Paediatrics Flashcards
What is the first step of treatment in a child >5 with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma?
Very low dose ICS with short acting B2 agonist PRN
What is the first add on therapy for children >5 with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma?
Inhaled LABA
What is the 4th step of treatment in a child >5 with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma?
Increase ICS to medium dose and addition of SR theophylline
What is the first step of treatment in a child <5 with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma?
LTRA with short acting B2 agonist PRN
What are the characteristics of an acute severe asthma attack?
- SpO2 <92%
- PEF 33-50% of best or predicted
- Can’t complete sentences in one breath or too breathless to talk or feed
- Tachycardic
- Respiratory rate >30bpm (>5 years) or >40 (1-5 years)
What are the characteristics of a life-threatening asthma attack?
- SpO2 <92%
- PER <33% of predicted
- Silent chest
- Cyanosis
- Poor respiratory effort
- Hypotension
- Exhaustion
- Confusion
In bronchiolitis what is the common age group and causative organism?
- <2 years
* RSV
What are the symptoms of Bronchiolitis?
- Coryzal symptoms
- Dry cough
- Difficulty feeding
- Increasing breathlessness
What are the signs of Bronchiolitis?
- Tachypnoea
- Tachycardia
- Hyperinflation of the chest
- Fine end inspiratory crackles
- Wheeze
What is the management of Bronchioloitis?
• Supportive
o Humidified oxygen via nasal cannula
o No evidence for steroids, abx or bronchodilators
• If severe full ventilatory support may be required
What is the commonest causative organism of Croup?
Parainfluenza virus
What are the signs and symptoms of Croup?
Symptoms:
- Barking Cough
- Fever
- Hoarsness
- Coryza
Signs:
- Stridor
- Chest recession
What is the management of Croup?
- Supportive
- Give Oral Dexamethasone or Prednisolone
- If severe give nebulised adrenaline and oxygen by facemask
Colonisation by which organisms are common in CF?
Pseudomonas Auroginsoa and Burkholderia species
In neonates which group of organisms commonly cause pneumonia?
GBS and gram negative enterococci
In children over 5 years which group or organisms commonly cause pneumonia?
Mycoplasma pneumonia, streptoccocus pneumoniae and chlamydia pneumoniae
What signs would you see in a child with pneumonia?
- Tachypnoea
- Nasal flaring
- Chest indrawing
- End inspiratory coarse crackles
- Decreased O2 sats
- Dullness on percussion
Which antibiotics would you give in pneumonia for the following age groups:
Newborns?
>5 years?
Newborns: Gentamicin or broad spectrum cover
>5 years: Amoxicillin or oral macrolide, if more complicated give co-amoxiclav
What is respiratory distress syndrome? What are the risk factors?
Disease in neonates caused by a deficiency of surfactant
- Common in <28 week prematurity
- Boys > girls
What are the clinical features of respiratory distress syndrome?
Within 4 hours of birth:
o Tachypnoea >60 bpm
o Laboured breathing with chest wall recessions and nasal flaring
o Expiratory grunting to create positive airway pressure
o Cyanosis if severe
o Ground glass appearance on CXR
What is chronic lung disease of the newborn/bronchopulmonary dysplasia?
Infants who still require oxygen after 36 weeks of age
What are the complications of meconium aspiration?
o Mechanical obstruction
o Chemical pneumonitis
o Predisposition to infection
o The lung will often be overinflated with consolidation and can result in pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum
What are the diagnostic criteria for Neurofibromatosis type 1?
Two or more of the following:
- Six or more café au lait spots >5mm in size before or 15mm in size after puberty
- More than one neurofibroma, an unsightly firm nodular overgrowth of any nerve
- Axillary freckles
- Optic glioma
- One lisch nodule
- Bony lesions from sphenoid dysplasia
- A first degree relative with NF1
What are the cutaneous and neurological features of tuberous sclerosis?
Cutaneous:
- Depigmented ash leaf shaped patches which fluoresce under UV light
- Roughened patches of skin usually over lumbar spine
- Adenoma sebaceum in a butterfly distribution over he bridge of the nose and cheeks
Neurological:
- Infantile spasms and developmental delay
- Epilepsy that is often focal
- Intellectual impairment
What are the causes of non communicating hydrocephalus?
Congenital Malformation
- Aqueduct stenosis
- Atresia of the outflow foramina of the fourth ventricle
- Chiari malformation
Posterior fossa neoplasm or vascular malformation
Intraventricular haemorrhage in preterm infant
What are the causes of communicating hydrocephalus?
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Meningitis
What are the signs and symptoms of hydrocephalus in an older child?
Signs of raised ICP:
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Altered level of consciousness
- Back pain
- Papilloedema
- Low heart rate
What is the treatment of hydrocephalus?
Insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt or endoscopic creation of a ventriculostomy
What is the common cause and clinical characteristics of an extradural haematoma?
Cause: Trauma
Clinical Characteristics: Lucid interval followed by deteriorating consciousness level with seizures, focal neurological signs, dilation of the ipsilateral pupil, paresis of contralateral limbs and false localising uni or bilateral VIth nerve palsy
What is the characteristic cause of subdural haematoma in children?
Non accidental injury caused by shaking or direct trauma
What is the inheritance pattern of Duchenne muscular dystrophy?
X linked recessive
What are the clinical features of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
What is the average age of diagnosis and life expectancy
- Average age of diagnosis: 5.5 years
- Presentation: waddling gait, language delay, climbing stairs 1 by 1 and slow run
- Loss of ambulation around age 10-14
- Respiratory failure or cardiomyopathy is usually the cause of death
- Life expectancy: late 20s
How does Beckers muscular dystrophy differ from Duchenne?
Some functional dystrophin is produced
Age of diagnosis is 11, loss of ambulation during late 20s and life expectancy is late 40s to normal.
What are the red flag headache symptoms?
Worse lying down or with coughing and straining
Wakes up the child (different from headache on awakening)
Associated confusion and/or persistent nausea and vomiting
Recent change in personality, behaviour or educational performance
What are the features of a migraine without aura?
- May last 1-72 hours
- Commonly bilateral
- Pulsatile over the temporal or frontal area
- Accompanied by GI disturbance such as nausea,
vomiting and abdominal pain - Photophobia and phonophobia common
What are febrile seizures and what age range do they occur in?
6months-5 years
Brief usually tonic clonic seizure accompanied by fever not caused by meningitis or encephalitis
What are the different types of generalised epileptic seizure?
Absence – Transient loss of consciousness with abrupt onset and termination
Myoclonic – Brief, often repetitive, jerking movements of the limbs, neck or trunk
Tonic – Generalised increase in tone
Tonic-clonic – Rhythmical contraction of muscle groups following the tonic phase. Followed by unconsciousness or deep sleep for up to several hours
Atonic – loss of muscle tone
What are the different types of focal epileptic seizure?
Frontal Seizures – motor phenomenon
Temporal lobe seizures – auditory or sensory (smell or taste) phenomena
Occipital – positive or negative visual phenomena
Parietal lobe seizures – contralateral altered sensation
How do you diagnose epilepsy in children?
Primarily based on detailed history ideally supported by video of the seizure
Focus should be given to particular triggers and any impairments the child may have
Examination should look for signs of neurocutaneous syndrome or neurological disorder
An EEG is indicated but rarely diagnostic
How do you manage epilepsy in children?
MDT Approach
Anti-epileptic therapies primarily based on the epileptic syndrome
What is an infantile spasm?
An epilepsy syndrome, presenting in infancy with varying aetiology. It usually presents in clusters and is characteristic of West’s Syndrome
What is the commonest type of paediatric brain tumour?
Astrocytoma occurs in 40% of children
What is the commonest type of cerebral palsy and what are the characteristics?
Spastic CP – 90% of cases
Damage to the UMN pathway that results in increased tone and reflexes. Can also result in hemiplegia, quadriplegia or diplegia
What is the characteristic presentation of cerebral palsy?
Abnormal limb or trunk posture and tone with delayed motor milestones
Feeding difficulties
Abnormal gait
Asymmetric hand function before hand-dominance develops
What are the clinical manifestations of mild HIE?
The infant is irritable, responds excessively to stimulation, may have staring of the eyes and hyperventilation and has impaired feeding
What are the clinical manifestations of moderate HIE?
The infant shows marked abnormalities of tone and movement, cannot feed and may have seizures
What are the clinical manifestations of severe HIE?
No normal spontaneous movements or response to pain
Tone in limbs may fluctuate between hypotonia and hypertonia
Seizures are prolonged and often refractory to treatment
Multi-organ failure
What is the management of HIE?
Prompt resuscitation
EEG to monitor for encephalitis or seizures
Anticonvulsants if seizures are present
Management of hypotension and hypoglycamia
Cooling to 33-34 degrees within 6 hours for 72 hours
What are the causes of acute nephritis?
Post infectious (Including streptococcus)
Vasclilitis (HSP, SLE etc.)
IgA nephropathy
Anti-glomerular basement membrane disease
What are the clinical features of stage 4 and 5 CKD?
o Anorexia and lethargy o Polydipsia and polyuria o Faltering growth o Bony deformities o Hypertension o Acute on chronic renal failure o Incidental finding or proteinuria o Unexplained normochromic, normocytic anaemia
What is the most common cause of secondary or onset enuresis?
Emotional upset
What is the triad of haemolytic uraemic syndrome?
Acute renal failure
Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia
Thrombocytopenia
What are the signs and symptoms of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura?
Signs:
Fever
Rash on buttocks and extensor surfaces
Haematuria
Symptoms:
Abdominal pain
Joint pain
How long should a patient with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura be followed up for?
At least 6 months to ensure that there is no deterioration in renal function
What is the pathophysiology of nephrotic syndrome?
Heavy proteinuria leading to a low plasma albumin and oedema
What are the clinical features of nephrotic syndrome?
Periorbital oedema
Scrotal, vulval, leg and ankle oedema
Ascites
Breathlessness due to pleural effusions and abdominal distension
Infection such as periotnitis, septic arthritis, or sepsis due to loss of protective immunoglobulins in the urine
What are the characteristic features of sebhorrhaeic dermatitis?
In children <2 months:
- Erythematous scaly eruption on the scalp
- Scales form a thick yellow adherent layer called cradle cap
What are the spontaneously resolving rashes present in neonates?
- Milia
- Erythema Toxicum
- Mongolian blue spots