Paeds Differential Presentations Flashcards
What is toddler diarrhoea?
- Most frequent cause of chronic diarrhoea in children aged 1-5
- Children DO NOT appear unwell
- Does not affect their ability to thrive
- Usually resolves by school age
- Theories of cause inc fast gut transit time
Conservative management for toddler diarrhoea
Four F’s
* Fat
* Fibre
* No fruit juices
* Fluids
Differentials for toddler diarrhoea
- Infection
- IBD
- Coeliac
- Dietary intolerance
Toddler diarrhoea vs infection
- Infection is acute, TD chronic
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Vomitting
- Other close contacts unwell
- Can have bloody stool
- Stool culture shows organism causing infection
TD vs dietary intolerance
- DI has pattern - associated with specific food triggers
- Abdominal cramps
- Increased flatulence
- Sometimes get skin reactions
- Elimination diets help - try lactose first as most common
TD vs IBD
- IBD abdominal pain
- Blood/mucus in stool
- Both chronic
- Faecal calprotectin for IBD and biopsy needed for diagnosis
- Weight loss/deficiencies?
TD vs Coeliac disease
- Coeliac abdo pain and distension
- N+V sometimes
- Failure to thrive, malnourished so anaemic, short stature, wasted gluteal muscle bulk, easy bruising (vit K)
- Serology needed for Anti-TTG
- OGD with biopsy
GORD in younger children presents with
- Refusing feeds
- Gagging/choking
- Faltering growth
- Recurrent otitis media or sometimes dental erosions
- Typically occurs under 8 weeks
Posseting vs GORD
- Possetting is normal, occurs after big feeds or if jiggled around following feeds
- Just some regurge of milk
- Child will not be distressed - will be distressed with GORD
RF for GORD
- Premature
- Neurological disorders
Conservative management of GORD
- Lie at 30 least at degrees following feeds
- Don’t lie down 30-45 mins after feeds
- Burping- try different positions, try to get 2nd burp
- Feed little and often - avoid large feeds
Medication management of GORD
- Thickening agents eg cornstarch, rice starch, carob bean gum, locust bean gum
- Gaviscon in milk/supplement alongside milk with hotwater
- Metoclopramide
- Children aged 1-2 can do trial of omeprazole/H2 receptor antagonist, if symptoms persist –> specialist
Differentials for GORD
- Psychological - bulimia in older children
- Abdominal migraine
- Mesenteric adenitis
Bulimia vs GORD
- Mood changes
- Critical of weight
- More severe reflux symptoms as acid goes further up oesophagus
- Both will have vomitting/sore throat
Abdominal migraine vs GORD
- In children migraines primarily affect abdomen
- Both have central abdominal pain, N&V
- Migraines can have associated headaches, photophobia, migraine triggers (eg food, stress), episodic pain, aura
What is mesenteric adenitis?
- Inflamed abdominal lymph nodes
- Common in under 16s
- Secondary to viral infection
- Self limiting
Mesenteric adentitis vs GORD
- Associated URTI
- Abdo pain often RIF
- Fever, diarrhoea
- Enlarged lymph nodes on USS
Is wheeze common in children with LRTI?
- YES
- They get inflammation of bronchi = narrowing airways = wheeze
- Endothelium also becomes leaky and increased fluid enters airways = wheezy
- So be cautious diagnosing asthma in children
Management of viral wheeze
- Assess using NICE traffic light sustem and own clinical judgement
- Low risk –> SABA and spacer at home (10 puffs equivalent to nebuliser), short course steroids if asthmatic, safety net and review in 48hrs
- High risk/intermediate –> admit, nebs salbutamolm high flow O2 if needed
Differentials for viral wheeze
- Asthma
- Bacterial respiratory infection
- Inhaled foreign body
Asthma vs viral wheeze
- Triggered by asthma triggers eg cold air, dust etc
- Recurrent and episodic (vs triggered by virus)
- No fever
- Dry cough
- History of atopy
Viral wheeze vs bacterial infection
- Both have wheeze
- Wheeze can persist until infection treated
- Fever common
- Productive cough
- More specific signs on examination eg crackles etc
Foreign body vs viral wheeze
- History of choking/ingesting foreign body
- Dry coughing for weeks - long term sometimes or can be acute
- Easily confused with asthma if long term
- Collateral history important
- Need to go A&E for CXR
What is Osgood Schlatter disease?
- Inflammation at tibial tuberosity - tender here and swollen (just below patella tendon insertion)
- Gradual onset
- Unilateral - can be bilateral
- Relieved by rest
- Made worse kneeling, jumping, running etc
- Typically adolescents who are active
- Most cases resolve by themselves
Treatment Osgood Schlatters
- Rest
- Ice
- OTC medications eg paracetamol and NSAIDs
- Protective knee pads if kneeling
- If not respond to this, consider physio referral/reasses cause with paeds/ortho referral
Differentials for Osgood Schlatters disease
- Injury
- Perthes
- SUFE - slipped upper femoral epiphysis
OS vs injury
- History of trauma
- Variable exam findings eg unable to weight bear
- Sudden onset
OS vs Perthes
- Perthes = referred pain from hip
- Get associated hip pain and restricted movements of hip - gives strained muscle like pain in hip
- Caused by avascular necrosis of femoral head epiphysis - femoral head disintegrates
- Tender to palpate hip too
OS vs SUFE
- Referred pain from hip
- Due to femoral head slipping on femoral epiphysis (growth plate)
- Still have smooth hip joint but shaft has come away from femoral head
- Strained muscle like pain in hip similar to Perthes
Other differentials for OS
- Patellar tendonitis
- Chondromalacia patella
- Osteochondritis dissicans - pain/swelling after exercise, distal femur has poor blood supply, becomes flattened
- Patellar subluxation - patella moves out of indentation on femur, pop back in
- Growing pains
What is threadworm?
- Parasitic infection of worms
- Infect human gut
- Transmission is fecal oral - scratch itchy perianal area, ingest eggs
- Spreads to household contacts too
- Intense perianal itching, worse at night
Diagnosis of threadworms
- Good history
- Visible worms in stool/around perianal area
- Can do scotch tape test and observe under microscope - rarely done tbf
Treatment for threadworms
- Treat patient and whole household once and then 2 weeks later
- Good hygiene measures between - hot wash sheets, towels, bedding clothes etc
- Mebendazole for children over 6 months and adults
- If pregnant, breastfeeding or under 6 months - just hygiene
Threadworms vs candida
- Candida more associated with vulva/genital itching than threadworms
- White, cottage cheese discharge
- More common children with weaker immune system eg HIV, cancer, diabetes or immunosuppressant drugs
- Could have oral thrush too
- Red genital area
What is infantile colic?
- Occurs within first few weeks of life
- Settles by 3-5 months
- Characterised by recurrent crying - worse in afternoons and evenings for prolonged periods of time
- Lift legs up
- Could be caused by bowels not being fully developed - poor peristalsis so trapped gas and faeces
Treatment for colic
- Reassure parents benign
- Offer support - child is at increased risk of maltreatment
- Infacol or Colief drops can be tried
Advice for parents for babies with colic
- Hold/cuddle baby
- Wind baby after feeds
- Bath baby in warm water
- Feed baby as usual
- Gently rock baby
- Try white noise
Complications colic
- Parental stress
- Parental sleep deprivation
- Premature cessation of breastfeeding/weaning
- Increased risk of maltreatment
Differentials for colic
- Reflux
- Intussusception
- Cow’s milk protein allergy
- Pyloric stenosis
Colic vs reflux
- Refluc babies more irritable after feeds
- Spitting up contents of feeds
- Failure to gain weight sometimes in reflux
- Reflux - any time of day, colic in evenings/night
Colic vs intussusception
- Severe abdo pain
- Vomitting
- Change in stool consistency - currant jelly like
- More acute, serious, immediate attention needed
Colic vs CMPA
- GI symptoms
- Skin manifestations
- Resp symptons
- Overall atopy
- Can persist and occur at any age, colic resolves by 5 months
- Improvement seen if stop cows milk
Colic vs pyloric stenosis
- Feeding difficulties
- Projectile vomitting - from stomach filling and inability to empty
- Occurs very early on in life
- Weight loss can occur