Category Archives: auto-immune disease

Ticks

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Ticks and spiders are both arachnids, but their method of attacking the skin is very different. While a spider merely bites, a tick burrows under the skin to gorge itself on blood. Sometimes ticks on the body can go unnoticed for a few days, which is why it is important to do a body check of your kids when they have been playing outside in the spring and summer. Ticks like hiding places— under your child’s hair, between the toes, etc. After it is finished feeding, the tick will drop off the body.

How to remove a tick? Very carefully! See this brief description from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about safe removal.

There are a few tick-borne diseases that can be very serious.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is carried by the dog tick or wood  tick, which is usually about a quarter inch long. The disease is caused by a particular type of bacteria, and the symptoms, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP) article, include: “Flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, severe headaches, vomiting, nausea, and loss of appetite. A rash develops in most cases of RMSF, typically before the sixth day of the illness. This rash tends to appear first on the wrists and ankles, but within hours it can spread to the torso. It can also spread to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The rash is red, spotted, and raised. Other symptoms may include joint pain, stomach pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, the blood pressure can drop and the patient may become confused. As the infection spreads, many organs, including the brain, can be affected.”

If your child has any of these symptoms and you suspect a tick bite, call your pediatrician immediately.

Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast, North Central, and West Coast states. It is spread by deer ticks. The most common symptom is what is sometimes called a “bull’s-eye” rash. This rash is a pink or red circle that can expand over time, even to a diameter of several inches. Another AAP article lists further symptoms:

  • “Headache
  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Swollen glands, usually in the neck or groin
  • Aches and pains in the muscles or joints.”

Lyme disease is very treatable in most cases, but if left untreated can cause long-term health problems.

There is also another tick-borne disease that presents itself a little like Lyme disease. It’s called STARI (Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness) and is most prevalent in, as you may guess, more southern states like ours. The organism that causes this disease is, as yet, unknown, but it is carried by the lone star tick. The rash is similar to the one caused by Lyme disease (see above) and other symptoms according to the CDC include “fatigue, fever, headache, muscle and joint pains.” If your child presents with any of these symptoms and you suspect she has been bitten by a tick, contact your pediatrician immediately. For easy-to-read information about STARI, there is a good series of short articles from the CDC here.

Use insect repellent and avoid places where ticks live, when possible. Have a safe and enjoyable rest of the summer and fall!

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Diabetes testing and prediabetes

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Our last two blogs have been about diabetes, types 1 and 2.  Now, let’s look at risk factors, testing, and what is called prediabetes.

Risk factors are slightly different for the two types of diabetes (see our previous two blogs to learn more about those types).  We’ve gleaned these sets of factors from an article by the Mayo Clinic.  Check out that article for more detailed explanation.

Type 1 risk factors

  • Family history
  • Environmental factors (such as exposure to certain illnesses)
  • The presence of damaging immune system cells (autoantibodies)
  • Dietary factors—though studies don’t show a direct cause and effect, there seems to be some relation to things like early consumption of cow’s milk and cereals, for example
  • Geography—people who live in some northern European countries have greater risks

Type 2 and prediabetes risk factors

  • Being overweight or obese
  • Inactivity
  • Family history
  • Race—it’s unclear why certain races (including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian-Americans) are at higher risk
  • Age—although type 2 diabetes is increasing at alarming rates among children and youth, risk increases with age
  • High blood pressure
  • Abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels

Other risk factors in the article pertain to adults.

Prediabetes is a condition that means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in the “diabetic” range.  It also means that you are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association has an online test you can take to determine possible risk.  If you believe your child is at risk, talk to your pediatrician.

Please note that the top two risk factors for type 2 diabetes are things over which you likely have a great deal of control.  A healthy diet and age-appropriate activity are your best tools for prevention, for your child and for you.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Diabetes overview, type 1

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Diabetes is a disease that can hit at any time of life from childhood to old age.  It can be a scary diagnosis, and it’s certainly not one a parent wants to hear.  Even so, new medical advances are constantly being made that can limit the bad effects of diabetes, and early diagnosis and treatment are always important.

Diabetes is not uncommon among children and teens.  According to the National Institutes of Health (and the National Diabetes Education Program—NDEP) article from which we have drawn much of the information for today’s blog, “About 208,000 young people in the US under age 20 had diabetes in 2012.”  Those numbers are growing.

The disease is classified into two categories, called type 1 and type 2.  Both types mean there is an elevated glucose (sugar) level in the blood, which is caused by problems with insulin production in the pancreas, and/or how that insulin acts on the body.

Type 1 diabetes, though only 5% of all diabetes cases, accounts for nearly all diagnoses in children under age 10.  It’s actually an autoimmune disease, in which the child’s own immune system destroys the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin.  (Insulin is the hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, including sugars, and fats.)

Usually, symptoms of type 1 diabetes don’t appear until the disease has destroyed most of the beta cells.  According to the same article cited above, “Early symptoms, which are mainly due to hyperglycemia, include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, and blurred vision. Children also may feel very tired.”  If you are suspicious that your child has type 1 diabetes, seek medical attention immediately.

So far, there is no cure, but type 1 diabetes is managed through careful monitoring of blood sugar levels, and insulin administration by pump or injection.  The amount and timing of insulin doses is determined by taking into account food and beverage intake, physical activity, and the presence of any illness.  This management must be under the care of a physician who understands diabetes.

There are many ongoing studies into type 1 diabetes.  Perhaps in the not-too-distant future there will be a cure, or at least a way of pre-determining who is at risk and finding ways to treat the disease before it has destroyed the body’s ability to produce its own insulin.  The future is promising.

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

Fifth disease: What is it? When to call the doctor.

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Fifth disease was given its name because it’s the fifth in a list of viruses that can cause rashes in children (the other four are chicken pox, rubella, measles and roseola). Its other name is Parvovirus B19. This might sound a little scary to you, since you may have heard of a canine parvovirus that is very serious for dogs. While in the same family as the canine virus, Parvovirus B19 is only a human virus and cannot be transmitted either from dogs to people or from people to dogs. In children, Parvovirus B19—fifth disease—is relatively common and generally quite benign.

 

Fifth disease in children is not usually dangerous, unless the child has anemia or an autoimmune disease. It’s contagious through the droplets of coughing and sneezing or through saliva (or from a pregnant mother to her fetus), and can show up 4 to14 days after exposure. Frequent hand washing is the best way to reduce the spread of viruses.

 

The first symptoms are similar to those of a cold: runny nose; mild fever; itching; soreness; headache. A few children experience achy joints.

 

After a week or so, a red rash may appear on the cheeks. It may, over the next few days, also appear on the torso and arms, buttocks and thighs. Within another week, the rash will likely fade. It might return, even months later, when the child gets overheated. By the time the rash appears, the child is no longer contagious.

 

When should you call our office? If your child has anemia, especially sickle cell anemia, or an autoimmune condition, call right away. Fifth disease can be dangerous for these patients. Also, if your child develops joint swelling or if symptoms worsen over time instead of improving, call us.

 

In normal cases, we treat symptoms with acetaminophen to reduce fever, or antihistamines to control itching. However, sickle cell patients and some others may need to be hospitalized because the blood counts can be seriously compromised. A pregnant woman with fifth disease should also be seen by a physician, because serious complications can occur.

 

Most of the information in this article came from the American Academy of Pediatrics article on the subject, which you can read here.

 

Fifth disease is more common late winter through spring, so you may want to keep an eye out for it this time of year. The good news is that most children will develop only mild symptoms that will go away without treatment.

 

 

 

© MBS Writing Services, 2015, all rights reserved

 

 

Should we go gluten-free?

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“Gluten-Free” is the new catchword for “healthy diet,” or so it would seem if you read grocery store labels.  Do gluten-free foods really make your family healthier?  It’s not always a simple answer.

Just what is gluten?  It’s a protein found in wheat and some other grains.  Why do some people avoid gluten?  There are several reasons.

Less than 1% of the population cannot eat gluten because they have celiac disease.  According to the National Institutes of Health page on the subject, “celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.”  It can be diagnosed as early as infancy or at any later time, and you can find a list of symptoms here from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The only way to get relief from those symptoms is to completely eliminate gluten from the diet, a task that isn’t easy because so many products contain wheat flour.

Others think that a gluten-free diet makes them feel better, though that could simply be because they are eating fewer carbohydrates and calorie-laden fast foods.

Still others believe that gluten contributes to behavioral problems or may even have a link to autism.  Those ideas remain unproven, but there is a great article here.

Gluten-free advocates often tout a huge list of health benefits that are completely without scientific basis.

Celiac disease cannot be diagnosed without specific tests.  If it’s something you suspect your child may have, talk to your pediatrician.  And if you have to put your child on a gluten-free diet, you need to speak to a dietician about what nutrients you may be missing in the process.  Don’t forget that our office has a dietician on staff for just this type of consultation.

Bottom line:  there’s nothing wrong with eating gluten-free foods, but don’t go totally gluten-free without consulting your pediatrician.

 

© 2014, MBS Writing Services, all rights reserved