Pneumonia in children and infants - Signs, symptoms & causes

This blog has moved to a new website
Nutrition, Health & Wellness

Pneumonia in children and infants

Home > Pneumonia - Signs and symptoms and causes of pneumonia in children and infants

Pneumonia in children and infants is a very debilitating medical condition and is sometimes fatal. The symptoms of pneumonia depend on the causes and the age of the affected child. The common origin of pneumonia in children are lung infections and inflammations caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi.

According to WHO, pneumonia kills an estimated 1.2 million infants and children under the age of five years, accounting for 18% deaths among this age group. It is estimated that one in three newborn infant die due to this disease. Of these deaths 85% occur in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Simple interventions and timely treatment, care and preventive measures can stop loss of life.

Causes of pneumonia in infants and children

1.chest X-ray showing Pneumonia
in the right lung.

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. Often, it begins as an upper respiratory tract infection affecting nose and throat which subsequently affects lower respiratory tract (lungs). The microscopic air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs bring about gas exchange, resulting in exhalation of CO₂ and absorption of oxygen. In lung inflammation/infection primarily alveoli get affected. The inflammation causes alveoli to accumulate fluids and the surface area for gas exchange gets reduced. This results in respiratory distress and connected symptoms.

2.Symptoms of Pneumonia in children

The lung inflammation and infection is usually caused by a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. Bacterial lung infection in children and infants is usually caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (or pneumococcus). Other common pneumonia causing bacteria are Haemophilus influenzae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, Legionella pneumophila and Gram-negative bacilli. In infants and children affected by HIV, the incidence of this disease caused by Pneumocystis jiroveci is high and 25% of pneumonia deaths are due to P.jiroveci.

The viral lung infection in infants is commonly caused by Influenza virus A and B, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),Human parainfluenza viruses, rhinoviruses, human metapneumovirus and human bocavirus.

Fungal pneumonia in children is rarer and is mostly caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, blastomyces, Cryptococcus neoformans, Pneumocystis jiroveci, and Coccidioides immitis.
Parasites in human, which can affect the lungs, like Toxoplasma gondii, Strongyloides stercoralis, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Plasmodium malariae some times lead to fluid accumulation in lungs and pneumonia.

Pneumonia - Symptoms in infants and children

Viral and bacterial infections have similar symptoms and the viral infections are more numerous.
The common symptoms of pneumonia in infants and children include:

• productive cough
• nasal congestion
• fever 
• chills 
• shortness of breath and difficult breathing
• rapid breathing
• increased respiratory rate
• loss and lack of appetite
• decreased activity and lethargy
• wheezing
• sharp or stabbing chest pain during deep breaths
• abdominal pain
• conjunctivitis due to chlamydia in infants

Symptoms of severity of pneumonia include:

• lower chest wall in-drawing during inhalation in children
• skin and nails becoming bluish,
• inability to feed or drink in infants
• decreased thirst
• convulsions
• nausea or persistent vomiting
• Extremes of body temperature (fever or hypothermia)
• decreased level of consciousness.

In children and infants with bacterial infections set in fairly quickly whereas the viral infections set in gradually.
Malnutrition or undernourishment, compromised immune systems and pre-existing illnesses increase susceptibility of infants and children and can cause pneumonia. Environmental factors like air pollution, crowded homes and parental smoking also increase the risks.

Treatment of bacterial lung infection involves administration of antibiotics and patient care. Viral infection may resolve after some time as the patient develops immunity. For severe cases and young infants hospitalization is necessary. According to WHO, vaccinations against Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib), pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia in infants and children.

Related topics in Daily Health News & Tips:
Pneumonia in elderly - causes, symptoms, prognosis and treatment.

Interesting topics in Daily Health News And Tips:

1. tears in newborn.
2. Tear ducts - Blocked tear ducts in newborn - Dacryostenosis.
3. Social anxiety depression - Social anxiety disorder causes.
4. Horseradish roots - Horseradish juice - Health Benefits.
5. Severe hypothyroidism - side effects of hypothyroidism disorder.
6. Chronic sinusitis treatment - balloon sinuplasty.
7. Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) - Health benefits of cloves.
8. Prevent back pain in children from heavy backpacks.
9. Celery juice nutrients - Health benefits.

References:
1.http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs331/en/index.html

Images:
1.Image source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PneumonisWedge09.JPG
Image author: James Heilman, MD
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
2.Image source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Symptoms_of_pneumonia.svg
Image author: Mikael Häggström
License: Public domain

Current topic: Symptoms and causes of pneumonia in children and infants

Back pain from heavy backpacks - Prevent back pain in children

This blog has moved to a new website
Nutrition, Health & Wellness

Back pain from heavy backpacks

Home > Knee pain remedies > Prevent back pain in children - Back pain from heavy backpacks.

Back pain is becoming a common health problem in children and carrying heavy backpacks increases the risk many fold. To prevent the risk of chronic back pain, children must be taught not to get backpacks heavy and also shown the correct way of carrying them. Any persistent back pain complained by children, even without lifting anything heavy, should be evaluated by medical professional, as it could be due to some serious health issue with muscles or vertebrae in the back or internal organs.

Health risks in carrying heavy backpacks

Initially the back pain due to strain of back muscles could be of short duration, which can be resolved with rest and reduced activity. Apart from straining the muscles of the back, neck and shoulder, carrying heavy backpacks prevents proper development of still-forming bones and muscles in children. Carrying heavy weight can put unnatural heavy stress on the young vertebral column and rib cage. Prevent distortion of the natural curve of the middle and lower back as otherwise it can lead to chronic pain and scoliosis.

Illustration of lumbar region
lower back pain

There are conflicting views by the medical community to prevent the possibility of development of back pain in children due to carrying heavy backpacks. Our common sense should prevail and we have to prevent the risk and pain involved in their carrying disproportionate amounts of heavy weight.

What experts say about heavy backpacks.

American Chiropractic Association (ACA), an association of health care professionals concerned to diagnosis treat and prevent of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system, has offered certain tips and advice on the use of heavy backpacks by children at http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=65.

Skaggs DL el al, (of Children's Orthopaedic Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA), in a population-based study of a sample of 1540 school-goers aged 11-14 years, have arrived at certain findings. They found that back pain is associated with use of a heavy backpack and that it is more prevalent in younger children and in girls. Their carrying heavy weights seemed to be directly proportional to the likelihood of back pain.

Paloma Rodríguez-Oviedo et al in their short research report (2011) concluded that carrying heavy backpacks increases the risk of back pain and possibly the risk of back pathology. The prevalence of school children carrying heavy backpacks is extremely high. Educational activities should be implemented in this age group to prevent them from carrying heavy weights.

Tips to prevent back pain in children from heavy backpacks.

• Backpack must not be heavy and the overall weight of the backpacks must not exceed the 10% of the body weight of the children.
• Heavy backpacks make the children to bend forward to support the weight on their back instead of shoulders.
• Weight must be evenly distributed on both the shoulders by proper strapping.
• Multiple dividers help in keeping the books in place prevent abrupt shifts disturbing the balance.
• Placing heavy books closer to the back distributes the weight to shoulders.
• A padded back is more comfortable and prevents poking by notebook edges, pens, pencils and rulers.
• The straps must be adjustable, padded, wide and placed apart to prevent pinching or squeezing of the shoulder or neck region.
• Tight and narrow straps dig into shoulders and neck, pinch nerves and prevent proper blood circulation.
• Both the shoulder straps should be used to prevent disproportionate shift of heavy weight to one side.
• Carrying the bag by hand or using one shoulder strap can lead to posture problems and scoliosis.
• Children must be encouraged to wear waist belt, as it helps in even distribution of weight.
• The correct size of the bag is of importance to prevent stuffing and making it heavy.
• Low hanging backpack makes the user to lean forward shifting the weight to back.
• It should be strapped so that it does not hang more than 3-4 inches below the waistline.

Although roller packs are comfortable, they become a bother while lugging them on stairs and also can become a tripping hazard to other students. Introduction of e-textbooks and educational software may reduce the burden and prevent back pain in children by not requiring to carry heavy backpacks.


'Daily Health News And Tips' topics of interest:
1. Celery nutrients and health benefits.
2. Amla fruit juice nutrients and health benefits.
3. Aspirin prevents cancer.
4. MRI scans - uses, benefits and risks.

'Daily Health News and Tips' current topic:
Prevent back pain in children due to heavy backpacks.

References:
1. American Chiropractic Association (ACA) topic on how to prevent carrying heavy weight by schoolgoers. (http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=65).
2. Skaggs DL, Early SD, D'Ambra P, Tolo VT, Kay RM. Back pain and backpacks in school children. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006 May-Jun;26(3):358-63. PMID:16670549.
3. Paloma Rodríguez-Oviedo1, Alberto Ruano-Ravina2,3, Mónica Pérez-Ríos2, Francisco Blanco García4, Dorotea Gómez-Fernández1, Anselmo Fernández-Alonso1, Isabel Carreira-Núñez1, Pilar García-Pacios1, Javier Turiso5. Short research report. School children's backpacks, back pain and back pathologies. Arch Dis Child doi:10.1136/archdischild-2011-301253.

Daily health tips - Child hazards - Potential hazards at home

This blog has moved to a new website
Nutrition, Health & Wellness

Potential child hazards at home Sleep hygiene > Daily health tips - Child hazards - Potential hazards at home

Take steps to protect your children from potential hazards as no home can be considered 100 percent safe. In young children and babies the sense of fear is still developing and they may not be able to differentiate a potentially hazardous knife from a toy. It is very important not to leave a child alone while engaged in playing or engrossed in other activities at home or outside. Child-proofing your home from potential hazards is a must, especially if your family members include a young child.

WHO reports that nearly 90% of the injuries to children are the result of unintentional or accidental incidents. Every year 830,000 die from hazards (nearly 2300 each day). Many of the lives could have been saved had special care been taken to identify and remove these potential hazards.

Image of group of children
Unity in diversity Crib hazards
A child may try climbing out of the crib and suffer a fall. The crib railing should be of sufficient height to deter him. He may even try piling up the pillows and toys to do it. It will much better to have the crib as sleep space only. Sleeping on stomach on a pillow may suffocate a child.

Choking hazards at home
Most of the choking incidences happen to smaller children due to food choking their airway. Toys, button batteries, balloons, marbles, small balls, caps of bottles, magnets, popcorn, whole grapes, coins, all nuts, household items and food can be potential choking hazards in our homes. When they are eating keep a close watch and ask them to chew the food well and then swallow. They should eat in a sitting position. Very sticky food can potentially choke.

Suffocation and strangulation hazards at home
Suffocation may happens in youngsters in cribs and beds. Pillows are potential suffocation hazards. The outer and inner chords of window blinds may strangle. Cords and ropes are potential hazards and must be out of reach for them.

Drowning hazards at home
Water means fun and play for most of the youngsters. However a small child can drown in a few centimeters of water in a bath-tub or a bucket at home. 1-4 year old are the most vulnerable. Globally 480 youngsters die from drowning every day. Emptying all water containers is one solution. Having the toilet seat securely covered is a way of preventing the potential hazard. If you have a private swimming pool at home having a safety barrier around it will reduce the hazard.

Burns
Children are always curious and may try to touch potential burn and scald hazards like heaters, hot water pipes, vessels and cups containing hot beverages, kerosene stoves, lanterns, open flames, lighted candles and hot electric appliances. Older ones trying to play with fireworks may suffer burns. Playing with lighters, matches and open flames had caused many fire accidents at many homes. Installation of smoke and fire detecting alarm and maintaining it can prevent many potential home fire accidents. Care must be taken to keep all inflammable and electric equipments out of reach of youngsters.

Falls, cuts and injuries at home
Young children try to climb on to chairs, book-cases, tables and other furniture. If the furniture is not secured well it may get toppled easily. Heavy furniture can lose its stability when its doors or drawers are open. Falls are the leading cause of brain injuries in them.
Forearm fractures also are caused in many of them due to falling from a height. Falling down the stairs is another common incidence in homes. Installing secure gates to stairs and installing widow guards can reduce this potential hazard. Potential kitchen hazards like knives, glass items and plastic bags must be kept out of reach of youngsters at home. Cover electrical outlets at home to prevent shocks and burns. Washing machines are also potential safety hazards and youngsters may injure themselves  while the machine is running. Exercise equipment at home like treadmills can be potentially hazardous.

Poisoning
Our homes have potential poison hazards like, medicines in tablet and liquid forms, detergents, disinfectants, insecticides, rodenticides, fuel oil, paraffin oil, bleach, and poisonous plants. We have to keep them out of reach of youngsters under lock. Medications contribute up to one third of the poisoning cases. Install latches on any cabinet or drawer that contain potential hazards.

Hazards with pets
Children are potentially vulnerable to dog attacks as a result of their size. Bites to the head and neck are common in youngsters and as their face is usually close to that of the dog. No matter how lovable are your pets they are animals and can become health hazards as they may spread parasites and infection. It is necessary to keep them clean and free from diseases. Sometimes they may physically injure a youngster. It is very necessary to avoid direct contact with a pet and to supervise closely if your child and pet are together at home.

Topic of interest:
Diesel engine exhaust causes cancer
Current topic:
Potential child hazards at home



References:
International Association for Child Safety, Inc
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
WHO - World report on child injury prevention

Children sleep problems - Children sleep issues

This blog has moved to a new website
Nutrition, Health & Wellness

Children sleep problems Many sleep problems and issues are faced by children and some of them are listed below. The foremost obstacle faced by children is having difficulty and being unable to fall asleep.
Lack of sufficient sleep in the night making them feel dull and distracted in the day. Excess napping in the daytime keeping them awake in the night. Waking up frequently in the night is required to be corrected and the reasons are many. Many children have issues like bedwetting preventing them from sound rest.

Bedwetting is one of the most common pediatric health problems and is most common urological issues. Most bedwetting is usually developmental delay and not a physical illness or emotional disorder. Bedwetting children may suffer psychological injury or emotional stress when they feel ashamed by the condition and lose their self-esteem.

Some children have bruxism activity with symptoms like teeth grinding, jaw clenching, chewing and sucking. The underlying causes for bruxism may be poor bedtime habits, nutritional deficiencies, anxiety and emotional problems. Some youngsters wake up crying and the causes may be emotional stress, physical problems or nightmares.

Sleep walking, talking, night terrors are issues called 'parasomnias' requiring attention. Night terror is different from nightmare and in night terror, the youngster appears awake, cries uncontrollably, appears confused and is unable to communicate. However as the children grow and mature they get over most of these sleep issues and problems.

Sleep and children - How much sleep do children need?

This blog has moved to a new website
Nutrition, Health & Wellness

How much sleep do children need? Good sleep is very important for children to have bubbling happy nature and renewed energy. For children, sleeping well is often the result of having good sleep habits and hygiene, which necessarily the parents are responsible for inculcating in their children.
How much sleep do newborns need?
Newborns usually sleep for 17 to 19 hours a day and wake up every two to three hours for feed. As long as the child is feeding well and gaining weight slight variance in wakeful time does not matter.

How much sleep do infants (3 to 11 months) need?
Infants sleep from 14 to 15 hours a day, sleeping five to six hours in the day and rest of the time in the night.
They may wake up twice or thrice in the night for feed.

How much sleep do toddlers need?
Toddlers sleep between 12 to 14 hours a day, of which two to three hours may be in the daytime.

How much sleep do preschool children need?
Children of three to four years age sleep between 11 to 13 hours a day of which two hours may be in the daytime.

How much sleep do school-age children need?
Children of school going age usually require about 10 hours of sleep in the night.
As they grow up the sleep requirement will come down to about eight hours a day.