19.4 Diabetes Jennifer Couper, Timothy W. Jones Diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus is caused by a deficiency in the secretion or action of insulin. It is one of the most common…

11.1 The newborn infant stabilization and examination Brian Darlow Dr Neil Campbell began this Chapter in the fifth edition of this book, thus: ‘Most babies are born at term gestation…

22.2 Eye disorders Susan Carden, James Elder Examination of the eyes should be included in all general medical paediatric checks because it is only through timeliness of diagnosis of ophthalmic…

17.2 Cerebral palsy and neurodegenerative disorders Dinah Reddihough, Kevin Collins Cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity…

11.3 Breathing problems in the newborn Luke Jardine, Mark Davies Introduction The establishment and maintenance of breathing is vital for the newborn infant. Problems with breathing are common and dealing…

15.2 Heart disease Michael Cheung Congenital malformations affecting the heart and/or great vessels occur in a little under 1% of newborn infants. Eight defects are relatively frequent and together make…

14.3 Asthma Adam Jaffé Definition The word ‘asthma’ is a derivative of the Greek verb aazein, meaning ‘to pant’. In an attempt to describe it more precisely, the Global Initiative…

20.5 Liver diseases Wolfram Haller, Winita Hardikar Introduction Liver disease is relatively infrequent in childhood. Early recognition is, however, crucial, as the timing of diagnosis has a significant impact on…

10.4 Genetic counselling Zornitza Stark, Martin Delatycki Genetic counselling involves a health professional talking to an individual, a couple or a family about a medical condition or disease that is,…

20.2 Infective diarrhoea and inflammatory bowel disease Jeremy Rosenbaum, George Alex The basic pathological mechanisms causing diarrhoea include osmotic, secretory and inflammatory processes (Table 20.2.1). Often more than one mechanism…