5.3 Poisoning and envenomation James Tibballs, Ed Oakley, Ken Winkel Poisoning and envenomation are two important areas of emergency care that should be familiar to any health practitioner involved with…

17.4 Neural tube defects, large heads and hydrocephalus Peter Flett, Ray Russo Neural tube defects The neural tube is the embryological structure from which the brain and spinal cord develop….

13.2 Immunodeficiency and its investigation Melanie Wong Recurrent infections, especially in the small child, are common. It can be challenging, but important, to determine which children warrant investigation to exclude…

12.3 Meningitis and encephalitis Robert Booy, Cheryl Jones Meningitis and encephalitis are both life-threatening infections that require rapid recognition and treatment for a child to survive without sequelae. They are…

14.2 Stridor Sadasivam Suresh, Peter Sly Stridor is a symptom of airway obstruction that predominantly involves the upper and larger airway. Croup is the commonest cause of stridor in children….

19.2 Thyroid disorders Fergus Cameron, Justin Brown Normal thyroid function throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence is essential for a normal developmental and physiological outcome. Thyroid disease is one of the…

20.3 Chronic diarrhoea and malabsorption Shoma Dutt, Edward O’Loughlin Malabsorption can be defined as the failure to absorb nutrients. A wide range of intestinal, pancreatic and hepatic disorders can be…

14.4 Wheezing disorders other than asthma Hiran Selvadurai The previous chapter discussed the diagnosis and management of asthma. An important feature of asthma is wheeze. Although asthma is the most…

3.13 Sleep problems Sadasivam Suresh, Helen Heussler Introduction Sleep is a universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom. The role of sleep in human beings has been studied with increasing interest…

19.3 The child of uncertain sex Jan Fairchild Disorders of sexual development are congenital conditions in which the development of chromosomal, gonadal or phenotypic sex is atypical. This includes infants…