- Asthma
- Colic
- Conjunctivitis
- Coughing
- Cradle cap
- Croup
- Cuts and grazes
- Diarrhoea in kids
- Drowsiness
- Earache
- Eczema
- Balanitis
- Epilepsy
- Fever
- Fingers caught
- Gluten sensitivity
- Hayfever
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Mumps
- Nose bleeds
- Pneumococcal infection
- Bites
- Pneumonia
- Rashes
- Roseola infantum
- German measles
- Scarlet fever
- Seizures
- Sleepwalking
- Splinters
- Sprains
- Sticky eye
- Blisters
- Stings
- Styes
- Squints
- Sunburn
- Teething
- Thread worms
- Tonsillitis
- Toxocara
- Urticaria
- Vomiting
- Bruise
- Warts
- Whooping cough
- Burns
- Catarrh
- Chicken pox
- Colds
- Cold sore
- Feeding problems
- Cows' milk allergy
Baby
Baby's health index
Babies and young children are prone to a number of minor health problems and some that are more serious. Our baby health index gives initial information on 50 minor and major ailments, with practical advice on what to do-
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Asthma
In a person suffering from asthma the allergic reaction shows itself in the lining of the air passages. This lining is very sensitive. It not only responds to the allergen with wheezing, but it also responds more than usual to exercise, infection and emotional disturbances. The lining of the...
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Colic
In a baby under four months of age, colic describes a crying spell, during which the baby's face becomes very red and both legs are drawn up to his stomach as if he is in great pain. This crying spell usually comes in the early evening; during the rest of the day the baby is generally contented.
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Child conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the outer covering of the eye. It makes the eye look red, and it can feel itchy or sore.
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Coughing
A cough is the body's natural reflex to irritation of the throat, the very back of the nose and the membranous lining of the air passages.
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Cradle cap
A thick yellow encrustation on the scalp, cradle cap occurs mainly in babies, although children up to the age of three can have it.
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Croup
In children between the ages of one and five, croup quite often accompanies a cold.
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Cuts and grazes
Examine any wound to see how deep it is and whether it is bleeding profusely. If it is serious get medical help.
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Diarrhoea
The main symptom of diarrhoea is the frequent passage of loose, watery stools and the condition is a sign of irritation of the intestines. Bear in mind, however, that it is quite normal for breastfed babies to pass frequent watery stools.
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Drowsiness
In a normally alert child drowsiness can be a symptom of a fever, hypothermia (when the body temperature falls below normal), or dehydration. It can also occur before or after a seizure, following a blow to the head, or as a result of medication, such as antihistamines.
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Earache
The main reason for earache being a common ailment in babies and young children is the anatomy of the ear.
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Eczema
Infantile eczema often goes hand in hand with asthma and the two are quite commonly seen together.
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Balanitis
Balanitis is the inflammation of the tip of the penis in uncircumcised boys. It may be caused by nappy rash, which is often a reaction to detergent, or it can be due to an infection.
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Epilepsy
After febrile seizures the next most common cause of seizures in children is epilepsy. Epilepsy can take two forms: general or tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures and absence (petit mal) seizures.
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Fever
The range of normal body temperature is 36-37°C (96.8-98.6°F). Anything over 37°C (98.6°F) is a fever, although the height body temperature reaches is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the seriousness of the illness.
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Fingers caught in door
Until your baby learns how doors work there's always the risk that his fingers may become trapped. Injury may result in wounds or even broken bones.
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Gluten sensitivity
Gluten sensitivity is a problem that occurs when gluten, a protein contained in most cereals, except for rice and corn, damages the lining of the intestines. Unwittingly, therefore, you may feed your baby with an allergen as some baby cereals contain gluten.
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Hayfever
Hayfever, or allergic rhinitis, is similar to asthma except that the allergic reaction occurs in the mucous membranes of the nose and eyelids, not the chest.
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Measles
This is a highly infectious disease. In addition there can also be quite serious complications, in particular, pneumonia and meningitis. Your child is most likely to catch the disease between the ages of one and six years. Measles takes its most serious form under the age of three.
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Meningitis
An inflammation of the meninges, the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, meningitis is caused by viral or, much more seriously, bacterial infection. The illness starts with flu-like symptoms, high temperature, mottled skin, limb pain and cold hands and feet.
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Mumps
This disease is uncommon in children under five. It usually takes 16-21 days for the symptoms to appear after infection. When the infection does occur, you may first notice that your child seems under the weather.
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Nose bleeds
Haemorrhaging from the nose, or nose bleeds, are most often caused by damage to a patch of small blood vessels lying very near the surface of the skin, just inside the nose.
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Pneumococcal infection
A pneumococcal infection is caused by a strain of the streptococcus bacterium. In most people the bacterium is carried in the nose and throat without causing any harm, but infection can lead to meningitis, ear infections and pneumonia so it is potentially serious in young children.
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Bites
The chances of your child being bitten by an animal such as a dog, or another child are relatively high; the chances of your child being bitten by a snake depend on where you live.
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Pneumonia
Common childhood viral infections and the rarer infectious childhood diseases such as measles and whooping cough may be accompanied by pneumonia.
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Rashes
Most rashes have an internal cause and in young children they are a classic symptom of some of the more common infectious fevers. They may also be the result of an allergy.
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Roseola infantum
Roseola infantum is a disease that often confused with rubellla.
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Rubella (German measles)
German measles is a viral disease, like measles, but it isn't as serious or as contagious.
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Scarlet fever
Also known as scarlatina, Scarlet fever is a throat infection that is caused by a strain of streptococcus bacillus that is no longer very common.
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Seizures
In some children we never discover the cause for seizures, but in the majority of children between the ages of six months and five years seizures (also known as febrile seizures) are caused by a rise in body temperature.
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Sleep-walking
A sort of “mobile dreaming”, sleep-walking occurs when a child wanders about the house while asleep.
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Splinters
All splinters carry a risk of infection because they are rarely clean so should always be dealt with promptly.
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Sprains
Because children are so active and may not have very good co-ordination when young, they can sprain their wrists and ankles quite easily.
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Sticky eye
A sticky eye is fairly common in the first week or so after your baby is born and it is nearly always due to blood or amniotic fluid getting into the eye during birth.
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Blisters
Blisters may be formed as a protection to the body where the skin has been chafed, burned or rubbed.
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Stings
It's almost inevitable that your child will be stung by a bee or wasp at some stage, and that he'll be very upset when it happens.
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Styes
A stye is an infection in the hair follicles of the lower eyelashes. It looks like a small boil on the eyelid - a red swelling with a central area of pus.
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Squints
Your newborn baby may squint until the age of eight or ten weeks, by which time he'll have learned to use his two eyes together (stereoscopically).
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Sunburn
Sunburn is inflammation of the skin caused by excessive exposure to sunlight. The best cure is prevention and you'll need to be strict with children who may not appreciate the dangers and the potential for long-term damage.
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Teething
This is the term used to describe the eruption of a baby's first teeth. Teething usually begins at about the age of six or seven months, with most of the teeth breaking through before your baby is 18 months old.
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Thread worms
This is the most common type of infecting worm. These thin, 6mm ( ¼ in) long white worms live in the rectum and the females crawl through the anus to lay their eggs on the surrounding skin.
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Tonsillitis
The job of the tonsils is to trap infections as they enter the body through the mouth, and localize them in the throat. For this reason tonsillitis is usually part of a throat infection.
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Toxocara
This Toxocara roundworm is found in cats and dogs. Its eggs are passed on in their faeces so your child is at risk when he plays on ground where animals have defecated.
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Urticaria
A general term used for an allergic skin reaction, urticaria is also known as nettle rash or hives.
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Vomiting
This is the expulsion of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. A baby may posset up small quantities of curdled milk after a feed, but this should not be confused with vomiting. Vomiting has many causes but in the majority of cases there is little warning and after a single bout your...
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Bruise
A bruise is a purplish-red stain in the skin, usually resulting from a blow or a knock that ruptures the small blood vessels near the skin's surface.
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Warts
These are small benign lumps caused by the wart virus. They are made up of an excess of dead cells that protrude above the surface of the skin.
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Whooping cough (Pertussis)
Like most childhood illnesses, whooping cough starts off with a runny nose, a cough and a slight temperature. This period can last for up to two weeks.
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Burns
It is almost inevitable that your child will burn himself on a radiator or hot tap at some stage, despite your efforts.
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Catarrh and runny nose
Neither a persistent yellow catarrh (catarrh which continues for longer than five or six days), nor a runny nose is normal. Both of these signs indicate that your child may be suffering from an upper respiratory viral infection.
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Chicken pox
Chicken pox is a very common infection that children invariably catch as it's one of the most contagious of all childhood diseases.
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Colds
A cold is caused by a virus that we cannot treat specifically. There is no antibiotic to which the virus is sensitive so it cannot be killed. This means that it has to be overcome by the body's own defence mechanisms and this usually takes 10-14 days, whatever we do.
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Cold sore/Herpes simplex
Despite their name, cold sores have nothing to do with a cold other than the fact that the cold affects the immune system and reduces the resistance to infection, allowing the herpes simplex virus to activate.
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Feeding problems in babies
Some babies experience feeding difficulties during the first years of life.
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Cows' milk protein allergy
This is an allergic reaction to the proteins present in cows' milk and cows' milk products.
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