Case 3: 3yo WCC, Iron Def Anemia Flashcards
important topics for 3yo WCC visit
1) Social - family and friends
2) Nutrition (esp. for the “picky” eaters) - watch out for inadequate fruit, vegetable, iron, Ca, VitD ==> VitD supplementation
3) Exercise - unstructured outdoor play; prevention of obesity
4) Toilet training - started, but not always successful
5) Dental - should start dentist within 6mo of first tooth and by 1y of age (esp. if still using the bottle)
when should the child start seeing the dentist?
within 6mo of first tooth / by 1y of age
Until what height should older children stay in a booster seat
4’9” (142)
what do you do for a child <3yo with suspected developmental problems?
1) early childhood intervention (ECI) - by state
2) developmental-behavioral pediatrician
3) child psychiatrist / psychologist
4) early childhood learning specialist
what do you do for a child >3yo with suspected developmental problems?
Services by the school –> to catch up to peers
define eczema
Atopic dermatitis = “the itch that rashes’ –> cycle of irritation leading to scratch –> to rash
eczema: personal & family hx
if eczema + allergies ==> then likely triad of eczema + allergies + rhinitis
FHx = usually familial with clear environmental triggers
diffdx eczema
psoriasis –> ADULTS; rare in kids; usually generalized rash (guttate) - usually precipitated by strep infection
seborrhea –> EARLY INFANCY (cradle cap).
Treatment for eczema
1) extensive lubrication = protect skin
2) anti-inflammatories in short bursts
(a) Topical steroid - dose depends on severity (mild = 2.5% hydrocortisone)
(b) calcineurin inhibitors (SHORT-TERM)
(c) (ITCH) non-sedating antihitamines [CHILDREN] = loratidine, fexofenadine, cetrizine; sedating antihistamines @ night = diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine
Common dietary issues in childhood
- inadequate nutrition
- milk & juice intake
- early childhood caries
- control problems with food
Common dietary issues in childhood (aged 2-3): inadequate nutrition
- will eat 80% of recommended fruits, but 30% recommended vegetables
IRON (meat, legumes, fortified cereals) –> important as a CNS co-catalyst
Common dietary issues in childhood (aged 2-3): milk & juice intake
concerns for intake of HFCS sweetened beverages
- risk of obesity
limit: <4-6oz of juice per day; <16oz of milk
Common dietary issues in childhood (aged 2-3): caries
d/t bathing teeth throughout day with milk / juice from a bottle
usually hav ea lag time before visible decay (diet habits @ 1-3yo –> caries @ 3-5yo)
recommendation: discontinue bottles (esp. @ night) by 12-15mo.
Common dietary issues in childhood (aged 2-3): control wrt food
food rewards & punishment –> can lead to obesity b/c kid’s can’t regulate own food intake
common injuries in children
- car accidents
- swimming pools
- falls
- firearms
- poisonings
- fires
- guns (esp. boys 8-12 can handle & shot a gun)
- lead exposure (house paint <1960-1978, soil, plumbing/pipes, hobbies, occupational exposure, imported toys/ceramics/candy/cosmetics, folk remedies) –> esp. at 6-36mo
Infectious disease concerns in children
- TB screening for kids who:
- spend time with TB+ ppl / where TB very common / around people who came from TB common country,
- infected with HIV
- sxs of TB
- use of injected illegal drugs
what is the recommendation for blood lead testing
- All kids 2-3yo in areas where >25% of housing built before 1960; OR where prevalnce of blood levels >5ug/dl in children is >/= 5%
- individual children who live in / regularly visit places built < 1960 in poor repair or that have been renovated in the past 6mo.
what is the connection between iron deficiency and lead?
occurrence of iron deficiency –> increased lead absorption
what is the connection between iron deficiency and lead?
occurrence of iron deficiency –> increased lead absorption
Iron deficiency anemia
- epidemiology
- complications
- causes
- tx
- epidemiology: deficiency iron stores in 35% of low income children (v. 7% of other children), and 10% with iron deficiency anemia
- complications: later cognitive deficits (d/t iron def, anemia itself, concurrent environmental factors)
- causes: lack of iron intake; chronic GI blood loss (food allergies, gluten enteropathy)
- tx: MILD = trial of iron; (dx by tx - if anemia improves)
causes of anemia in children
“minor” = Hgb <12
1) iron deficiency anemia
2) in Mediterranean / Asian / African –> hemoglobinopathy (alpha thalassemia, G6PD def, sickle cell) == ABNORMAL newborn screening Hgb electrophoresis
----------------- "major" = Hgb <9 1) decreased bone marrow production (aplastic anemia) 2) hemolytic anemia 3) vit deficiencies (folate, B6)
“chronic / severe illness”
- collagen vascular disease
- malignancy (leukemia, with pancytopenia)
Physical exam: what to prioritize if child is fussy (3-5yo)
- do heart & lungs first
- monitor previously recognized findings
- neurodevelopment
- new findings identified by parents
- physical problems common in preschoolers where intervention can be helpful
in 3-5yo, what are some physical problems common where intervention can be helpful
- Ear: middle ear effusions persisting after earlier URI, affecting hearing
- Eyes: strabismus
- Neck - ?enalrged thyroid; “shoddy” nodes (pea-sized, movable) in anteiror & posterior cervical chain
- throat/mouth - caries
- CV - nml functional systolic murmur / ASD (fixed systolic split)
- Lungs - wheezes if have allergies
- Abdomen - for oganomegaly, masses
- MSK - gait variants (most common = in-toeing)
- GU - hernia; nonspecific vulval erythema due to poor hygiene; teaching on who is appropriate to examine them “down there”
- Neurologic - Assessment of overall muscle tone, strength, and coordination & overall neurodevelopmental state
you have a 4yo in your office, and dad is worried about a pea-sized, nontender,
easily mobile lymph nodes that are not fixed to surrounding structures - 2 in the anterior and 1 in the posterior chain. what do you tell him?
it’s small, movable, doesn’t hurt —> normal in cervical & inguinal chains in children
can persistent for years.
what is the most common cause of an abdominal mass in children aged 3-5?
- stool
- enlarged kidney
- abdominal tumor (Wilms’, neuroblastoma)
what is the most common gait variant in children, and what is it caused by?
in-toeing
TODDLERS = tibial torsion (with tibia internally rotated wrt patella)
–> resolves naturally with weight bearing by 4yo
OLDER SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN - femoral anteversion (with both tibia & femur internally rotated)
–> resolves naturally by 8-12yo
Strabismus
- define
- complications
- assessment
= misalignment of the eyes
complications:
- amblyopia (where nothing is organically wrong with the eye, but now since one is not getting used, it stays in the misaligned position
- poor visual development
assessment
- Hirschberg light reflex
- cover / uncover test
Describe the neurodevelopmental exam of a 3yo
A. Developmental milestones
- Language (speaks in short sentences; 75% of language is intelligible to a stranger)
- Fine motor (holds a pencil or crayon; copies a circle)
- Gross motor (hops; can ride a tricycle)
Cognitive (draws a person with three body parts)
other (“adult” exam)
- CN function
- DTRs
- muscle tone
- gait
At what point is anemia SCREENING done?
12 mo, preschool, kindergarten –> period of development where diet (esp. iron sources) is variable
- use H&H (or CBC)
- false positive anemia – d/t hydration
How to improve a toddler’s eating habits?
- Stop the bottle now (let the kid do it) ==> usually kids will stop their request for it after a few days
- Limit child’s eating to 3 meals and 2 snacks; stop food & drink grazing ==> drink water (not juice / milk)
- No bargaining or cajoling ==> structured time-limited meals; hunger to drive food choices (which should be healthy); do NOT use dessert as an incentive for ‘good’ eating
- gradually change diet content and add new foods.
Aside from the newborn screen, when does vision and hearing screening start?
Vision screening –> 3yo (chart)
Hearing screening –> 4yo (audiometry)
- if “can’t be tested” –> be concerned about developmental delays.
by what age should children stop using a bottle and why?
discontinue bottles (esp. @ night) by 12-15mo.
risk of developing dental caries
what is the one of the best ways that doctor’s offices can help parents improve development and learning in their kids
providing books and encouraging parents to read to their kids.
kid has rash in the flexors of the arms. what is it?
antecubital fossa
==> eczema