks
What are the principles of nutrition for anorexia?
- immediate nutritional rehabilitation but start slowly
- goal is 0.2-0.5 kg per week
- can use nutritional supplements, curtail exercise, etc
- 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day
- parental support key during this
What type of disclosures might you have to share with parents if the teen is experiencing them?
- recent syncope
- hypokalemia
- hematemesis
- SI
How should you weigh the child with anorexia?
- weight at each visit
- put on gown, leave on underwear only
- urine sample before weight
- intermittently exam tanner staging
- vitals with orthostatic vitals at every visit
Should you manage a patient with anorexia on your own in the community?
-always refer to a specialized pediatric eating disorder service where available but start by implementing family based treatment as an outpatient
When can a child do exercise and activities again if they have anorexia?
- if are achieving weight restoration can slowly reintegrate back into usual activities provided they continue to gain weight
- should stay in school, but may have to come home for lunches