Is that child with "penicillin allergy" really allergic?
July 1st 2018Researchers at Wisconsin Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, found that 100 children who visited a pediatric emergency department (ED) with a reported history of penicillin allergy based on low-risk symptoms all had negative allergy testing for penicillin and all tolerated a penicillin challenge (500 mg of oral amoxicillin) without developing a severe allergic reaction. Penicillin allergy labels were removed from these children’s hospital medical records.
Parents are most likely to accept vaccines when you assume they will
July 1st 2018When you approach a parent who is hesitant about vaccinating her infant at the appropriate well-baby visits, perhaps you say something like this: “Well, we have to do some shots.” Or you might say, “How do you feel about vaccines today?” The former strategy (a “presumptive” approach) is more likely to be effective than the latter (a “participatory” approach), according to a study in parents whom a standardized survey classified as being hesitant about vaccines.
How long are new mothers at risk for postpartum depression?
July 1st 2018New mothers may develop postpartum depression (PPD) at any time during the first year after giving birth, an analysis of monthly depression screening data showed. Furthermore, the highest rate of positive screens-23%-was at 12 months postpartum.
Teenager with sudden diffuse dermatitis
June 1st 2018A 16-year-old boy develops a diffuse, rapidly progressive eruption on his trunk, face, and extremities 4 days after starting oral amoxicillin for presumed strep throat. He presents to the emergency department (ED) where Stevens-Johnson syndrome is considered. The ED physician notes no mucous membrane involvement.
Poverty and lack of a car lead to failure to fill prescriptions
June 1st 2018A retrospective study of data from a regional community pharmacy chain in the Midwest encompassing 98 zip codes found that almost 1 in 8 new prescriptions for individuals aged up to 18 years went unfilled after the pharmacy received the prescription.
Antibiotics or antacids in infancy may increase risk of allergy
June 1st 2018Exposure to acid-suppressive medications or antibiotics in the first 6 months of life is associated with development of allergic disease, according to a retrospective study in more than 750,000 children from within 35 days of birth until aged at least 1 year.
Is there a better way to estimate probability of UTI in febrile infants?
June 1st 2018Investigators compared the accuracy of an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) practice guideline algorithm for diagnosing of urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2- to 23-month-olds with a new tool (UTICalc; University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) that first estimates UTI probability based on clinical variables and then, if laboratory testing is performed, updates the estimate based on the results.