Navigating Health

Archive for April, 2010

Children frequently suffer from bouts of diarrhea and vomiting and may also suffer from constipation. Most cases are straightforward and clear up in a matter of days. However, children suffering from vomiting or diarrhea are at risk of dehydration because it is difficult for them to replace lost fluids quickly enough. It is therefore important that you encourage a child to drink during an illness. You should take your child to visit a doctor if the symptoms are particularly severe or last longer than a few days. In general terms, the number and consistency of bowel motions passed by children is variable, especially during infancy.

Breastfed babies often pass yellow, very loose stools several times a day while bottle fed babies usually pass firmer stools less frequently. Many older children continue to have three or four bowel motions a day. This is not usually a cause for concern, unless a child is also failing to gain weight normally. Children of any age may also be prone to occasional episodes of constipation. Bouts of diarrhea may have a simple cause such as the introduction of a new food into a baby’s diet, or excitement or anxiety in a child. However, they can also be due to conditions such as infection of the gastrointestinal tract by a virus or less commonly a bacterium.

This condition, known as gastroenteritis, is the most common cause of diarrhea in children and infants. It can also cause bouts of vomiting. Difficulty in absorbing certain foods is another condition. This can be due to coeliac disease, in which there is sensitivity to gluten in wheat and other foods. An allergy to cow’s milk which occurs in 1 to 25 babies which is caused by sensitivity to proteins in cow’s milk or ordinary formula milks.

Vomiting is a distressing symptom. It is an unpleasant experience for a child and can also be very upsetting for the parents. The causes of vomiting are many and varied, and they include infection, difficulty in absorbing certain substances for example, a sensitivity to gluten, an allergy to cow’s milk, Emotional problems such as stress or anxiety can lead to vomiting in children, digestive disorders such as a weakness in the muscles around the entrance to the stomach or an abnormality in the outlet of the stomach, rarely, vomiting can be the result of a head injury. Vomiting is commonly the result of gastroenteritis, which clears up by it. The main supportive treatment is to ensure that your child drinks plenty of fluids.

Constipation: Many children have difficulty in passing hard faeces at some point. Constipation in childhood in usually a temporary complains and rarely indicates a more serious problem. Constipation is often related to diet. It may occur when an infant changes from breast to bottle milk or if an older child is not eating enough fiber. A healthy, varied diet that contains plenty of fruit and vegetables and does not rely on convenience and fast foods will help both to prevent and ease constipation. It is also important that your child drinks plenty of clear fluids such as water or diluted juice. Regular exercise and sport will also be helpful. Consult a doctor if a child’s constipation persists for longer than a week. The doctor may examine the child’s rectum by inserting a gloved finger into it. Mild laxatives may be prescribed in persistent cases or if straining to pass hard faeces has caused a tear in the anal tissue.

A migraine can be a very distressing and debilitating condition, and it can affect children as well as adults. The symptoms of childhood migraine may be different to the adult form the main symptom is usually abdominal pain, although headaches and other adult symptoms may occur as the child gets older. Migraines can affect children as young as two and will usually recur. The cause is not fully understood, and there will often be a history of migraines in the family. Statically, more girls than boys suffer from migraines.

About 1in every 20 children has suffered a migraine by the age of 15, and the children as young as 2 have been infected. The exact cause of migraines is not fully understood but may be connected to changes in the blood flow inside the skull. Temporary alterations in brain chemicals may also be a factor, causing symptoms elsewhere in the body. Migraines attacks may be triggered by stress and anxiety, or by particular food substances-some of the most common food triggers are bananas, chocolate, citrus fruits and cheese. Perfume, petrol, tobacco smoke and other inhaled substances may recurrent attacks.

As with adult migraines, the symptoms usually develop gradually over several hours, and an attack can last for several days. In most cases, the child will suffer from recurrent attacks. Since dietary factors may be significant in approximately 10 percent of cases, your doctor may arrange for the child and parents to see a dietician. This is often helpful because it can pinpoint any dietary triggers for the attacks and these foods can then simply be avoided. The migraines often disappear once a child reaches adulthood, however, in some cases migraine episodes will continue throughout life.