PAEDS Flashcards
What is familial short stature?
Child is short but normal, parents are short and normal, with normal bone age.
Child will become short adult.
What is constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP)?
Mainly occurs in boys, with family history and delayed bone age.
Can give testosterone, and child will have later growth spurt.
What are some pathological causes of short stature?
- Undernutrition
- Chronic illness (IBD, asthma)
- Iatrogenic (Steroids)
- Psychological and social factors
- Hormonal (hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency)
- Syndromes (Turner’s, Prader-Willi)
Requires exclusion of organic disease.
What are the tests for growth hormone deficiency?
- GH stimulation tests (Arginine test, Insulin tolerance test)
- Low IGF-1
- Delayed bone age
Can be due to pituitary causes or congenital hypothyroidism.
What are the features of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)?
- Androgen secreting tumor
- Precocious pseudopuberty
- Elevated adrenal hormones
Includes abnormal sex hormone secretion.
What is jaundice?
Yellow discoloration of skin and tissues due to accumulation of bilirubin.
Most obvious in sclera, visible once total bilirubin > 40-50 umol/l.
What can cause pathological jaundice in newborns?
- Haemolysis
- Sepsis
- ABO incompatibility
- Rhesus disease
Jaundice < 24 hours old is always pathological.
What is kernicterus?
Severe untreated jaundice in newborns leading to permanent brain damage.
Caused by high levels of unconjugated bilirubin crossing the blood-brain barrier.
What are the early signs of kernicterus?
- Poor feeding
- Lethargy
- Seizures
- Encephalopathy
Late consequences may include severe choreoathetoid cerebral palsy and learning difficulties.
What is pyloric stenosis?
Condition characterized by non-bilious projectile vomiting in infants aged 2-12 weeks.
Palpation of ‘olive tumor’ and visible gastric peristalsis may be observed.
What are common features of gastroesophageal reflux (GORD)?
- Effortless vomiting
- Feeding problems
- Regular chest infections
Very common and usually self-limiting.
What is the typical presentation of intestinal atresia?
Portion of the intestine is completely blocked or absent, preventing normal passage of foods and fluids.
Symptoms often present immediately after birth with bilious vomiting.
What is the significance of a double bubble sign on abdominal X-ray?
Indicates duodenal obstruction, commonly seen in intestinal atresia.
Dilation of stomach and proximal duodenum.
What is the treatment for congenital biliary atresia?
Kasai portoenterostomy, best performed before 60 days of life.
Aims to restore bile flow and prevent liver failure.
What defines precocious puberty?
Onset of secondary sexual characteristics before age 9 in boys or age 8 in girls.
MRI pituitary to exclude tumors in cases of central precocious puberty.
What is the Tanner method?
A system for staging puberty from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates no puberty and 2 indicates the start of puberty.
Used to assess sexual maturity.
What are the signs of diabetes in children?
- Thinner
- Tired
- Thirsty
- Toilet more
Presents with heavy nappies and blurred vision.
What is the purpose of the finger prick test in suspected DKA?
To measure blood glucose levels, > 11mmol/l indicates need for same-day review.
DKA can occur rapidly in children.
What are the common tests for assessing jaundice?
- FBC and ferritin
- U/E, LFT, Ca, CRP
- Coeliac and IgA
- IGF-1, TFT, prolactin, cortisol, gonadotrophins
- Karyotype
Important to differentiate between conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin.
What is the primary test for diagnosing Gilbert’s disease?
Assay for deficiency of the enzyme UDP glucuronic.
Common and mild condition leading to unconjugated bilirubin.
What is the treatment for prolonged jaundice?
Phototherapy using visible light at 450nm wavelength to convert bilirubin to a water-soluble isomer.
Thresholds for treatment are guided by charts.
What are the consequences of untreated congenital hypothyroidism?
Will be short in stature and have abnormal proportions.
Screened for early treatment within the first two weeks of birth.
What are common symptoms of obesity in pediatric patients?
- Poor growth
- Learning difficulties
- Loss of appetite control
May be associated with syndromes and endocrine conditions.
What is the role of insulin in diabetes management?
Regulates blood glucose levels and may be necessary in cases of DKA.
DKA management often requires immediate insulin administration.