Learning disability and autism
Children are said to have a learning disability when they experience significantly greater difficulty than their peers in making progress with intellectual developmental skills. Intellect overlaps with all other developmental…
Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the commonest congenital malformation (7–8 per 1000 livebirths). About 8% are associated with chromosomal abnormality (e.g. AVSD in Down’s syndrome) or genetic abnormalities, such as…
The fitting child
Generalized Convulsions The term convulsion is synonymous with fit or seizure. Convulsions are due to synchronous discharge of electrical activity from a number of neurons, usually with loss of consciousness…
Immunization and the diseases it protects against
In the UK we immunize against the following diseases. Diphtheria Diphtheria is now very rare in developed countries. It is caused by the organism Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Infection occurs in the…
Screening and genetics
Screening Screening aims to identify unrecognized disease in apparently well people. Cost must be considered and balanced against that of treatment if the problem presents later. Conditions suitable for screening…
Ethics and the child in society
html xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”> 68 Ethics and the child in society There are many situations in paediatric medicine which involve ethical questions. Ethics are the moral values that people hold which enable…
Sudden infant death
Acute Life-Threatening Events and SIDS Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant with no apparent pathological cause on post-mortem. It is commonly known as ‘cot…
Adolescent issues
Adolescent Harmful Health Behaviours Adolescence is naturally a time of increasing independence for young people away from parental supervision. It is normal for young people to experiment with more adult…
Neglect and abuse
Overview Children are dependent on their carers for their physical, emotional and developmental needs, their supervision and safety. It is hard to understand that adults can harm children—yet this occurs…
