Manifestations of Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome
February 16th 2010A 7-year-old girl presented with pain and discomfort in the left leg that was exacerbated by physical activity. She had been born with a port-wine stain on the left knee. As her mobility increased, she occasionally complained of discomfort in the left leg. Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) was diagnosed at age 3 years after an evaluation for swelling, discoloration, and pain of the left leg. Magnetic resonance angiography and venography had revealed abnormally dilated, tortuous veins in the subcutaneous tissues from the distal thigh to the posterolateral calf with involvement of the proximal anterior tibial muscle. The parents had elected for conservative management with observation.
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents: Part 2, Management
February 12th 2010Although at present there is no cure for type 1 diabetes mellitus, good treatments are available that can enable affected children to lead healthy, active lives. Insulin regimens should be designed to optimize metabolic control while minimizing the risk of adverse events, such as hypoglycemic episodes, which can be more serious in children. Regimens of 3 in- jections per day work well for children who cannot receive an injection at lunchtime, while multiple daily injection (MDI) regimens provide more flexibility. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) can provide better quality of life than MDI regimens, but CSII requires a high level of motivation and carries its own risks. In all children, insulin regimens must be adjusted to accommodate the physiological changes of growth and development. Long-term follow-up is important to monitor for complications of diabetes.
Can You Diagnose This Genetic/Developmental Disorder?
February 11th 2010A 6-year-old boy presents with tall stature (97th percentile for age), motor delays (walking at 16 months), speech delays (expressive vocabulary of 30 to 40 words with recent use of 2-word phrases), and behavioral differences (poor eye contact, lack of pointing, hyperactive behavior with hand-flapping).
Infant With Fat-Soluble Vitamin Deficiencies Caused by Cystic Fibrosis
February 9th 2010A 3-month-old African American boy was referred for evaluation of poor weight gain and vomiting. The infant had been evaluated by his primary care physician 15 times within the past 6 weeks; he had no change in symptoms despite various treatments.
Hypotonic baby experiences failure to thrive
February 1st 2010A mother in your practice, whose newborn is being treated at a community hospital where you do not have privileges, calls you with concerns. Three weeks previously, the mother had delivered her full-term baby at home after less than 20 minutes of labor. The mother kept the baby wrapped in clean towels until the local EMS arrived. The paramedics found the baby to be acrocyanotic but alert and crying.
Journal Club: Antibody testing tied to increased incidence of celiac disease
February 1st 2010Investigators at a hospital in Alberta, Canada, planned to determine the effect of immunoglobulin A endomysial antibody (IgA-EMA) testing on the incidence and clinical presentation of childhood celiac disease.
Journal Club: "Back to sleep" gains have reached plateau
February 1st 2010An analysis of data from the National Infant Sleep Position Study, an annual national telephone survey of about 1,000 caretakers of infants aged up to 7 months, shows that from 1993 to 2001, supine sleep increased for all infants.
Use of term "concussion" in emergency settings called into question
February 1st 2010When the medical diagnosis of "concussion" is given to explain injuries in children, it may be misleading to parents and physicians, causing them not to realize the potential severity of brain injuries in children, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
Physicians beware of high lipid levels in youth
February 1st 2010High lipid levels may be a common theme among 20% of US children and teenagers, as reflected by high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, or high triglycerides, according to the CDC.
Journal Club: Physically abused children should be screened for occult abdominal trauma
February 1st 2010An examination of the charts of 244 children evaluated for physical abuse in an urban hospital showed that about one-fifth of the patients had 1 or more screening tests for occult abdominal trauma.
Recall issued on baby food that contains packaging flaw
February 1st 2010Nurture, Inc, prompted by the FDA, has alerted healthcare providers to a voluntary recall of specific varieties and date codes of Happytot Stage 4 and Happybaby Stage 1 and Stage 2 pouch meals with expiration dates between November 2010 and January 2011.