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Posts Tagged "Treatment"

30Nov2020

All About Pediatric Fevers

Fevers can be scary symptoms for parents because they could signify a huge range of possible illnesses. They can be particularly concerning during this period of COVID-19 because they could point to a highly problematic sickness. By learning more about the causes of fevers and potential fever treatments, you can feel more confident in knowing when to keep your child home and when to take him to the doctor for treatment.

What Are Fevers?

Although you almost certainly know that a fever is a higher-than-normal body temperature, you may not know the specifics of when a fever is diagnosed. Normal body temperature is defined as 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius. However, normal body temperature actually ranges from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. A fever is technically defined as any body temperature over 100.4 degrees.

Causes of Fevers

A temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher can indicate an acute infection that the body is trying to fight off. Many scientists believe that the body naturally raises its internal temperature to make surroundings less hospitable for a host of germs.

However, not all fevers are related to illness. Instead, they should be seen as a symptom of a different problem. For example, your child’s temperature may be raised because he was just playing vigorously outdoors or because he is wearing too many layers of clothing. This could even be a natural reaction to a vaccination.

Treatment for Fevers

If your child develops a fever, you should consider treating it or talking to your child’s pediatrician if his temperature is over 102 degrees. However, any temperature of 100.4 or higher in infants younger than three months old should be seen as requiring urgent care.

Many fevers will come down naturally within the next day or two. If your child still seems to be eating, drinking, and playing normally, he may not need any treatment. If the fever keeps climbing higher or your child is acting abnormally or has a significant change in his skin color, you should immediately schedule an appointment with the pediatrician.

Get All Your Questions Answered at Kids 1st Pediatrics

At Kids 1st Pediatrics, we specialize in caring for ill children of all ages. If you are concerned about your child’s fever or have questions about if or how you should treat his fever at home, give our office a call today.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
11Aug2020

Flat Head Syndrome

Flat head syndrome or positional plagiocephaly happens to some infants if they spend too much time lying in bed with their heads to one side. Because the plates of the cranium are not yet fused together completely as they will be later in life, they can still shift. If this happens to your infant, you may notice that a side or the back of your child’s head appears flat.

This syndrome most often occurs from spending too much time lying in a crib or bassinet. However, it could occur from certain long-held positions in strollers, car seats, or swings as well. In addition, some infants may have a slightly flatter head immediately after birth if their heads were pressed a certain way by the mother’s pelvis or by brothers and sisters in the case of multiple births.

Treating and Preventing Flat Head Syndrome

If flat head syndrome is not addressed immediately, it could result in long-term consequences. Regular visits with your pediatrician can help you catch this problem as early as possible. In many cases, simply making a few changes to how you treat your baby each day can solve the problem entirely. For example, your baby may need to spend more time on his tummy. During these supervised sessions, your baby will not be placing pressure on the back of his head, and he will gain important neck and upper body strength.

Another tip is to change how you lay your infant down in his crib. Most likely, you tend to put your baby down in the same position every night, increasing the likelihood that his head will always be turned in one direction toward the door. If this is the case, try putting his head at the opposite side of the crib.

If increased tummy time, changes in crib position, and similar tips, such as holding your baby more often, do not work, your pediatrician may recommend that your baby wear a special helmet designed to reshape the head. Although it may seem difficult to make your baby wear a helmet that he initially resists, most helmet therapies do not take that much time. Some babies only need to wear helmets for a month or two, while others may have to wear them for up to six months.

If you have any questions about your baby’s health or about flat head syndrome, contact Kids 1st Pediatrics.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
14Sep2019

All about Lupus

Although it is not an incredibly common disease, lupus can strike children at elementary age or in their teenage years, making it something of which parents should be aware of. With the correct treatment from a trusted pediatrician, lupus can be well-controlled, but it requires great vigilance on the part of both parents and health care providers.

What Is Lupus?

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means that the body attacks itself. Although the symptoms of lupus may come and go in a series of flare-ups and remissions, the disease is not contagious, and children can still attend school and participate in as many other activities as are possible even while dealing with lupus.

The cause of lupus is not currently known, but it could be genetic in nature or could be related to a variety of environmental stressors or pollutants. Exact symptoms depend on the individual child and may often mimic the symptoms of a different disease. Therefore, it requires a skilled pediatrician, possibly working with a rheumatologist, to diagnose lupus. Some of the most common symptoms include the following:

  • -Fatigue
  • -Poor appetite and weight loss
  • -Swollen joints
  • -Aches and pains
  • -Fever
  • -Butterfly-shaped rash on cheeks
  • -Mouth ulcers
  • -Headaches
  • -Hair loss

How Prevalent Is Lupus in Pediatric Populations?

Approximately 1.5 million Americans have lupus, and, of these people, approximately 20 percent of them developed the disease before they were 20. Lupus is rarely diagnosed before the age of 5. In addition, 90 percent of lupus patients are females.

How Can Pediatric Lupus Be Treated?

It can be challenging to get a lupus diagnosis because of the non-specific symptoms. However, once a lupus diagnosis is in place, it is important that the child receives treatment immediately to reduce overall damage to the body’s organs. Medications are typically the first line of defense and are specifically chosen to reduce inflammation in the body, to suppress the immune system and to control pain. Your pediatrician may also be able to recommend at-home lifestyle changes, such as exercises and dietary plans, that could help.

Will Lupus Continue into Adulthood?

As a chronic disease, children diagnosed with lupus will still have the disease in adulthood. However, it should be fairly well-controlled by this point, and individuals should be used to managing symptoms and medications. Many patients are able to enjoy healthy and happy futures by seeking quick and complete treatments.

Kids Staff
Pediatrics
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