Kids Health

What are Night Terrors?

Night terror is also known as sleep terror or pavor nocturnus. Night terrors are often confused with nightmares but they are not the same. A night terror is a type of sleep disturbance that occurs mostly in the first few hours of sleep and is common in young children, especially between the ages of 3 and 7 years, although it may occur at any age. The child usually sits up with fright and may scream and look confused, with sweating and rapid breathing. It is difficult to arouse the child from this state and he/she does not respond to efforts to soothe him. The child normally goes back to sleep and does not remember the incident when he wakes up.

Inflammation of the appendix is known as appendicitis and is caused most often due to obstruction of the lumen of the appendix. The most common symptom is acute pain in the right lower abdomen. Appendicectomy (surgical removal of the appendix) is the preferred mode of treatment.

What is an adenoidectomy?

Adenoidectomy is the surgical removal of the adenoids, a mass of lymphoid tissue situated behind the nasal passages. The adenoids may become infected or enlarged and cause a number of problems in a child. If medication does not help and the problems persist, an adenoidectomy may be recommended. Adenoidectomy is commonly performed on small children since the adenoids usually shrink as the child grows older. In some cases, the tonsils may be removed along with the adenoids, when the operation is known as adenotonsillectomy (adenoidectomy + tonsillectomy).

Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a condition which is almost exclusively confined to children. It is characterized by severe, recurrent episodes of nausea and vomiting which may last from a few hours to several days. It is often a precursor of migraine and it is seen that many of these children later develop symptoms of classic migraine. A family history of migraines is usually present. Incidence in girls is slightly higher than in boys.

Tonsillectomy is surgical removal of the tonsils. The tonsils are two bulks of lymphoid tissue found on either side of the throat. When they get enlarged or infected, they often cause problems and the diseased tonsils have to be removed. Tonsillectomy is the most common major surgery done in children. It may be done on an outpatient basis and the child can go home the same day. Very small children may need to be hospitalized for a longer period.

What is Abdominal Migraine?

Typically, migraine occurs as a recurrent headache with or without aura, which may last from a few minutes to several hours or days. There are many variations of migraine in children, of which abdominal migraine is a common variation where instead of the typical feature of headache, other symptoms such as abdominal pain, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, may be more prominent. Abdominal migraines are almost always confined to children and rarely occur in adults, although abdominal migraines in childhood may lead to typical migraine headaches as the child grows older.

What is the MMR vaccine?

The MMR vaccine in children forms part of the routine vaccination schedule. It is a combined vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles). These are childhood diseases that usually resolve without complications but may sometimes lead to serious consequences. Rubella has the potential to cause serious birth defects in the baby if a woman who is not immunized contracts the disease while pregnant. MMR is a highly effective vaccine that can protect against all 3 illnesses. There is no evidence that MMR vaccine is involved in the development of autism.

Sniffling is the loud and at times forced breathing through the nose often as a result of congestion. We all experience the sniffles at some point or the other – with a cold or after crying. In most cases it is short term. Constant sniffling over a long period of time is usually associated with conditions that affect the nasal cavity (nose) and paranasal sinuses. Sniffling goes beyond just being an irritation to the child and those around them. The conditions that cause sniffling may affect normal nasal breathing, sense of smell and lead to a nasal tone to the voice.

Nearsightedness, known as myopia, is a difficulty with seeing distant objects although near vision is clear. This is due to a problem with the way light is bent (refraction) and focused on the light sensitive lining of the eye. Nearsightedness is very common and typically starts in childhood. It progressively worsens until adulthood. For children, the easiest and safest corrective measure is the use of eyeglasses. Overall the incidence of myopia has sharply increased over the past 30 years and these days it is not uncommon to see a child under 10 years of age with eyeglasses.

Acute diarrhea is of a sudden onset, usually intense and lasts for a few days to about 2 weeks at most. If it persists past 3 weeks or occurs in frequent episodes beyond 3 weeks then it is considered as chronic diarrhea. Overall diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms a person of any age experiences several times in life. Children are often more prone to acute diarrhea as the immature immune system coupled with unhygienic practices as a result of ignorance, often exposes them to infectious agents. Fortunately most infections that cause diarrhea are short lived and will resolve on its own with little or no treatment. However, the risk of dehydration is a major complication which can lead to more severe symptoms and even prove life threatening if left untreated.