Paediatrics Flashcards
What are the most common causes of pneumonia?
- Neonates = group B strep
- Infants = strep pneumoniae
- Children = strep pneumoniae/staph aureus/group A strep
What is the investigation/finding and management for pneumonia?
- CXR = consolidation
- Supportive management
- Oxygen (if severe)
- Abx (amoxicillin/co-amoxiclav/erythromycin)
- Mycoplasma pneumonia = macrolides (azithromycin/erythromycin)
Describe croup
- 6 months - 3 years
- Peak incidence at 2 years
- More common in males
- Parainfluenza virus
- 1-4 day history
- Sx worse at night
- Barking cough
- Hoarse voice
- Stridor
- Fever/rhinorrhoea
- Single oral dose of dexamethasone or prednisolone
- Nebulised adrenaline
Describe roseola infantum
- Self limiting
- Human herpes virus type 6
- Febrile illness followed by rash with blanching papules
- Patient is well
- No exclusion from school
What are red flag sx in respiratory?
- Drowsiness/decreased consciousness
- Tachypnoea (>60)
- Intercostal recession
- Cyanosis
- Laboured breathing
How is croup severity calculated?
Westley Croup Score
- Mild = 0-2
- Moderate = 3-5
- Severe = 6-11
- Impending respiratory failure = 12-17
What criteria is included in the Westley Croup Score?
- SaO2 <92%
- Stridor
- Retractions
- Air entry
- Consciousness
What is a common differential diagnosis for croup?
Epiglottitis (shorter time course and more severe)
Describe acute epiglottitis
- Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib)
- Acute onset (hours)
- Tripoding (lean forward with mouth open and tongue out)
- Sore throat/SOB/fever
- Drooling
- Stridor
- DON’T EXAMINE THROAT
- CXR (thumb sign)
- O2
- Nebulised adrenaline
- Secure airway/tracheostomy
- Fluids
- Abx (if underlying infection) e.g. ceftriaxone
What is an important preventative measure for acute epiglottitis?
- 6-in-1 DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccination
- At 8/12/16 weeks
- Booster at 1 year
Describe asthma
- Risk factors = genetics (atopy)/prematurity/low birth weight/not breastfed/exposure to allergens
- Episodic wheeze
- Dry cough (often worse at night)
- Chest tightness
- SOB
- Reduced peak flow
- Diurnal variability
- FEV1 reduced
- FVC normal
- FEV1:FVC <70%
What is the long-term management for asthma in children?
- SABA PRN (salbutamol)
- ICS (beclomethasone)
- LRTA (montelukast)
- Stop LRTA and add LABA (salmeterol)
- Switch ICS/LABA for ICS MART (formoterol and ICS)
- Add separate LABA
- Increase ICS dose and refer
What is the long-term amanagement for asthma in children <5?
- SABA PRN (salbutamol)
- SABA + 8 week trial of ICS (restart if sx reoccur within 4 weeks)
- Refer
What is the management for acute asthma?
Acute - O SHIT ME
1. Oxygen
2. Salbutamol nebulisers (SABA)
3. Hydrocortisone IV or oral prednisolone (steroids)
4. Ipratropium bromide nebulisers (SAMA)
5. Theophylline/aminophylline
6. IV magnesium sulphate
7. Escalate
What is the criteria for life threatening asthma?
- SpO2 <92%
- PEFR <33% predicted
- Silent chest
- Poor respiratory effort
- Altered consciousness
- Agitation/confusion
- Exhaustion
- Cyanosis
Describe viral induced wheeze
- RSV/rhinovirus
- Evidence of viral illness (fever/cough/coryzal sx 1-2 days prior)
- SOB
- Signs of respiratory distress
- Expiratory wheeze throughout chest
- Manage same as asthma
Describe bronchiolitis
- Children <2 (3-6 months)
- Very common
- Peaks in winter/spring
- RSV
- Risk factors = breastfeeding <2 months/smoke exposure/older siblings who attend nursery/school/chronic lung disease of prematurity
- 2-5 day history
- Coryzal symptoms (fever/nasal congestion/rhinorrhoea)
- Cough
- Reduced feeding
- Bilateral wheeze
- Bilateral crepitations
- Nasopharyngeal aspirate/throat swab
- Supportive management/Palivizumab
What is cystic fibrosis?
Autosomal recessive genetic condition caused by mutation of CFTR gene on chromosome 7
What are common microbial colonisers in CF?
- Staph aureus
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Haemophilus influenzae
How does CF affect the respiratory tract?
- Recurrent LRTIs
- Chronic cough
- Thick sputum
- Crackles and wheeze
- Nasal polyps
- Chest hyperinflation
How does CF affect the pancreas?
- Pancreatitis
- Pancreatic insufficiency (steatorrhoea due to lack of fat digesting enzymes)
How does CF affect the GI tract?
- Bowel obstruction in-utero (meconium ileus)
- Cholestasis in-utero (neonatal jaundice)
- Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome
- Steatorrhoea (due to lack of fat digesting enzymes)
How does CF affect the reproductive tract?
Congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens = male infertility
What are investigations for CF?
- Genetic testing for CFTR gene (amniocentesis/CVS/blood test)
- Meconium ileus + abdominal distension + vomiting
- Newborn heel prick test
- Bloods = immunoreactive trypsinogen (high)
- Sweat test (cause skin to sweat and test Cl- conc)
- CXR (hyperinflation)
What is the lifestyle management for CF?
- Patient/family education
- Avoid other CF px
- Chest physiotherapy
- Vitamin A/D/E supplements
- High calorie and high fat diet
- CREON tablets (pancreatic enzyme supplementation)
What is the cause of whooping cough?
Bacterium Bordetella Pertussis (gram -ve bacillus)
What are the clinical features of whooping cough?
- Rhinitis/conjunctivitis
- Irritability/sore throat/fever/dry cough
- Severe paroxysms of coughing followed by inspiratory gasp (whoop) often followed by going blue and vomiting
What are investigations for whooping cough?
- Culture of nasopharyngeal aspiration/swab
- Anti-pertussis toxin IgG serology
- Anti-pertussis toxin detection in oral fluid
- FBC (lymphocytosis)
What is the management for whooping cough?
- Macrolide abx (clarithromycin <1 month, azithromycin/clarithromycin >1 month, co-trimoxazole 2nd line)
- Isolation for 21 days after sx onset or 2 days after abx
- Supportive management
What are important preventative measures for whooping cough?
- Vaccinations given at 2/3/4 months (8/12/16 weeks) = 6-in-1
- Booster at 3 years and 4 months = 4-in-1
- Prophylactic abx for close contacts at high risk
What is otitis media and what are common causes of it?
Infection of middle ear
Bacterial:
- Strep pneumoniae
Viral:
- RSV
- Rhinovirus
What are the clinical features of otitis media?
- Ear pain
- Reduced hearing
- Bulging tympanic membrane
- General sx of URTI
- Balance issues/vertigo
- Discharge (if tympanic membrane perforated)
What are the investigations for otitis media?
- Examine ears and throat
- Otoscope - to visualise tympanic membrane (normal = pearly-grey/translucent/slightly shiny; otitis media = bulging/red/inflamed looking membrane)
What is the management for otitis media?
- Analgesia
- Most cases resolve without abx within 3 days but can last up to 1 week
- Abx (amoxicillin 1st line then erythromycin/clarithromycin)
What are complications of otitis media?
- Otitis media with effusion (glue ear)
- Hearing loss
- Perforated eardrum
- Recurrent infection
- Mastoiditis
What are the clinical features of glue ear?
- Difficulty hearing
- Retracted eardrum
- Sensation of pressure inside ear (accompanied by popping/crackling noises)
- Disequilibrium/vertigo
What is the investigation for glue ear?
Otoscopy:
- Tympanic membrane appears dull
- Light reflex lost (indicates fluid in middle ear)
- Bubble seen behind TM
What is the management for glue ear?
- Some cases resolve within 3 months
- Hearing aid insertion
- Surgery - myringotomy and grommet insertion
- Surgery - adenoidectomy
What are grommets?
Small tubes inserted into the tympanic membrane to allow fluid from the middle ear to drain through the tympanic membrane to the ear canal - usually fall out within a year
What type of hearing loss is more common in children?
Conductive - recurrent ear infections or insertion of foreign objects into ear canal
What are some causes of congenital deafness?
- Maternal rubella/CMV infection during pregnancy
- Genetic deafness
- Associated conditions e.g. Down’s syndrome
What are some causes of perinatal deafness?
- Prematurity
- Hypoxia during/after birth
What are some causes of deafness after birth?
- Jaundice
- Meningitis/encephalitis
- Otitis media/glue ear
- Chemotherapy
What are some causes of sensorineural deafness?
- Exposure to loud noise
- Injury
- Disease
- Drugs
- Inherited condition
What are some causes of conductive deafness?
- Ear wax/foreign object
- Fluid/infection/bone abnormality/eardrum
What are the investigations for hearing loss?
- UK newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP)
- Audiometry
What is periorbital cellulitis and what are common causes of it?
Eyelid/skin infection of periorbital soft tissue superficial to orbital septum
- Staph aureus (most common)
- Strep pneumoniae/haemophilus influenzae
What are risk factors for periorbital cellulitis?
- Male
- Previous sinus infection
- Lack of Hib infection
- Recent eyelid injury
What are the clinical features of periorbital cellulitis?
- Eyelid erythema
- Eyelid oedema
- Hot skin around eyelids/eye
- Normal vision
- Normal ocular motility with no pain
What are the investigations for periorbital cellulitis?
- CT sinus and orbits with contrast
What is the management for periorbital cellulitis?
Empirical abx e.g. cefotaxime/clindamycin
What is a common differential diagnosis for periorbital cellulitis?
Orbital cellulitis - muscles of orbit affected usually due to bacterial sinusitis - LIFE-THREATENING
What is a squint and what are some common causes of it?
Misalignment of the eye a.k.a strabismus
- Hydrocephalus
- Cerebral palsy
- Space-occupying lesions e.g. retinoblastoma
- Trauma
What is amblyopia?
In squint, lazy eye becomes progressively more passive and has reduced function
What is the main feature of a squint and what is the management?
- Diplopia
- Occlusive patch over good eye
- Atropine drops in dominant eye (causes blurred vision)
What does the foramen ovale connect?
Left and right atria in foetuses - can bypass pulmonary circulation
What does the ductus arteriosus connect?
Pulmonary artery and aorta in foetuses - can bypass pulmonary circulation
What is the most common septal defect?
Ventricular septal defect
What are risk factors for VSD?
- Prematurity
- Genetic conditions e.g. Down’s syndrome/Edward’s/Patau
- Fhx
What are the clinical features specific to VSD?
- Asx
- Pansystolic murmur in LLSE –> transmits to USE and axillae
What are the investigations for VSD?
- Echo
- CXR (large pulmonary arteries/cardiomegaly)
- ECG
What is the management for VSD?
- Many close spontaneously
- Surgery
- Diuretics (to relieve pulmonary congestion)
- ACEi (to reduce systemic pressure)
What are complications of VSD?
- Eisenmenger’s
- Endocarditis
- HF
What are risk factors for ASD?
- Maternal smoking in 1st trimester
- Fhx
- Maternal diabetes/rubella
What are the types of ASD?
- Ostium primum (AV valve)
- Ostium secundum (centre of atrial septum)
- Sinus venosus (superior/inferior vena with right atrium connection)
What are the clinical features specific to ASD?
- Asx
- Fixed, widely split S2 sound
- Ejection systolic murmur in pulmonary area
- Recurrent chest infections
What are the investigations for ASD?
- CXR (large pulmonary arteries/cardiomegaly)
- Echo
- ECG
What is the management for ASD?
- Most close spontaneously
- Surgery
What are complications of ASD?
- Eisenmenger’s
- AF
- Stroke from DVT
What are the risk factors for patent ductus arteriosus?
- Female
- Prematurity
What are the clinical features for patent ductus arteriosus?
- Continuous machinery murmur in pulmonary area
- Collapsing pulse
- Heaving apex beat
- Left subclavicular thrill
What are the investigations for patent ductus arteriosus?
- CXR (cardiomegaly)
- Echo
- ECG
What is the management for patent ductus arteriosus?
- Surgery (cardiac catheterisation)
- Indomethacin/ibuprofen (inhibits prostaglandins and stimulates closure)
What are complications of patent ductus arteriosus?
- Eisenmenger’s
- Differential cyanosis
What are generic clinical features of septal defects?
- Poor feeding/failure to thrive
- Tachypnoea/dyspnoea
- Active precordium
- Thrill
- Gallop rhythm
- Hepatomegaly
- Oedema
What are the clinical features specific to AVSD?
Murmur arises from valvular regurgitation
What are the investigations for AVSD?
- Echo
- Screen children for Down’s syndrome
What is the management for AVSD?
Surgery
What is a complication of AVSD?
Pulmonary vascular disease
Briefly describe the pathophysiology of coarctation of aorta
- Collateral circulation forms to increase flow to lower part of body
- Intercostal arteries become dilated and tortuous
What are the clinical features of coarctation of aorta?
- Weak femoral pulses
- Pre and post ductal difference in saturations
- Murmur over back
- Collapse/acidosis
What are the investigations for coarctation of aorta?
- 4 limb BP (discrepancy between upper and lower limbs)
- CXR (rib notching)
- CT/MRI
What is the management for coarctation of aorta?
Surgery - angioplasty and stent insertion
What are complications of coarctation of aorta?
- HTN
- Re-coarctation
- CHF
- Intracerebral haemorrhage
- Bacterial endocarditis
What are the clinical features of aortic stenosis?
- Weak pulses
- Thrill palpable in suprasternal region and carotid area
- Ejection systolic murmur in aorta area
- Collapse/acidosis
What is the management for aortic stenosis?
Aortic valve replacement surgery
What are the clinical features of pulmonary stenosis?
- Ejection systolic murmur in LUSE (often radiates to back)
- Right ventricular heave
What is the management for pulmonary stenosis?
Balloon valvuloplasty
What are the 3 main cyanotic heart conditions?
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Ebstein’s anomaly
What is transposition of the great arteries?
Heart defect in which the aorta and pulmonary artery have swapped over
What are risk factors for transposition of the great arteries?
- Maternal diabetes
- Males
- Increased maternal age
- Maternal rubella
- Alcohol consumption
What are clinical features of transposition of the great arteries?
- Cyanosis/acidosis/collapse/death
- Right ventricular heave
- Loud S2 sound
- Systolic murmur
- Respiratory distress/tachycardia/poor feeding/poor weight gain/sweating
What are the investigations for transposition of the great arteries?
- Antenatal USS
- CXR (‘egg on a string’ due to narrowed mediastinum and cardiomegaly)
- Low SATS
- Metabolic acidosis
What is the management for transposition of the great arteries?
- Prostaglandin infusion (to maintain ductus arteriosus)
- Surgery
What conditions make up tetralogy of fallot?
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Overriding aorta
- Ventricular septal defect
- Right ventricular hypertrophy
What are risk factors for tetralogy of fallot?
- Male
- Maternal diabetes/rubella
- Alcohol consumption
- Increased maternal age
- Associated with 22q11 deletion
What are the clinical features of tetralogy of fallot?
- Cyanosis
- Acidosis
- Collapse/death
- Irritability
- Clubbing
- Poor feeding/weight gain
- Ejection systolic murmur in pulmonary area
- Tet spells
What are tet spells?
Intermittent symptomatic periods where right to left shunt becomes temporarily worsened –> irritability/cyanosis/SOB/reduced consciousness/seizures/death
What are the investigations for tetralogy of fallot?
- Check for 22q deletion
- Echo
- CXR (boot-shaped heart due to right ventricular thickening)
- MRI/cardiac catheter
What is the management for tetralogy of fallot?
- Surgery
- Prostaglandin infusion (to maintain ductus arteriosus)
- Morphine (to reduce respiratory drive)
- Tet spells (O2/beta blockers/fluids/morphine/sodium bicarbonate/phenylephrine infusion)
What are complications of tetralogy of fallot?
- Pulmonary regurgitation
- Right HF
- Death
What is Ebstein’s anomaly?
Congenital heart condition in which tricuspid valve is set lower in the right side of the heart causing a bigger right atrium and smaller right ventricle
What are the causes of Ebstein’s anomaly?
- Genetics
- Lithium (teratogenic)
What conditions are associated with Ebstein’s anomaly?
- ASD
- Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
What are the clinical features of Ebstein’s anomaly?
- Evidence of HF (e.g. oedema)
- Gallop rhythm
- 3rd and 4th heart sounds
- Cyanosis
- SOB/tachypnoea
- Poor feeding
- Collapse/cardiac arrest
What is the investigation for Ebstein’s anomaly?
Echo
What is the management of Ebstein’s anomaly?
- Treat arrhythmia/HF
- Prophylactic abx (prevent IE)
- Surgical correction
What are risk factors for rheumatic fever?
- Female
- Children
- Poverty
- Overcrowding/poor hygiene
- Fhx
- D8/17B cell antigen positivity
What is the cause of rheumatic fever?
Strep pyogenes - systemic infection that occurs 2-4 weeks after pharyngitis due to cross-reactivity to strep pyogenes
What are the clinical features of rheumatic fever?
- Tachycardia
- Murmur
- Pericardial rub
- Erythema marginatum
- Prolonged PR interval
- Fever/fatigue
- Arthritis
- Chest pain/SOB
- Chorea
What criteria is used to diagnose rheumatic fever?
Jones diagnostic criteria - 1 positive test + 2 major criteria (or 1 major + 1 minor criteria)
What are the investigations for rheumatic fever?
- Throat culture for group A beta-haemolytic strep (strep pyogenes) = positive
- Anti-streptolysin O (ASO) = elevated
- Anti-deoxyribonuclease B (anti-DNASE B) titre = elevated
What are the major criteria for rheumatic fever?
- Carditis (tachycardia/murmur/pericardial rub/cardiomegaly)
- Polyarthritis
- Erythema marginatum (red rash with raised edges and clear centre)
- Sydenham’s chorea
- Subcut nodules
What are the minor criteria of rheumatic fever?
- Fever
- Raised CRP/ESR
- Arthralgia
- Prolonged PR interval
- Previous rheumatic fever
What are common differential diagnoses for rheumatic fever?
- Septic arthritis
- Reactive arthropathy
- Infective endocarditis
- Myocarditis
What is the management for rheumatic fever?
- Bed rest until CRP is normal for 2 weeks consistently
- Abx = benzylpenicillin/phenoxymethylpenicillin/amoxicillin
- Aspirin/NSAIDs
- Assess for emergency valve replacement
- Glucocorticoids/diuretics (if severe carditis)
- Haloperidol/diazepam (for chorea)
What is the long-term management for rheumatic fever?
Secondary prophylaxis with:
- IM benzylpenicillin every 3-4 weeks
- Oral phenoxymethylpenicillin BD
- Oral sulfadiazine or azithromycin
What are risk factors for IE?
- Male
- IVDU
- Immunocompromised
- Congenital/acquired heart disease
- Abnormal valves (e.g. regurgitant/prosthetic)
- Poor dental hygeine
- Pacemaker
- IV cannula
- Previous IE
What are the most common cause of IE?
- Staph aureus (IVDU/diabetes/surgery) = MOST COMMON
- Strep viridans (poor dental health)
- Staph epidermis (prosthetic valves)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Strep bovis
- Enterococci
- Coxiella burnetii
What are the clinical features of IE?
- Anaemia
- Splenomegaly
- Clubbing
- New murmur
- Sepsis
- Generic sx (fever/fatigue/loss of appetite/rigors/night sweats/malaise/weight loss)
What are the clinical features more specific to IE?
- Embolic skin lesions
- Petechiae
- Splinter haemorrhages
- Osler nodes
- Janeway lesions
- Roth spots
What are the investigations for IE?
- Fever + new murmur = suspect IE
- Echo (gold standard) = vegetation
- Blood cultures
- Bloods
- ECG
- CXR
What criteria is used to diagnose IE?
Modified Duke’s Criteria (2 major criteria/1 major + 3 minor criteria/5 minor criteria)
What are the major criteria for IE?
- Pathogen grown from blood cultures
- Evidence of endocarditis on echo or new valve leak
What are the minor criteria for IE?
- Predisposing heart condition/IVDU
- Fever
- Vascular phenomena (Janeway lesions/major arterial emboli/intracranial haemorrhage)
- Immune phenomena (Osler’s nodes/Roth spots/glomerulonephritis)
- Positive blood cultures that don’t meet major criteria
- Echo findings consistent with IE but don’t meet major criteria
What is the management for IE?
Abx
- First line = flucloxacillin, ampicillin (rifampicin if staph) and gentamicin
- MRSA = vancomycin, rifampicin and gentamicin
- Benzylpenicillin and gentamicin
When would surgery be required in IE?
- Valve replacement
- Remove/replace infected devices
- Remove large vegetation at risk of embolising
- If complications e.g. severe valve damage
What are the most common causes of UTIs in children?
- E Coli (most common)
- Klebsiella
- Staph saprophyticus
What are the risk factors for UTIs?
- Age <1 year
- Females
- Caucasian
- Previous UTI
- Voiding dysfunction
- Vesicoureteral reflux
- Sexual abuse
- Spinal abnormalities
- Constipation
- Immunosuppression
What is the difference between cystitis and pyelonephritis?
- Cystitis - lower renal tract (bladder/urethra)
- Pyelonephritis - upper renal tract (renal pelvis/kidneys)
What are common clinical features of UTIs in children <3 months?
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Irritability
What are common clinical features of UTIs in preverbal children >3 months?
- Fever
- Abdominal pain/loin tenderness
- Vomiting
- Poor feeding
What are common clinical features of UTIs in verbal children >3 months?
- Frequency/dysuria
- Dysfunctional voiding
- Changes to continence
- Abdominal pain/loin tenderness
What are the investigations for UTIs?
- Urine microscopy
- Urine culture
- Urine dipstick (leucocytes/nitrites)
- Imaging (USS/dimercaptosuccinic acid/micturating cystourethrogram)
What is the management for UTIs in infants <3 months?
- Minimum 2-4 days IV abx followed by oral
- Trimethoprim/nitrofurantoin/cephalosporin/amoxicillin
What is the management for UTIs in systematically well children?
- 3 days oral/IV abx
- Return if no better after 24-48 hours for reassessment
What is the management for UTIs in systematically unwell children (fever >38 +/- loin pain/tenderness)?
- 7-10 days oral/IV abx
- Ciprofloxacin/co-amoxiclav
What are complications of UTIs?
- Renal scarring/damage
- HTN
- Renal insufficiency/failure
- Recurrence
Who is vesicoureteral reflux most common in?
Girls
What are the clinical features of vesicoureteral reflux?
Usually only becomes apparent following UTI:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Reduced appetite
- Foul smelling urine
- Abdominal pain whilst voiding
- Urgency/frequency
What are the investigations for vesicoureteral reflux?
- Antenatal scan = dilated ureter
- Micturating cystography (a.k.a voiding cystourethrogram)
- USS KUB
What is the management for vesicoureteral reflux?
- Improving bladder function and infection monitoring
- Abx
- Surgery (rare)
What are causes/risk factors of primary nocturnal enuresis?
- Variation of normal development
- Fhx of delayed dry nights
- Overactive bladder
- Fluid intake
- Failure to wake
- Psychological distress
What are causes/risk factors of secondary nocturnal enuresis?
More indicative of underlying illness
- UTI
- Constipation
- T1DM
- New psychosocial problems
- Maltreatment
What is the management for nocturnal enuresis?
- Reassurance that it is likely to resolve
- Lifestyle changes (reduce fluid intake in evenings/pass urine before bed/etc.)
- Encouragement/positive reinforcement
- Treat underlying cause
- Enuresis alarms
- Medication
What medication can be given for nocturnal enuresis?
- Desmopressin (ADH - reduces volume of urine produced by kidneys)
- Oxybutynin (anticholinergic - reduces contractility of bladder - helpful in urge incontinence)
- Imipramine (TCA - may relax bladder and lighten sleep)
What is nephrotic syndrome and who is it most common in?
- Increased permeability of GBM
- Most common in males
- Most common between ages 2-5
What is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children?
Minimal change disease
- May be secondary to intrinsic kidney disease (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis/membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis)
- May be secondary to underlying systemic illness (HSP/diabetes/infection e.g. HIV/hepatitis/malaria)
What are the clinical features of nephrotic syndrome?
- *Proteinuria (frothy urine)
- *Hypoalbuminemia
- *Oedema (pitting)
- Hyperlipidaemia
What are the investigations for nephrotic syndrome?
- Bloods (renal function/elevated lipids/low serum albumin)
- Urine dipstick (proteinuria)
- Urine protein:creatinine ratio
- Renal biopsy
What is the management for nephrotic syndrome?
- Prednisolone (if steroid sensitive)
- Fluid/salt restriction
- Loop diuretics
- Treat cause
- ACEis/ARBs (to reduce protein loss)
What are complications of nephrotic syndrome?
- Hyperlipidaemia (give statins)
- VTE (give heparin)
What is nephritic syndrome and what are the most common causes of it in children?
- Inflammation within kidney
- Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
- IgA nephropathy (a.k.a Buerger’s disease)
What are the main clinical features of nephritic sydrome?
- Haematuria
- Oliguria
- Proteinuria
- HTN
What are the investigations for nephritic syndrome?
- Urine dipstick = haematuria
- Bloods = elevated ESR/CRP
- Renal biopsy
What is the management for nephritic syndrome?
- Treat cause
- BP control (ACEis/ARBs)
- Corticosteroids
What are complications of nephritic syndrome?
- AKI
- Decreased resistance to infection
What is hypospadias and what is it commonly associated with?
- Condition in which urethral meatus is abnormally displaced to the ventral side of the penis (towards scrotum)
- Often associated with chordee (head of penis bends downwards) and abnormally formed foreskin
What is the management for hypospadias?
Surgery to correct position of meatus and straighten penis
What are the complications of hypospadias?
- Difficulty directing urination
- Cosmetic/psychological concerns
- Sexual dysfunction
What is haemolytic uraemic syndrome and what is the most common cause/risk factor?
- Condition in which there is thrombosis in small blood vessels throughout the body
- Usually triggered by shiga toxins from either E coli or shigella
- Most often affects children following an episode of gastroenteritis (loperamide increases risk)
What are the clinical features of haemolytic uraemic syndrome?
- Diarrhoea that turns bloody
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Lethargy
- Pallor
- Oliguria
- Haematuria
- HTN
- Bruising
- Jaundice
- Confusion
What are the investigations and treatment for haemolytic uraemic syndrome?
- Stool culture
- Self-limiting
- Supportive treatment (IV fluids/treat HTN/blood transfusion/haemodialysis)
What is global developmental delay indicative of?
- Down’s syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
- Foetal alcohol syndrome
- Rett syndrome
- Metabolic disorders
What is gross motor delay indicative of?
- Cerebral palsy
- Ataxia
- Myopathy
- Spinal bifida
- Visual impairment
What is fine motor delay indicative of?
- Dyspraxia
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscular dystrophy
- Visual impairment
- Congenital ataxia
What is language delay indicative of?
- Social circumstances (e.g. exposure to multiple languages)
- Hearing impairment
- Learning disability
- Neglect
- Autism
- Cerebral palsy
What is personal/social delay indicative of?
- Emotional/social neglect
- Parenting issues
- Autism
Which seizures are most common in children?
Absence seizures
What are the clinical features of generalised tonic-clonic seizures?
- Loss of consciousness
- Tonic (rigidity) and clonic (rhythmic jerking) phase
- Tongue biting/incontinence/groaning/irregular breathing
- Post-ictal period (confusion/drowsiness/irritability)
What are the clinical features of focal seizures?
- Hallucinations
- Memory flashbacks
- Deja vu
What are the clinical features of absence seizures?
- Blank/stare into space
- Abruptly back to normal
- Unaware of surroundings and unresponsive
- Last 10-20 seconds
What are the clinical features of myoclonic seizures?
- Remain conscious
- Sudden brief muscle contractions
What are the clinical features of tonic/atonic seizures?
- Sudden tension/stiffness
What are the investigations for epilepsy?
- EEG
- MRI
- Blood electrolytes/glucose/cultures/LP
What is the criteria required for a diagnosis of epilepsy?
- At least 2 unprovoked seizures occurring more than 24 hours apart
- 1 unprovoked seizure and a probability of further seizures
- At least 2 seizures in a setting of reflex epilepsy
What is the management for an acute seizure?
- Recovery position
- Place something soft under head
- Remove anything that could cause injury
- Note start and end time of seizures
- Call ambulance if seizures lasts >5 minutes
What medication is used for generalised tonic-clonic seizures?
- Sodium valproate
- Lamotrigine
- Carbamazepine
What medication is used for focal seizures?
- Lamotrigine
- Levetiracetam
What medication is used for absence seizures?
Ethosuximide
What medication is used for myoclonic seizures?
- Sodium valproate
- Levetiracetam
What medication is used for tonic/atonic seizures?
- Sodium valproate
- Lamotrigine
When is something diagnosed with epilepsy remission?
- Individuals who had an age-dependent epilepsy syndrome but are now past the applicable age
- Individuals have remained seizure-free for at least 10 years off anti-seizure medications
What are side effects of sodium valproate?
- Teratogenic
- Liver damage
- Hair loss
- Tremors
What are side effects of carbamazepine?
- Agranulocytosis
- Aplastic anaemia
What are side effects of ethosuximide?
- Night tremors
- Rashes
- N+V
What are side effects of lamotrigine?
- DRESS syndrome (drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms)
- Leukopenia
What is status epilepticus?
- Medical emergency
- Seizures last >5 minutes or 2+ seizures without regaining consciousness
What is the management for status epilepticus?
- Secure airway
- O2
- Assess cardiac/respiratory function
- IV lorazepam
- Buccal midazolam/rectal diazepam (community)
By definition, when can febrile convulsions occur?
Only in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years
What are risk factors for febrile convulsions?
- Fhx
- Socio-economic class
- Winter season
- Zinc/iron deficiency
What are the clinical features of simple febrile convulsions?
- Generalised tonic-clonic seizures
- Last <15 minutes
- Only occur once during single febrile illness
What are the clinical features of complex febrile convulsions?
- Focal seizures
- Last >15 minutes
- Occur multiple times during same febrile illness
What is the management for febrile convulsions (and a complication)?
- Identify/manage source of infection
- Simple analgesia
- Parental education
*increased risk of developing epilepsy in future
What is eczema?
Chronic atopic condition caused by defects in the normal continuity of the skin barrier leading to inflammation in the skin
What are risk factors for eczema?
- Genetics/fhx
- Environmental triggers (changes in temperature/dietary products/washing powders/cleaning products/emotional events/stress)
What are the clinical features of eczema?
- Dry, red, itchy, sore patches of skin over flexor surfaces and on face/neck
- Episodic with flares
What is the management of eczema?
- Emollients (E45/diprobase)
- Thicker emollients (cetraben/topical steroids e.g. hydrocortisone/betnovate)
- Avoid hot baths/scratching/scrubbing skin
- Topical tacrolimus/methotrexate
- IV abx
- Oral steroids
What is Stevens-Johnson Syndrome?
Disproportional immune response causing epidermal necrosis resulting in blistering and shedding of the top layer of the skin
What is the difference between Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis?
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) - affects <10% of body surface area
- Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) - affects >10% of body surface area
What medications can cause SJS?
- Anti-epileptics
- Abx
- Allopurinol
- NSAIDs
What infections can cause SJS?
- HSV
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- CMV
- HIV
What are the clinical features of SJS?
- Purple/red rash that blisters and breaks away to leave raw tissue underneath
- Pain/blistering/shedding to lips/mucous membranes
- Inflammation/ulceration of eyes
- Fever/cough/sore throat/itchy skin
What is the management for SJS?
- Supportive care
- Steroids/immunoglobulins/immunosuppressants
What are the complications of SJS?
- Secondary infections e.g. cellulitis/sepsis
- Permanent skin damage
- Visual complications
What is the management for allergic rhinitis (IgE mediated type I hypersensitivity reaction)?
- Avoid triggers
- Oral antihistamines (cetirizine/loratadine/fexofenadine/chlorphenamine/promethazine)
- Nasal corticosteroids sprays (fluticasone/mometasone)
- Nasal antihistamines
What is urticaria/angioedema?
- Urticaria - swelling of surface of skin (hives/welts)
- Angioedema - swelling of deeper layers of skin caused by build-up of fluid
What is the management for urticaria?
- Antihistamines (fexofenadine)
- Oral steroids
Severe: - Antileukotrienes (montelukast)
- Omalizumab (targets IgE)
- Cyclosporin
What are the clinical features of anaphylaxis?
- Rapid onset
- ABC compromise
- Urticaria
- Itching
- SOB/wheeze
- Swelling of larynx –> stridor
- Tachycardia
- Collapse
How is anaphylaxis confirmed?
Serum mast cell tryptase (highest within 6 hours of event)
What is the management for anaphylaxis?
- ABCDE
- IM adrenaline
- Antihistamines
- Steroids
What are the most common types of birthmarks?
- Pigmented = cells containing melanin collected together in one area (brown/black)
- Vascular = vessels that have not formed properly (red/blue)
What are causes/risk factors for nappy rash?
Friction between skin and nappy and contact with urine/faces (most common between 9-12 months)
- Delayed changing of nappies
- Irritant soap products/vigorous cleaning
- Diarrhoea
- Oral abx
- Prematurity
What is the difference between petechiae and purpura?
- Petechiae = small/non-blanching/red spots on skin caused by burst capillaries
- Purpura = large/non-blanching/red/purple macules/papules caused by leaking of blood from vessels under skin
What are the most common causes of a rash?
- Candida
- Meningococcal septicaemia
- HSP
- ITP
- Leukaemia
- HUS
- Mechanical (strong coughing/vomiting/breath holding)
- Trauma
- Viral illness
What are risk factors for GORD in infants?
Common in infants
- Prematurity
- Fhx
- Obesity
- Hiatus hernia
- Neurodisability e.g. cerebral palsy
What are risk factors for pyloric stenosis?
- Male
- First born
- Fhx
What are the clinical features of pyloric stenosis?
- First few weeks of life
- Projectile vomiting
- Poor weight gain/failure to thrive
- Dehydration/constipation
- Firm, round, ‘olive sized’ mass in upper abdomen (hypertrophic pyloric muscle)
What are the investigations for pyloric stenosis?
- Abdominal USS (thickened pylorus)
- Blood gas (hypochloremic, hypokalemic, metabolic alkalosis )
What is the management for pyloric stenosis?
- Correct metabolic imbalances (NaCl)
- Fluids
- NG tube and aspiration of stomach
- Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy (Ramstedt’s operation) - incision made in smooth muscle of pylorus to widen canal
What are common causes of gastroenteritis?
- Viral (most common) - rotavirus/norovirus/adenovirus
- Bacterial - c. jejuni/e. coli
- Parasitic
What are the clinical features of gastroenteritis?
- Sudden onset diarrhoea with/without vomiting (risk of dehydration)
- Abdominal pain/cramps
- Mild fever
When does appendicitis peak?
Peak incidence at age 10-20 years
What type of hernia is most common in children?
Indirect inguinal hernias (more common in boys/prematurity)
What are the clinical features of an inguinal/inguino-scrotal hernia?
- Cannot ‘get above’ mass
- Reducible when lying flat
- Does not transilluminate
- Positive cough reflex
What are the main complications of a hernia?
- Recurrence
- Strangulation
- Incarceration
- Bowel obstruction
Which IBD is more common in children?
Crohn’s disease
What are the clinical features of UC?
CLOSE UP:
- Continuous inflammation
- Limited to colon/rectum
- Only superficial mucosa affected
- Smoking protective
- Excrete blood/mucus
- Use aminosalicylates
- PSC
What are the clinical features of Crohn’s?
NESTS:
- No blood/mucus
- Entire GI tract
- Skip lesions
- Terminal ileum most affected/transmural inflammation
- Smoking is a RF
What are the investigations for IBD?
- GOLD STANDARD = Endoscopy with biopsy
- Raised faecal calprotectin
- Raised CRP
What medications are used for Crohn’s?
- Steroids (oral prednisolone/IV hydrocortisone)
- Immunosuppressant (azathioprine/methotrexate/infliximab/adalimumab/mercaptopurine)
What medications are used for UC?
- Aminosalicylates (mesalazine)
- Steroids (prednisolone/hydrocortisone)
- IV ciclosporin
- Azathioprine/mercaptopurine
What are the investigations for coeliac disease?
- Must be carried out whilst patient remains on gluten-containing diet
- Antibodies (anti-TTG and anti-EMA)
- Endoscopy and biopsy (crypt hypertrophy/villous atrophy)
What are common causes of poor weight gain/failure to thrive?
- Inadequate nutritional intake (maternal malabsorption/neglect/poverty)
- Difficulty feeding (cleft lip/palate/pyloric stenosis)
- Malabsorption (CF/coeliac/IBD)
- Increased energy requirements (hyperthyroidism/malignancy/HIV)
- Inability to process nutrition (T1DM)
What is the difference between marasmus and kwashiorkor?
- Marasmus = result of diet with total calorie insufficiency
- Kwashiorkor = result of diet with sufficient calorie intake but insufficient protein intake (worse prognosis)
What are the clinical features marasmus/kwashiorkor?
- Wasting
- Loss of body fat/muscle
- Stunted growth
- Kwashiorkor = bilateral pitting oedema/ascites
- Marasmus = inadequate weight relative to height
What is Hirschsprung’s?
Congenital condition in which nerve cells (parasympathetic ganglion cells) of the myenteric plexus (a.k.a Auerbach’s plexus) are absent in the distal bowel and rectum
What are risk factors for Hirschsprung’s?
- Male
- Fhx
- Other conditions (Down’s/neurofibromatosis/etc.)
What are the clinical features of Hirschsprung’s?
- Failure to pass meconium
- Empty rectal vault
- Palpable faecal mass in left lower abdomen (DRE may ease sx)
- Abdominal pain/distension
- Vomiting
- Poor weight gain/failure to thrive
What is Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis?
Life threatening condition - inflammation/obstruction of intestine
- Presents with 2-4 weeks of birth
- Fever
- Abdominal distension
- Diarrhoea with blood
- Features of sepsis
What are the investigations for Hirschsprung’s?
- AXR
- Rectal suction biopsy (absence of ganglionic cells)
- Contrast enema (short transition zone between proximal/distal colon and small rectal diameter)
What is the management for Hirschsprung’s?
- Fluid resus
- Bowel decompression
- NG tube
- IV abx
- Surgery (Swenson, Soave, Dunhamel pull through surgery - remove aganglionic section of bowel)
What is the difference between intussusception and malrotation/volvulus?
Intussusception - one piece of bowel telescopes inside another leading to ischaemia and bowel obstruction
Malrotation and volvulus - twisting loop of bowel leading to intestinal obstruction
What are risk factors for intussusception?
- CF
- Meckel’s diverticulum
- HSP
- Rotavirus vaccine >23 weeks
Who is intussusception most common in?
- Most common cause of obstruction in neonates
- 3 months-3 years (most commonly <1)
- Most common in distal ileum at ileocecal junction
What are the clinical features of intussusception?
- Colic abdominal pain/distension
- Pallor
- Sausage-shaped mass palpable in RUQ
- Redcurrant jelly stools
- Shock
- Peritonitis (guarding/rigidity/pyrexia)
What are the investigations for intussusception?
- USS (target-shaped mass)
- AXR (distended small bowel/absence of gas in large bowel)
What are the clinical features of malrotation/volvulus?
- Abdominal pain
- Bilious vomiting
- Caecum at midline
- Reflux sx
What are the investigations for malrotation/volvulus?
- Barium enema
- AXR with contrast (double bubble sign - dilated stomach and proximal small bowel)
What is the management for intussusception/malrotation/volvulus?
- IV fluids
- Air insufflation/air enema (intussusception)
- Surgery - Ladd’s procedure (malrotation)
- Broad spectrum abx e.g. gentamicin
What is Meckel’s Diverticulum?
Congenital diverticulum of small intestine containing ilea/gastric/pancreatic mucosa
What are the clinical features of Meckel’s Diverticulum?
- Abdominal pain
- Rectal bleeding
What are the investigations for Meckel’s Diverticulum?
- X-ray
- USS
- Laparoscopy
What is the management of Meckel’s Diverticulum?
- Surgical removal/resection
What are complications of Meckel’s Diverticulum?
- Risk of peptic ulceration
- Obstruction due to intussusception/volvulus
What is colic?
Frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in a healthy infant (usually worst between 4-6 weeks)
What are the clinical features of colic?
- Hard to soothe/settle baby
- Clenched fists
- Red in face
- Curling up legs/arching back
Who is biliary atresia more common in?
- Females
- Associated with CMV
What are the clinical features of biliary atresia?
- Jaundice
- Dark urine/pale stools
- Disturbed appetite
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Abnormal growth
What are the investigations for biliary atresia?
- Serum bilirubin = high conjugated bilirubin
- Raised LFTs
- Alpha 1 antitrypsin (rule out)
- Sweat test (rule out CF)
- USS
What is the management for biliary atresia?
Surgery (Kasai Portoenterostomy) - section of SI attached to opening of liver (where bile duct normally attaches)
What is Kawasaki’s disease?
Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome - systemic medium-sized vessel vasculitis
Who is Kawasaki’s disease most common in?
- Typically <5 years
- Asian children, particularly Korean/Japanese
- Males
What are the clinical features of Kawasaki’s disease?
- Persistent high fever >39 C for >5 days
- Widespread erythematous maculopapular rash
- Desquamation on palms/soles
- Strawberry tongue
- Cracked lips
- Cervical lymphadenopathy
- Bilateral conjunctivitis
What are the investigations for Kawasaki’s disease?
- Bloods (FBC/LFTs/ESR/CRP)
- Urinalysis (raised WCC without infection)
- Echo
What is the management for Kawasaki’s disease?
- High dose aspirin (usually avoided in children but Kawasaki’s is one of exceptions)
- IV immunoglobulins
What is the most common complication of Kawasaki’s disease?
Coronary artery aneurysm
What are the clinical features of measles?
- Sx start 10-12 days after exposure
- Fever/coryzal sx
- Conjunctivitis
- Koplik spots (blue/white spots on inside of cheek)
- Maculopapular rash
What is the management for measles?
- Self-resolving
- Supportive treatment
- Avoid school
- Notify public health
- Vaccination
What is the cause of chickenpox and what is the incubation period?
- Varicella zoster virus (VZV)
- 21 days
What are the clinical features of chickenpox?
- Widespread, erythematous, raised, vesicular, blistering lesions
- Fever
- Itch
- General fatigue/malaise
What is the management for chickenpox?
- Self-limiting
- Calamine lotion
- Avoid school until lesions have crusted over
What are the clinical features of rubella?
- Low grade fever
- Erythematous maculopapular rash
- Joint pain
- Sore throat
- Lymphadenopathy
What is the management for rubella?
- Self-limiting
- Avoid school
- Notify public health
What is a complication of rubella in pregnancy?
Congenital rubella syndrome:
- Deafness
- Blindness
- Congenital heart disease
What is scalded skin syndrome?
Condition caused by a type of staph aureus that produces epidermolytic toxins (enzymes that break down proteins that hold skin cells together)
Who is scalded skin syndrome most common in?
Children <5 years
What are the clinical features of scalded skin syndrome?
- Generalised patches of erythema on skin
- Skin looks thin/wrinkled
- Formation of bullae
- Fever
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Dehydration
- Nikolsky sign (areas of epidermis separate on gentle pressure leaving denuded areas of skin which dry and heal without scarring)
What is the management for scalded skin syndrome?
- IV abx
- Analgesia
- Fluid and electrolyte balance
What are the clinical features of TB?
- Asx
- Lethargy
- Fever/night sweats
- Weight loss
- Cough with/without haemoptysis
- Hilar lymphadenopathy
What are the investigations for TB?
- Ziehl-Neelsen stain (bright red)
- Mantoux test (tuberculin injected)
- CXR (patchy consolidation/pleural effusions/hilar lymphadenopathy)
- Bacterial cultures
- IGRA (blood test)
What are the complications of TB medication?
- Rifampicin = red/orange discolouration of secretions
- Isoniazid = peripheral neuropathy
- Pyrazinamide = hyperuciaemia –> gout
^ all associated with hepatotoxicity - Ethambutol = colour blindness/reduced visual acuity
What is the management for TB?
- BCG vaccine
- Contact tracing
RIPE: - Rifampicin for 6 months
- Isoniazid for 6 months
- Pyrazinamide for 2 months
- Ethambutol for 2 months
What are the clinical features of HIV?
- Most remain asx
- Lymphadenopathy (mild)
- Recurrent bacterial infections (moderate)
- Chronic diarrhoea (moderate)
- Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis (moderate)
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (severe)
- Severe faltering growth (severe)
- Encephalopathy (severe)
What are the investigations for HIV?
- Antibody screen
- Viral load
What is the management for HIV?
- Antiretroviral therapy
- Normal childhood vaccines
- Prophylactic co-trimoxazole
- Prophylactic zidovudine/lamivudine/nevirapine
What are the common causes of bacterial meningitis in children?
- Neonates = group B strep
- Children <2 = strep pneumoniae
What are the common causes of viral meningitis in children?
- Enteroviruses (echovirus/coxsackie)
- HSV
- VZV
What are the common causes of fungal meningitis in children?
- Cryptococcus
- Candida
What are the clinical features of meningitis?
- Non-blanching rash (meningococcal septicaemia)
- Fever
- Neck stiffness
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Photophobia
- Altered consciousness
- Seizures
What are the investigations for meningitis?
- Lumbar puncture for CSF
- Blood cultured
- Meningococcal PCR
- Kernig’s test
- Brudzinski’s test
What is the difference between CSF in bacterial vs viral meningitis?
- Bacterial = cloudy/high protein/low glucose/neutrophils/culture
- Viral = clear/normal protein/normal glucose/lymphocytes
What is the management for meningitis?
- Bacterial (community) = stat IM injection of benzylpenicillin
- Bacterial (hospital) = IV cefotaxime + IV amoxicillin
- Post exposure prophylaxis = ciprofloxacin
- Viral = aciclovir
- Notify public health
What are common causes of encephalitis in children?
- HSV1 (children - cold sores)
- HSV2 (neonates - genital herpes contracted during birth)
- VZV
- CMV
What are the investigations for encephalitis?
- LP for CSF
- CT
- MRI
- HIV testing
What is the management for encephalitis?
- Aciclovir (HSV/VZV)
- Ganciclovir (CMV)
What is the cause and risk factors for slapped cheek syndrome?
- Parvovirus B19 virus
- Immunocompromised
- Pregnant
- Haematological conditions (sickle cell anaemia/thalassaemia)
What are the clinical features of slapped cheek syndrome?
- Asx
- Mild fever
- Coryza
- Non specific sx e.g. muscle aches/lethargy
- Rash after 2-5 days (diffuse bright red on both cheeks followed by reticular mildly erythematous rash)
What are the investigations for slapped cheek syndrome?
- Serology testing for parvovirus
- FBC/reticulocyte count
What is the management for slapped cheek syndrome?
- Self-limiting
- Supportive treatment
What are common causes of impetigo?
- Staph aureus (most common) - causes bullous impetigo which is most common in neonates and children <2
- Strep pyogenes
What are the clinical features of impetigo?
Golden crust = characteristic
Non-bullous:
- Typically around nose/mouth
- Exudate from lesions dries to form golden crust
- Few/non systemic sx
Bullous:
- Fluid-filled vesicles
- Vesicles grow and burst to form golden crust
- Painful/itchy
- Systemic sx (fever)
What are the investigations for impetigo?
Swabs
What is the management for impetigo?
- Topical fusidic acid
- Antiseptic cream
- Oral flucloxacillin
- Avoid school
What is the main complication of impetigo?
Scalded skin syndrome
What is toxic shock syndrome?
Life-threatening condition caused by an infection (toxin producing staph aureus and group A strep)
What are the clinical features of toxic shock syndrome?
- Fever >39 C
- Hypotension
- Diffuse erythematous macular rash
- Mucositis (conjunctivae/oral mucosa/genital mucosa)
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
What is the management for toxic shock syndrome?
- Intensive care support
- Abx (e.g. ceftriaxone + clindamycin)
What is the cause of scarlet fever and who is it most common in?
- Toxic producing strains of strep pyogenes
- Common in those between 2-8 years
- Higher risk in neonates/immunocompromised/concurrent chickenpox/influenza
What are the clinical features of scarlet fever?
- Sore throat/fever/fatigue/headache
- N+V
- Pinpoint, sandpiper-like, blanching rash
- Strawberry tongue
- Cervical lymphadenopathy
What is the management for scarlet fever?
- Oral abx e.g. benzylpenicillin for 10 days
- Notify public health
What is Coxsackie’s disease?
a.k.a hand, foot and mouth disease - caused by Coxsackie A virus
What are the clinical features of hand, foot and mouth disease?
- Typical viral URTI sx (sore throat/fever/cough)
- Small mouth ulcers
- Blistering red spots across body
- Itchy
What is the management for hand, foot and mouth disease?
- Self-limiting
- Supportive management
What are risk factors for undescended testes (cryptorchidism)?
- Fhx
- Low birth weight
- Small for gestational age
- Prematurity
- Maternal smoking
What is the management for undescended testes?
- Watch and wait (will usually descend in first 3-6 months)
- Surgical orchidopexy
What are complications of undescended testes?
Higher risk of:
- Testicular torsion
- Infertility
- Testicular cancer
What is a risk factor for testicular torsion?
Bell-Clapper deformity:
- Absence of fixation between testicle and tunica vaginalis
- Testicle hangs in horizontal position
- Able to rotate within tunica vaginalis, twisting at spermatic cord
What are the clinical features of testicular torsion?
- Rapid onset unilateral testicular pain
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Firm, swollen testicle
- Elevated/retracted testicle
- Absent cremasteric reflex
- Abnormal testicular lie
- Prehn’s sign negative
What is the investigation for testicular torsion?
Scrotal USS - whirlpool sign (spiral appearance of spermatic cord and blood vessels)
What is the management for testicular torsion?
- NBM
- Analgesia
- Orchiopexy (within 6 hours)
- Orchidectomy if delayed surgery/necrosis
What is pica?
Eating disorder in which patients eat things not usually considered food e.g. dirt/clay/rocks/paper/crayons/hair/chalk
Who is pica more common in?
- ASD
- Intellectual disabilities
- OCD
- Schizophrenia
- Malnutrition/hunger
- Stress (i.e. due to abuse/neglect)
What is the criteria for pica?
- Eating non-food items
- Doing so for >1 month
- Abnormal behaviour for child’s age/developmental stage
- Has risk factor
What are complications of pica?
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Lead poisoning
- Constipation/diarrhoea
- Intestinal obstruction
- Mouth/teeth injuries
What are common causes of hypothyroidism?
Congenital:
- Dysgenesis (underdeveloped thyroid gland)
- Dyshormonogenesis (thyroid gland not producing enough hormone)
Acquired:
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
What are the clinical features of hypothyroidism?
- Prolonged neonatal jaundice
- Poor feeding/growth
- Constipation
- Increased sleeping/fatigue
- Weight gain
What are the investigations for hypothyroidism?
- Newborn blood spot screening test
- TFTs
- Thyroid USS
- Thyroid antibodies (anti-TPO/anti-thyroglobulin)
What is the management for hypothyroidism?
Levothyroxine
What is the most common cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia?
Congenital deficiency of 21-hydroxylase enzyme (autosomal recessive)
Describe the pathophysiology of congenital adrenal hyperplasia?
- Deficiency of 21-hydroxylase (enzyme responsible for converting progesterone into aldosterone/cortisol)
- Progesterone unable to become aldosterone/cortisol so more converted into testosterone
What are the clinical features of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in females?
- Tall for age
- Facial hair
- Absent periods
- Deep voice
- Early puberty
- Virilised (ambigious) genitalia and enlarged clitoris
What are the clinical features of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in males?
- Tall for age
- Deep voice
- Large penis
- Small testicles
- Early puberty
What are the investigations/management for congenital adrenal hyperplasia?
- Low aldosterone –> replacement (fludrocortisone)
- Low cortisol –> replacement (hydrocortisone)
- High testosterone
- Corrective surgery for virilised genitalia
What is Kallmann syndrome?
Genetic condition causing hypogonadotropic hypogonadism resulting in failure to start puberty
What are the clinical features of Kallmann syndrome?
- Anosmia
- Delayed/incomplete puberty
- Undescended/partially descended testicles
- Small penile size
- Facial defects e.g. cleft lip/palate
- Short fingers/toes
What are the investigations and management for Kallmann syndrome?
- Bloods/MRI hypothalamus/pituitary gland
- Hormone replacement therapy
Who does androgen insensitivity syndrome affected and how?
- Only affects genetically male people
- X-linked recessive
- Mutation in androgen receptor gene
- Cells unable to respond to androgen hormone so converted into oestrogen –> female characteristics
What are the clinical features of androgen insensitivity syndrome?
- Female phenotype (breast tissue/female external genitalia)
- Testes in abdomen/inguinal canal –> inguinal hernias
- Absence of uterus/upper vagina/cervix/fallopian tubes/ovaries
- Lack of pubic/facial hair
- Taller than female average
- Infertile
- Primary amenorrhoea
What are the investigations for androgen insensitivity syndrome?
- Raised LH
- Normal/raised FSH
- Normal/raised testosterone
- Raised oestrogen
What is the management for androgen insensitivity syndrome?
- Bilateral orchidectomy (increased risk of testicular cancer if not removed)
- Oestrogen therapy
- Vaginal dilators/vaginal surgery
- Patients generally raised as female
What bone tumours are most common in children?
- Osteogenic sarcoma (osteosarcoma)
- Ewing’s sarcoma more common in younger children
What are the clinical features of bone tumours?
- Patients generally well
- Persistent/localised bone pain
- Bone swelling
- Palpable mass
- Restricted joint movements
What are the investigations for bone tumours?
- XRAY (poorly defined lesions in bone with destruction of normal bone and ‘fluffy’ appearance)
- XRAY (periosteal reaction - irritation of lining of bone - ‘sun burst’ appearance)
- Bloods (raised ALP)
- CT/MRI/PET
- Bone scan
- Bone biopsy
What is the management/complications for bone tumours?
- Surgery (resection/amputation)
- Chemotherapy/radiotherapy
- Pathological bone fractures
- Metastasis
What are risk factors for brain tumours in children and how common are they?
- Fhx
- Neurofibromatosis
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Leading cause of childhood cancer deaths in UK - almost always primary tumour
What are the 5 main types of brain tumours in children?
- Astrocytoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Ependymoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Brainstem glioma
What are the clinical features of brain tumours?
- Raised ICP (headache/coughing/papilloedema)
- Focal neurological signs
- Behavioural changes/altered GCS
- Back pain
- Peripheral weakness of arms/legs
- Bladder/bowel dysfunction
What are the investigations/management/complications of brain tumours?
- MRI
- Surgery (+/- chemotherapy/radiotherapy)
- Metastasis
What are the clinical features of hepatoblastomas?
- Abdominal distension/mass
- Pain
- Jaundice
What are the investigations and management for hepatoblastomas?
- Elevated a-fetoprotein
- Good prognosis
- Surgery/chemotherapy/liver transplant
Which types of leukaemia are most common in children?
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) - peaks in ages 2-3 years
- Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) - peaks ages <2
What are the clinical features of leukaemia?
- Cancer sx (fatigue/weight loss/night sweats/etc.)
- Petechiae/abnormal bruising/bleeding
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Lymphadenopathy
What are the investigations for leukaemia?
- FBC (anaemia/leukopenia/thrombocytopenia/high WCC)
- Blood film (blast cells)
- BM biopsy
- Lymph node biopsy
- CXT/CT/LB (staging)
What is the management for leukaemia?
- Chemotherapy/radiotherapy
- Surgery/BM transplant
What is a neuroblastoma and when does it usually present?
- Tumour arising from neural crest tissue in adrenal medulla and sympathetic nervous system
- Usually occurs before 5 years of age
What are the clinical features of neuroblastomas?
- Abdominal mass
- Weight loss
- Pallor
- Hepatomegaly
- Lymphadenopathy
- Periorbital bruising
- Skin nodules
What are the investigations/management/complications of neuroblastomas?
- Raised urinary catecholamine levels
- Biopsy/BM sampling
- Generally good prognosis
- Surgery (+/- chemotherapy/radiotherapy)
- Metastasis
When do retinoblastomas usually present and what are the clinical features?
- Most cases present in first 3 years of life
- White pupillary reflex replaces red one
- Squint
What are the investigations/management/complications of retinoblastomas?
- MRI
- Preserve vision/chemotherapy/laser treatment
- Visual impairment/secondary malignancy
What is Wilms tumour and who is it most common in?
- Nephroblastoma (renal tumour)
- Most common renal tumour in children
- Often presents before 5 years
What are the clinical features of Wilms tumours?
- Large abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Haematuria
- HTN
- Lethargy/fever
What are the investigations/management/complications of Wilms tumours?
- USS
- CT/MRI
- Biopsy
- Chemotherapy/surgery (nephrectomy)
- Metastasis
What is Angelman syndrome?
Genetic condition caused by loss of function of UBE3A gene on chromosome 15
What are the clinical features of Angelman syndrome?
- Delayed development/learning disability
- Severe delay/absence of speech development
- Ataxia
- Fascination with water
- Happy demeanour/inappropriate laughter
- Hand flapping
- Wide mouth with widely space teeth
- Microcephaly
- ADHD/epilepsy
What is Edward’s Syndrome and what are the clinical features?
Trisomy 18
- Low birthweight
- Small mouth/chin
- Short sternum
- Flexed/overlapping fingers
- Rocket-bottom feet
- Cardiac/renal malformations
What is Klinefelter syndrome and who is affected?
Additional X chromosome ONLY IN MEN
- 47 XXY
- 48 XXXY (rare)
- 49 XXXXY (rare)
What are the clinical features of Klinefelter syndrome?
- Tall stature
- Wide hips
- Gynaecomastia
- Weaker muscles
- Small testicles
- Reduced libido
- Shyness
- Subtle learning difficulties (particularly speech/language)
What is the management for Klinefelter syndrome?
- Testosterone injections
- Breast reduction surgery
- Speech and language therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Physiotherapy
What are the complications of Klinefelter syndrome?
- Infertility
- Increased risk of breast cancer/osteoporosis/diabetes/anxiety and depression
What is Turner syndrome and who is affected?
Single X chromosome ONLY IN WOMEN
- 45XO
What are the clinical features of Turner syndrome?
- Short stature
- Webbed neck
- High arching palate
- Downward sloping eyes with ptosis
- Broad chest with widely spaced nipples
- Cubitus valgus
- Overdeveloped ovaries
- Late/incomplete puberty
- Ejection systolic murmur
What is the management of Turner syndrome?
- Growth hormone therapy
- Oestrogen/progesterone
What are the complications of Turner syndrome?
- Infertility
- Associated with recurrent otitis media/UTIs/coarctation of aorta/aortic stenosis/hypothyroidism/HTN/obesity/diabetes/osteoporosis/learning disabilities
What are the most common types of muscular dystrophy and when do they present?
- Duchenne’s = 3-5 years
- Becker’s = 8-12 years
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
- Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy
- Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
- Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
Describe the pathophysiology of Duchenne’s/Becker’s muscular dystrophy
- X linked recessive
- Defective gene for dystrophin (protein that helps to hold muscles together)
- Becker’s = gene less severely affected than Duchenne’s
What are the clinical features of muscular dystrophy?
- Gower’s sign (stand up from lying down using a specific technique)
- Progressive weakness
- Waddling gait
- Language delay
- Pseudohypertrophy of calves
- Slow/clumsy
What is the management for Duchenne’s/Becker’s muscular dystrophy?
- Exercise
- Night splints/passive stretching
- Oral steroids
- Creatinine supplementation
What is the life expectancy of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy?
- 25-35 years
- Usually due to cardiac/respiratory complications (dilated cardiomyopathy)
What are the clinical features of Noonan syndrome?
- Short stature
- Broad forehead
- Downward sloping eyes with ptosis
- Wide space between eyes
- Low set ears
- Webbed neck
- Widely spaced nipples
What are the complications of Noonan syndrome?
Associated with:
- Congenital heart disease (pulmonary stenosis/HCM/ASD)
- Cryptorchidism –> infertility
- Learning disability
- Bleeding disorders
- Lymphoedema
- Increased risk of leukaemia/neuroblastoma
What is Patau syndrome and what are the clinical features?
Trisomy 13
- Structural defects of brain
- Scalp defects
- Small eyes/eye defects
- Cleft lip/palate
What is Prader Will Syndrome?
Genetic condition caused by loss of functional genes of proximal arm of chromosome 15
What are the clinical features of Prader Willi Syndrome?
- Constant insatiable hunger –> obesity
- Hypotonia
- Learning disability
- Soft skin prone to bruising
- Anxiety
- Dysmorphic features
- Narrow forehead
- Almond shaped eyes
- Squint
- Thin upper lip
- Hypogonadism
What is Williams Syndrome?
Genetic condition caused by deletion of genetic material on one copy of chromosome 7
What are the clinical features of Williams Syndrome?
- Elfin facies
- Broad forehead
- Starburst eyes (star-like pattern on iris)
- Flattened nasal bridge
- Long philtrum
- Wide mouth with widely spaced teeth
- Small chin
- Very social trusting personality
- Mild learning disability
What are complications of Williams Syndrome?
Associated with:
- Supravalvular aortic stenosis/pulmonary stenosis
- ADHD
- HTN
- Hypercalcaemia
What are risk factors for developmental dysplasia of hip?
- Fhx
- Breech presentation
- Multiple pregnancy
- Oligohydramnios
What are the clinical features of developmental dysplasia of hip?
- Hip asymmetry
- Reduced range of motion in hip
- Limp/abnormal gait
- Weakness
- Recurrent subluxation/dislocation
- Early degenerative changes
What are the investigations for developmental dysplasia of hip?
- Newborn examination
- Leg length
- Restricted hip abduction on one side
- Difference in knee level when hips flexed
- Ortolani and Barlow tests - clicking
- USS
- XRAY
What is the management for developmental dysplasia of hip?
- Pavlik harness
- Surgery
What is discoid meniscus and who is it most common in?
- Congenital anatomical defect of menisci (2 pads of cartilage in knee joint)
- Usually lateral meniscus affected
- More common in Asian people
What are the clinical features of discoid meniscus?
- Can be asx
- Activity related pain
- Effusions
- Joint line tenderness
- Mechanical sx
- Increased incidence of tears
- Instability in meniscus –> snapping knee
What are the investigations/management for discoid meniscus?
- XRAY
- MRI
- Observation/conservative management
- Surgery if tears/instability
Which types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are more common in children?
- Oligoarticular JIA = more common in girls <6 years
- Enthesitis related arthritis = more common in boys >6 years (can be caused by traumatic stress e.g. repetitive strain during sports)
Briefly describe the main types of JIA
- Systemic JIA
- Polyarticular JIA = 5+ joints, inflammatory - tends to be more symmetrical
- Oligoarticular JIA = 4 or less joints, usually only affects single joint, tends to affect larger joints e.g. knee/ankle
- Enthesitis related arthritis = inflammatory arthritis and enthesitis (inflammation of point where tendon inserts into bone)
- Juvenile psoriatic arthritis
What are the clinical features of JIA?
- Joint pain
- Swelling
- Stiffness
What are the clinical features of systemic JIA?
- Subtle pink rash
- High swinging fevers
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Weight loss
- Joint inflammation/pain
- Splenomegaly
- Muscle pain
- Pleuritis/pericarditis
What are the clinical features of polyarticular JIA?
- Mild fever
- Anaemia
- Reduced growth
What are the clinical features of oligoarticular JIA?
- Anterior uveitis
What are the clinical features of enthesitis related arthritis?
- Signs of psoriasis/IBD
- Anterior uveitis
- Tender to localised palpation of entheses
What are the clinical features of juvenile psoriatic arthritis?
- Associated with psoriasis
- Plaques of psoriasis
- Nail pitting
- Onycholysis
- Dactylitis
- Enthesitis
What criteria is required for a diagnosis of JIA?
- Arthritis without any other cause
- Lasts >6 weeks
- Patient <16 years
What are the investigations for systemic JIA?
- ANA = -ve
- RF = -ve
- Raised CRP/ESR/platelets/serum ferritin
What are the investigations for polyarticular JIA and juvenile psoriatic arthritis?
RF = -ve
What are the investigations for oligoarticular JIA?
- ANA = +ve
- RF = -ve
- Inflammatory markers normal/mildly elevated
What are the investigations for enthesitis related arthritis?
- MRI
- Majority have HLA-B27 gene
What is the management for JIA?
- NSAIDs
- Oral/IM/intra-articular steroids
- DMARDs (methotrexate/sulfasalazine/leflunomide)
- Biological therapy (etanercept/infliximab/adalimumab - TNF inhibitors)
What is Osgood-Schlatter Disease and who is it most common in?
- Inflammation at tibial tuberosity where patellar ligament inserts
- Common cause of anterior knee pain in adolescents
- Typically occurs in males aged 10-15
What are the clinical features of Osgood-Schlatter Disease?
- Visible/palpable lump below knee (initially tender due to inflammation but becomes hard/non-tender)
- Gradual onset of sx
- Pain in anterior aspect of knee
- Pain exacerbated by physical activity/kneeling/extension of knee
What is the management of Osgood-Schlatter Disease?
- Sx usually resolve over time
- Reduction in physical activity
- Ice
- NSAIDs
- Stretching/physiotherapy
What is osteogenesis imperfecta?
Autosomal dominant genetic condition resulting in brittle bones that are prone to fractures
What are the clinical features of osteogenesis imperfecta?
- Recurrent/inappropriate fractures
- Joint/bone pain
- Blue/grey sclera
- Hypermobility
- Triangular face
- Deafness
- Dental problems
- Bone deformities e.g. bowed legs/scoliosis
What are the investigations/management of osteogenesis imperfecta?
- XRAY
- Genetic testing
- Bisphosphonates
- Vit D supplementation
- Physiotherapy/occupational therapy
- Management of fractures
What is osteomyelitis, what is the most common cause and who is it most common in?
- Infection in bone and bone marrow
- Staph aureus
- More common in males <10 years/open bone fractures/orthopaedic surgery/immunocompromised/sickle cell anaemia/HIV/TB
What are the clinical features of osteomyelitis?
- Systemic sx
- Refusal to use limb/weight bear
- Pain
- Swelling
- Tenderness
What are the investigations for osteomyelitis?
- XRAY
- MRI (gold standard)
- Bone scan
- Bloods (CRP/ESR/WCC)
- Blood cultures
- BM aspiration
What is the management/complications of osteomyelitis?
- Abx therapy
- Surgery - drainage/debridement of infected bone
- Complication = septic arthritis
What is Perthes Disease and who is it most common in?
- Disruption of blood flow to the femoral head causing avascular necrosis of the bone
- Usually idiopathic
- Most common in boys aged 5-8 years
What are the clinical features of Perthes Disease?
- Slow onset of pain in hip/groin
- Limp
- Restricted hip movements
- Referred pain to knee
- No history of trauma
- Hyperactivity and short stature
What are the investigations/management for Perthes Disease?
- XRAY/bloods/MRI/technetium bone scan
- Conservative management (bed rest/traction/crutches/analgesia/physiotherapy)
- Surgery
What is rickets?
Condition in which there is defective bone mineralisation causing soft and deformed bones
What are the causes and risk factors for rickets?
- Vit D/calcium deficiency
- Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets
- RF = darker skin/low exposure to sunlight/colder climates/lack of time spent outdoors/malabsorption disorders
What are the clinical features of rickets?
- Lethargy
- Bone pain
- Poor growth
- Dental problems
- Muscle weakness
- Bone deformities (bowed legs/knock knees/rachitis rosary/craniotabes/delayed teeth)
What are the investigations for rickets?
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
- XRAY
- Low serum calcium/phosphate
- High serum ALP/PTH
- Bloods (FBC/ESR/CRP/LFTs/TFTs)
- Malabsorption screen
What is the management for rickets?
- Prevention (400IU supplements)
- Ergocalciferol
- Vitamin D/calcium supplementation
What is scoliosis and what are the clinical features?
Lateral curvature of spine
- One shoulder higher than other
- One shoulder blade more prominent than other
- One hip more prominent than other (uneven waistline)
- Changed position of spine/chest/pelvis
What are the investigations/management/complications of scoliosis?
- Visible curvature/XRAY/MRI
- Observation/bracing/surgery
- Lung/heart problems
What are common causes of septic arthritis and who is it most common in?
- Staph aureus
- N. gonorrhoea/group A strep/haemophilus influenzae/e. coli
- Most common in children <4 years
What are the clinical features of septic arthritis?
- Usually one joint affected (knee/hip)
- Rapid onset
- Hot/red/swollen/painful joint
- Refusal to weight bear
- Stiffness/reduced ROM
- Systemic sx (fever/lethargy/sepsis)
What are the investigations/management of septic arthritis?
- Joint aspiration sent for gram staining/crystal microscopy/culture/abx sensitivities
- Aspirate joint + empiric IV abx + specific abx
- Surgical drainage and washout
What is slipped femoral epiphysis and who is it most common in?
- Head of femur displaced along growth place
- More common in males/obese children/ages 8-15 years
What are the clinical features of slipped femoral epiphysis?
- Adolescent, obese male undergoing a growth spurt
- History of minor trauma which may trigger onset of sx
- Hip/groin/thigh/knee pain
- Restricted hip ROM/movement
- Painful limp
What are the investigations/management of slipped femoral epiphysis?
- XRAY/bloods/CT/MRI/technetium bone scan
- Surgery to return femoral head to correct position and fix in place
What is torticollis?
Persistent tilting of the head to one side
What are the causes of congenital torticollis?
Associated with birth trauma/antenatal complications
- Congenital muscular torticollis (caused by shortening and fibrosis of sternocleidomastoid)
- Cervical spine malformations
- Chiari malformations
- Spina bifida
What are the causes of acquired torticollis?
Typically occurs after 4-6 months
- Usually results from SCM/trapezius muscle injury/inflammation
- Retropharyngeal abscess
- C-spine injury
- CNS tumour
- Spinal epidural haematoma
What are the clinical features of torticollis?
- Chin pointing towards opposite side/ear and head tilted to affected shoulder
Red flag symptoms: - Neck stiffness
- Fever/drooling/vomiting
- Pain increasing/unremitting/disturbing sleep
- Recent trauma
- Repeated hospital attendances with persistence of sx
- Gait disturbance
- History of headaches/change in behaviour
What are the investigations/management of torticollis?
- XRAY/CT/MRI/USS neck
- Physiotherapy/analgesia/treat underlying cause
Why might resuscitation be necessary in neonates?
- Large SA:weight ratio –> get cold easily
- Babies are born wet –> lose heat rapidly
- If born through meconium, may have it in mouth/airway
What are the steps to resuscitation of babies?
- Warm baby
- Calculate APGAR score
- Stimulate breathing
- Inflation breaths
- Chest compressions
- Severe situations
- Delayed umbilical cord clamping
How are babies warmed in neonatal resuscitation?
- Vigorous drying
- Warm delivery room/heat lamp
- Placed in plastic bag
What is an APGAR score?
Used as an indicator of neonatal resuscitation progression - scored 0-2
- Appearance (skin colour)
- Pulse
- Grimmace (response to stimulation)
- Activity (muscle tone)
- Respiration
How is breathing stimulated in neonatal resuscitation?
- Dry vigorously
- Place head in neutral position to keep airway open
- Check for airway obstruction - consider aspiration
How are chest compressions and inflation breaths given in neonatal resuscitation?
- 2 cycle of 5 inflation breaths lasting 3 seconds each
- Chest compression with ventilation breaths if no response - 3:1 ratio
What severe situations may be required in neonatal resuscitation?
- IV drugs
- Intubation
- Therapeutic hypothermia with active cooling
What is the significance of delayed umbilical cord clamping in neonatal resuscitation?
- Blood in placenta after birth
- Delayed clamping allows time for blood to enter neonate’s circulation (placental transfusion)
What are the effects of delayed umbilical cord clamping?
- Improve Hb
- Improved iron
- Improved BP
- Reduced intraventricular haemorrhage risk
- reduced necrotising enterocolitis risk
- Increased neonatal jaundice
What are the main complications of slow neonatal resuscitation?
- Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Cerebral palsy
Who does respiratory distress syndrome typically occur in?
Premature neonates (usually <32 weeks) due to insufficient surfactant
What is the investigation and management for respiratory distress syndrome?
- CXR (ground glass appearance)
- Dexamethasone given to mothers (increases surfactant production)
- Endotracheal surfactant
- CPAP
- Intubation/ventilation/oxygen
What are the complications of respiratory distress syndrome?
Short term:
- Pneumothorax
- Infection
- Apnoea
Long term:
- Chronic lung disease of prematurity
- Retinopathy of prematurity
- Neurological/hearing/visual impairment
What is bronchopulmonary dysplasia?
Lung damage due to pressure and volume trauma of artificial ventilation, O2 toxicity and infection
What is the investigation and management for bronchopulmonary dysplasia?
- CXR (widespread areas of opacification +/- lung collapse)
- CPAP
- O2
- Corticosteroids
What are the risk factors for meconium aspiration?
- > 42 weeks
- Foetal distress
- Thick meconium
- Maternal HTN/diabetes/pre-eclampsia/smoking/etc.
What are the clinical features of meconium aspiration?
- Tachypnoea
- Tachycardia
- Cyanosis
- Grunting
- Nasal flaring
- Recession (intercostal/supraclavicular/tracheal tug)
- Hypotension
What are the investigations for meconium aspiration?
- CXR (increased lung volumes/asymmetrical patchy pulmonary opacities/pleural effusions/pneumothorax/etc.)
- Infection markers (FBC/CRP/blood cultures)
- ABG
- Oximetry
- Echo
- Cranial USS
What is the management for meconium aspiration?
- Observation
- Routine care (warm/O2 monitoring/bloods/fluids)
- Ventilation/O2 therapy
- Abx
- Surfactant
- Inhaled nitric oxide
- Corticosteroids
What are the causes of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
- Maternal shock
- Intrapartum haemorrhage
- Prolapsed cord
- Nuchal cord
How is hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy graded?
Mild = poor feeding/general irritability/hyper-alert/resolves within 24 hours
Moderate = poor feeding/lethargic/hypotonic/seizures/takes weeks to resolve
Severe = reduced consciousness/apnoeas/flaccid/reduced/absent reflexes
What is the management for hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
- Supportive care (resuscitation/ventilation/circulatory support/nutrition/acid base balance/treat seizures)
- SEVERE = therapeutic hypothermia
What is the main complication of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy?
Cerebral palsy
What are the TORCH infections?
- Toxoplasmosis
- Other (syphilis/varicella/mumps/parvovirus/HIV)
- Rubella
- CMV
- HSV
What are the clinical features of a neonatal toxoplasmosis infection?
- Intracranial calcification
- Hydrocephalus
- Chorioretinitis
What are the clinical features of a neonatal varicella infection?
- Foetal growth restriction
- Microcephaly/hydrocephalus/learning disability
- Scars/significant skin changes
- Limb hypoplasia
- Cataracts/chorioretinitis
What are the clinical features of a neonatal rubella infection?
- Congenital cataracts
- Congenital heart disease (PDA/pulmonary stenosis)
- Learning disability
- Hearing loss
What are the clinical features of a neonatal CMV infection?
- Foetal growth restriction
- Microcephaly
- Hearing/vision loss
- Learning disability/seizures
How can varicella/rubella infections be prevented in neonates?
- Vaccines before or after pregnancy
- Varicella - oral aciclovir for mother if present within 24 hours and >20 weeks gestation
Who is jaundice more common in?
- Normal after birth (no access to placenta –> normal rise in bilirubin)
- More common in breastfed babies
What are some causes of jaundice due to increased bilirubin production?
- Haemolytic disease of newborn
- ABO incompatibility
- Haemorrhage
- Sepsis/DIC
- Polycythaemia
- G6PD deficiency
What are some causes of jaundice due to decreased bilirubin clearance?
- Prematurity
- Breast milk jaundice (components of breast milk inhibit liver’s ability to process bilirubin)
- Neonatal cholestasis
- Extrahepatic biliary atresia
What are the clinical features of jaundice and when does it become prolonged?
- Mild yellowing of skin and sclera
- Prolonged if lasts >14 days in full term babies or >21 days in premature babies
What are the investigations for jaundice?
- If presents in first 24 hours of life = urgent investigation/management required (indicates sepsis)
- FBC/blood film
- Conjugated bilirubin
- Blood type testing
- Direct coombs tets
- TFTs
- Blood/urine cultures
- G6PD levels
What is the management for jaundice?
- Phototherapy (blue light - converts unconjugated bilirubin into isomers that can be excreted in bile/urine without conjugation)
- Exchange transfusion
What is the main complication of jaundice?
Kernicterus - brain damage due to high bilirubin levels (bilirubin can cross blood-brain barrier)
What are the clinical features and complications of Kernicterus?
- Floppy, drowsy baby with poor feeding
- Cerebral palsy
- Learning disability
- Deafness
When does necrotising enterocolitis commonly present and how common is it?
- Commonly presents in first 2 weeks of life
- Most common surgical emergency in neonates
What are the risk factors for necrotising enterocolitis?
- Low birth weight/premature
- Formula feeding
- Respiratory distress/assisted ventilation
- Sepsis
- Patent ductus arteriosus
What are the clinical features of necrotising enterocolitis?
- Intolerance to feeds
- Vomiting (particularly with green bile)
- Generally unwell
- Distended/tender abdomen
- Absent bowel sounds
- Blood in stool
What are the investigations for necrotising enterocolitis?
- Bloods (FBC/CRP/blood gas/culture)
- AXR (dilated bowel loos/bowel wall oedema/pneumatosis intestinalis (gas in bowel wall)/pneumoperitoneum (indicates perforation - Rigler’s sign (both sides of bowel visible)))
- USS (air in portal system/ascites/perforation)
What is the management for necrotising enterocolitis?
- NBM + IV fluids + TPN + Abx (cefotaxime)
- Bowel decompression (NG tube inserted to drain fluid/gas from GI tract)
- Surgery (remove necrotic tissue)
What are the complications of necrotising enterocolitis?
- Perforation/peritonitis
- Sepsis
- Death
What is gastroschisis?
Abdominal organs protrude outside abdomen without protective membrane
What are the risk factors for gastroschisis?
- Younger mothers (<20 years)
- Maternal smoking
- Environmental exposure (e.g. nitrosamines)
- Maternal cyclooxygenase inhibitors use (e.g. aspirin/ibuprofen)
What are the clinical features of gastroschisis?
- Abdominal organs herniated outside of abdominal cavity (often to the right of the umbilical cord) and no membrane covering contents
- Swollen/inflamed/thickened/short intestines
- Thick fibrous peel seen over contents (secondary to inflammation from amniotic fluid exposure)
- Small abdominal cavity
- Associated with intestinal malrotation/intestinal atresia
- Malabsorption/hypomotility
What are the investigations for gastroschisis?
- Prenatal USS (echogenic and dilated bowel loops freely floating in amniotic cavity)
- Alpha-fetoprotein (typically elevated)
What is the management for gastroschisis?
- Sterile/clear covering over contents
- Surgery (immediate)
What is exomphalos/omphalocele and how is it managed?
- Abdominal defect in which abdominal contents protrude through abdominal wall but are covered by an amniotic sac
- Staged repair with completion at 6-12 months
What is oesophageal atresia?
Birth defect in which the upper part of the oesophagus does not connect with the lower oesophagus/stomach
What are the risk factors for oesophageal atresia?
- Polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid in pregnancy)
- Developmental problems regarding kidneys/heart/spine
- Often happens alongside tracheo-oesophageal fistula
What are the clinical features of oesophageal atresia?
- Coughing
- Choking
- Turning blue
- Inability to feed
What are the investigations for oesophageal atresia?
- Antenatal USS (excess amniotic fluid)
- Attempt to pass NG tube
- XRAY
What is the management for oesophageal atresia?
- Surgery
- IV TPN + NG tube
What are risk factors for bowel atresia?
- Twin/multiple birth
- Premature/low birth weight
What are the clinical features for bowel atresia?
- Appear well at birth
- Vomiting when feeding
- Soft, distended abdomen
- Jaundice
- May not pass meconium/small amount
What are the investigations and management for bowel atresia?
- Antenatal USS (polyhydramnios)
- XRAY +/- contrast scan/enema (blockage)
- Surgery
- IV TPN + NG tube
What are clinical features of hypoglycaemia?
- Shaking/sweating
- Irritability
- Pale
- Sudden behaviour changes
- Clumsy/jerky movements
What is the management for hypoglycaemia in neonates?
- If asymptomatic, encourage normal feeding and monitor glucose
- If symptomatic or very low, admit to neonatal unit and give IV infusion of 10% dextrose
Who is hypoglycaemia most common in?
- Newborns
- Usually temporary
What are risk factors for Group B Strep infection?
- Premature
- Previous baby with GBS infection
- Fever during labour
- Positive GBS urine/swab test during pregnancy
- Waters broken >24 hours before birth
What are the clinical features of Group B Strep infection?
- Noisy breathing
- Sleepy/unresponsive
- Inconsolable crying
- Being unusually floppy
- Poor feeding
- High/low temperature
- Changes in skin colour
What is the management for Group B Strep infection?
- IV abx in labour
- IV abx
Describe listeria infection
- Bacterial infection much more common in pregnancy
- Typically transmitted by unpasteurised dairy products/processed meats/contaminated foods
- Usually asx or flu-like symptoms
- Pregnant women advised to avoid high risk foods e.g. blue cheese
- Complications = pneumonia/meningoencephalitis/miscarriage/foetal death/neonatal infection
What are the causes of HSV encephalitis?
- HSV-1 (from cold sores) = more common in children
- HSV-2 (from genital herpes) = more common in neonates
What are the clinical features of HSV encephalitis?
- Altered consciousness
- Acute onset of focal neurological sx
- Acute onset of focal seizures
- Fever
What are the investigations and management for HSV encephalitis?
- LP and CSF sent for viral PCR testing
- CT/MRI
- EEG
- Swabs to determine causative organism
- HIV testing
- Management = IV aciclovir
What is cleft lip/palate?
Cleft lip - a split/open section of the upper lip
Cleft palate - defect in the hard/soft palate at the roof of the mouth, leaving an opening between the mouth and nasal cavity
What is the management for cleft lip/palate?
- Ensure baby can eat/drink (specifically shaped bottles/teats)
- Surgery
What are the causes of microcytic anaemia?
TAILS:
- Thalassaemia
- Anaemia of chronic disease
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Lead poisoning
- Sideroblastic anaemia
What are the causes of normocytic anaemia?
AAAHH:
- Acute blood loss
- Anaemia of chronic disease
- Aplastic anaemia
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Hypothyroidism
What are the causes of megaloblastic macrocytic anaemia?
B12/folate deficiency
What are the causes of normoblastic macrocytic anaemia?
- Alcohol
- Reticulocytosis
- Hypothyroidism
- Liver disease
- Drugs e.g. azathioprine
What are common causes of anaemia in infants?
- Physiologic anaemia of infancy
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Anaemia of prematurity
- Haemolysis (haemolytic disease of newborn)
What are the investigations and management for anaemia?
- Blood film
- MCV
- Hb
- Treat cause
What is thalassaemia?
Genetic defect in protein chains that make up Hb (autosomal recessive)
- Alpha thalassaemia = defects in alpha globin chains (gene on chromosome 16)
- Beta thalassaemia - defects in beta globin chains (gene on chromosome 11 - minor/intermedia/major)
What are the clinical features of thalassaemia?
- Fatigue
- Pallor
- Jaundice
- Gallstones
- Bone deformities/poor growth
- Splenomegaly
- Pronounced forehead/malar eminences
What are the investigations for thalassaemia?
- FBC
- Hb electrophoresis
- DNA testing
- Pregnancy screening test
What is the management for thalassaemia?
- Monitor FBC
- Monitor for complications
- Blood transfusions
- Splenectomy
- BM transplant
What is a complication of thalassaemia?
Iron overload
What is haemolytic disease of newborn?
Blood disorder in which a mother and baby’s blood types are incompatible (rhesus D negative)
What are the clinical features of haemolytic disease of newborn?
- Jaundice
- Severe anaemia
- Compensatory splenomegaly/hepatomegaly
What is the investigation and management for haemolytic disease of newborn?
- Direct Coombs test (DCT)
- Prevention of sensitisation with Rh immune globulin
- Intrauterine transfusion
Who is sickle cell anaemia more common in?
Patients from areas traditionally affected by malaria - Africa/India/Middle East/Caribbean
Describe the genetics of sickle cell anaemia
Autosomal recessive - affects gene for beta globin on chromosome 11
- Sickle cell trait = one copy (usually asx)
- Sickle cell disease - two copies
What are the investigations for sickle cell anaemia?
- Newborn blood spot screening (at around 5 days old)
- High risk pregnant women offered testing
What is the management for sickle cell anaemia?
- Vaccinations
- Abx prophylaxis (phenoxymethylpenicillin)
- Hydroxycarbamide (stimulates HbF)
- Crizanlizumab (monoclonal antibody that targets P-selectin to stop RBCs from sticking to blood vessel wall)
What is the main complication of sickle cell anaemia?
Sickle cell crisis:
- Vaso-occlusive crisis (RBCs clog capillaries –> distal ischaemia)
- Splenic sequestration crisis (RBCs block flow within spleen)
- Aplastic crisis (temporary absence of creation of new RBCs)
- Acute chest syndrome (vessels supplying lungs become clogged with RBCs)
What is Fanconi anaemia?
- Rare genetic disease characterised by bone marrow failure syndromes
- Mutations in FA genes (23 different FA genes)
- BM failure –> aplastic anaemia
What are the clinical features for Fanconi anaemia?
- Failure to thrive/growth deficiency
- Skeletal anomalies (no thumb/radius bone)
- Abnormal skin pigmentation (cafe au lait spots)
- Structural anomalies of kidneys/heart/GI tract/urinary tract/genitals/etc.
- Small head/eyes
- Unexplained fatigue
- Frequent infections
- Frequent nosebleeds
- Easy bruising
- Blood in stool/urine
What are the investigations and management for Fanconi anaemia?
- Bloods/BM testing
- Blood/platelet transfusions
- WCC support with growth factor (G-CSF = granulocyte colony stimulating factor)
- Androgen
- BM transplant = definitive treatment
What are the complications of Fanconi anaemia?
Higher risk of:
- Myelodysplastic syndrome
- Leukaemia
- Tumours
Who is haemophilia most common in?
Haemophilia A = factor VIII deficiency (more common)
Haemophilia B = factor IX deficiency
- Mainly affects men (X linked recessive)
What are the clinical features of haemophilia?
- Haematoma
- Hemarthrosis
- Frequent spontaneous bleeding into muscles/joints
- Bleeding following injury/spontaneous bleeding
- Easy bruising
- Haematuria
- Epistaxis
What are the investigations for haemophilia?
- PTT (normal - not in extrinsic pathway)
- vWF (normal)
- APTT (prolonged - intrinsic pathway)
- Reduced plasma factor VIII/IX
What is the management for haemophilia?
- IV factor VIII/IX
- Fresh frozen plasma
- Desmopressin (boosts activity)
- Hep A/B vaccinations
- Exercise/avoid contact sports/avoid aspirin
What is a complication of haemophilia?
Joint deformities and arthritis from recurrent bleeding into joints
Who is Von Willebrand Disease more common in?
- Most common hereditary coagulopathy
- More common in females
- Poorer prognosis in blood type O
What are the clinical features of Von Willebrand Disease?
- Epistaxis
- Menorrhagia
- Spontaneous bleeding
What are the investigations for Von Willebrand Disease?
- FBC
- Fibrinogen
- Platelet count (normal)
- Clotting screen
- Plasma vWF (decreased)
- Factor VIII levels (may be decreased)
What is the management for Von Willebrand Disease?
- Stop any antiplatelet drugs/NSAIDs
- Tranexamic acid
- COC
- Desmopressin
- Platelet transfusions
- Family screening
What are the clinical features of anaemia?
- Tiredness
- SOB
- Headaches/dizziness/palpitations
- Pale skin/conjunctival pallor
- Tachyardia/rasied RR
What are causes of iron deficiency anaemia?
- Dietary insufficiency
- Loss of iron e.g. menorrhagia
- Inadequate absorption e.g. IBD
- PPIs (stomach acid keeps it in soluble ferrous form)
What are the clinical features of iron deficiency anaemia?
- Pica
- Hair loss
- Koilonychia
- Angular cheilitis
- Atrophic glossitis
- Brittle hair/nails
What are the investigations for iron deficiency anaemia?
- FBC
- Blood film
- Serum ferritin/iron/total iron binding capacity
What is the management for iron deficiency anaemia?
- Iron supplementation e.g. ferrous fumarate/sulphate (causes constipation/black stool)
- Blood transfusion
What is immune thrombocytopenic purpura?
- Type II hypersensitivity reaction
- Low platelet count causing a non-blanching purpuric rash
What are the investigations of immune thrombocytopenic purpura?
Diagnosis of exclusion:
- Often preceded by viral illness
- Acute onset
- No other concerning features
- Normal examination except bruising/petechiae
- FBC/platelet count/blood film
What is the management for immune thrombocytopenic purpura?
- Treatment rarely required unless bleeding
- Steroids
- IVIG
- TPO-RA (thrombopoietin receptor agonists)
What are the most common birth injuries in neonates?
- Caput succedaneum
- Cephalohematoma
Describe caput succedaneum
- Caused by pressure on scalp during birth
- Results in subcutaneous extraperiosteal collection of fluid
- Presents as oedematous swelling/bruising over scalp that crosses suture lines
- Usually reduces over a few days
Describe cephalohematomas
- Occurs after spontaneous vaginal delivery/following trauma from forceps/ventouse
- Causes haemorrhage between skull and periosteum
- Presents as swelling of scalp that doesn’t cross suture lines
- Reduces over a few weeks/months
Which intracranial haemorrhage is most common in neonates?
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Intraventricular haemorrhages more common in pre-term infants
What is the most common cause of a subdural haemorrhage in neonates?
Use of forceps
What are the clinical features of intracranial haemorrhages in neonates?
- No obvious head trauma/swelling
- Irritability/convulsions over first 2 days of life
At what ages are vaccinations given?
- 8 weeks
- 12 weeks
- 16 weeks
- 1 year
- 2-15 years
- 3 years 4 months
- 12-13 years
- 14 years
What vaccinations are given at 8 weeks?
- 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB)
- Rotavirus
- MenB
What vaccinations are given at 12 weeks?
- 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB)
- Pneumococcal
- Rotavirus
What vaccinations are given at 16 weeks?
- 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB)
- MenB
What vaccinations are given at 1 year?
- Hib/MenC
- MMR
- Pneumococcal
- MenB
What vaccinations are given at 2-15 years?
Flu vaccine
What vaccinations are given at 3 years 4 months?
- MMR
- 4-in-1 pre-school booster (DTaP/IPV)
What vaccinations are given at 12-13 years?
HPV
What vaccinations are given at 14 years?
- 3-in-1 teenage booster (Td/IPV)
- MenACWY
Describe paediatric IV fluid prescribing
- Usually 0.9% sodium chloride + 5% glucose
- 1000ml/kg for first 10kg
- 500ml/kg for next 10kg
- 20ml/kg for next 1kg