Scary diseases often aren't as bad as they sound
By GWEN FARISS NEWMAN for Smart
Cradle cap. Cat scratch fever. Slapped cheek.
Scary names for childhood diseases that often aren’t nearly as serious as they sound. Thank goodness.
Though just the names are enough to make most parents shiver, most of these illnesses are really relatively harmless and short term.
Cat scratch fever
Cat scratch fever is indeed caused by being scratched, bitten or even licked by a cat or kitten. Symptoms don’t appear for about a week, are usually mild, typically don’t require treatment and are not spread from person to person. The disease is characterized by a brownish-red bump or sore where the cat made contact with the child. Sometimes symptoms include swollen glands, tiredness, loss of appetite, a rash or sore throat.
Pink eye
Pink eye is characterized by red eyes and might be caused by a virus, a bacterial infection (also contagious), allergies, a plugged tear duct or a foreign body stuck under the eyelid. Most are relieved by warm compresses, saline eye drops and antibiotics.
Cradle cap
Cradle cap is crusty skin on your baby’s scalp. Not so cosmetically appealing, but a child is otherwise healthy aside from patchy scales and redness on the scalp. The scales might appear cracked, greasy or even weeping.
This is most common in the first three months of a baby’s life and atypical after a child’s first birthday, though parents might see it again in the life of a teen when they again undergo more rapid growth. It is not contagious. Treatment is essentially gentle shampoos and perhaps a moisturizing oil treatment.
Slapped cheek
Slapped cheek is a virus characterized by a bright red or lace-like rash on the face. It is more common in children than adults and can be spread by coughs and sneezes. The rash will last several days, and the virus is no longer contagious once the rash appears. Other symptoms might include joint pain and swelling and sometimes headache. Not all will get a rash or feel sick.
Slapped cheek, medically known as erythema infectiosum, was also dubbed fifth disease because at one time it was one of the most five common childhood diseases causing rashes. (Others are measles, scarlet fever, rubella and roseola.) It is caused by human parvovirus B19. Pregnant women who are exposed to it should contact their doctors, as it does pose risks to fetuses.
Nits and lice
That little saying that we’re “nit-picking,” well, that came from an all-too-common childhood condition known as lice. Very misunderstood, the infestation has nothing to do with personal or home hygiene and is common in schools and day care centers. Lice are passed from person to person by direct contact, as well as through the exchange of brushes, combs and hats.
Treatment is a medicated shampoo or rinse. Symptoms are itching, as well as the presence of lice and eggs. Nits are tiny white shells glued to the hair shaft near the skin. Those closest to the scalp might have live eggs. Others may be empty.
Nits, though sometimes hard to distinguish from dandruff, are not easily removed from the head. Some schools have a “no nit” policy to decrease spread of lice.
Hand, foot and mouth disease
Another virus, this causes blisters in the mouth in most of those infected, as well as rashes on the hands, feet and buttocks in about two-thirds of those affected. Other symptoms are crankiness, a sore throat, loss of appetite and fever. The virus will run its course in about one week.
When to call the doctor• High fever or any fever in an infant younger than 4 weeks
• Chills that make the child shake all over
• Trouble breathing or when a child is working hard to breathe
• Loss of consciousness
• Extreme sleepiness or unexplained lethargy
• Sudden weakness or paralysis of any part of the body
• Seizures or uncontrollable shaking of an arm or leg
• Pain, heaviness or stuffiness around the nose, eyes or forehead
• Nasal fluid that is discolored, bad-smelling or bloody
• Sudden hearing loss
• Sudden decrease in vision
• Eyes that are red, swollen and watery, with or without blurred vision.
• Severe or prolonged episode of diarrhea, vomiting or severe abdominal pain or if the diarrhea stools contain blood.
• Dehydration. Signs include dry lips and tongue, skin that is pale and dry, sunken eyes, listlessness or decreased activity, and decreased urination.
Source: <http://www.prairiepublic.org/features/healthworks/kids/call.htm>
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