Common Diseases

Arrival of a new baby in the family is no doubt a matter of great joy for the family. But all along the joys, happiness, fun, that the baby brings in with him, there are situations when the same bundle of joy becomes a strong demand for the parents.

This happens when the baby is ill and demands excessive care and look after.

This is a situation which is actually very painful for the parents. This is because they cannot see there new born ever in pain. There are a number of diseases that are common in small babies. The causes that lead to them are a lot many , so parents are required to know a great deal about these diseases, their causes as well as the cures. So, below you can find a detailed list of the disease that can attack the small wonder.

1.COLIC

It comes as a surprise to hear that colic is an extremely common ailment with new born babies, yet has no definition. By experience it has been defined in the simplest of terms as "excessive crying of undetermined origin in an infant". The crying which is extremely excessive in nature continues for more than 3 hours a day. Colic generally develops anytime between the second and the fourth week after birth.

SYMPTOMS

• Non stop crying that exceeds 30 minutes , looks as if the baby is in intolerable pain.
• It is extremely hard for the parents to console the infant.
• The infant looses his sleep.
• It looks as if the baby is starving and followed by vigorous sucking for some seconds .Very quickly will give out the nipple and screams.
• Raises his/her legs and passes out a a lot of gas.
• Stomach looks blown up by gas.

CAUSES

What causes Colic? Answer to this question is not a well defined one. There are a number of interpretations made in this regard, based on the experiences.

• Some relate Colic to mismanagement of diet.
• Some infants develop the ailment as they have a sensitivity to full cream milk protein, as he/she has a lactose intolerance. A baby who is breast fed can also suffer from colic because of sensitive to a particular food in mother's diet.
• Some regard Colic as a sign or symptom for another medical ailment like , Hernia. So, if your baby shows signs of colic, make it a point to visit the doctor for any illness.

CURE

• If the colic is caused by lactose intolerance or any kind of allergy due to food, try to change the diet contents of the baby .
• Mothers who are breast feeding their infants can cure colic by making some changes in their diets. These changes can be like avoiding dairy products and foods that cause gas and acidity like cabbage, garlic and onions.
• In case of babies who are fed on bottles, colic can be cured by switching on to a milk-free or lactose-free formula.

CONSTIPATION

Constipation is a condition that is characterized by infrequent bowel movements, difficulty in passing stool and the stool becomes dry and hard. This problem is common among children but is usually temporary.

SYMPTOMS

• Infrequent bowel movement.
• Difficulty and pain while passing stool.
• Extreme abdominal pain.
• Hard and dry stool.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• If you notice clay- like, liquid or solid stool in the infant's underwear, then it is a sign of stool being pushed back into the rectum.

CAUSES

• Muscles at the end of the large intestine tend to tighten up and thus make the stool movement difficult and extremely painful for the infant.
• Inadequate consumption of fluids can lead to constipation.
• Deficiency of fiber content in the the diet of older babies can also lead to constipation. CURE
• If your baby is on a breast feed, then make sure that you prepare the formula by perfectly according to the instructions. Any variation in the amount of water and can lead to constipation.
• The child should be given enough of fluids, especially in summers in order to make up for the water lost in perspiration.
• Try and include fiber rich diet in the diet of the child, as it will smoothen the bowel movements.
• In some cases , child may require an enema to remove the stool.
• A laxative also proves to be helpful in some cases as it softens the stool and prevents future episodes. Make sure that the laxatives are given only with the doctor's permission as laxatives can be harmful for children.

COW'S MILK ALLERGY

It is a disorder where the infant's immune system is characterized by a defective or excessive reaction to the protein present in the cow's milk. CMA or Cow's Milk Allergy is generally noticed in babies in the first moth after the birth.

SYMPTOMS

• Colic,Vomiting,Diarrhea
• Sometimes symptoms like chronic cough, nasal stuffiness, breathing difficulties, runny nose or wheezing are also noticed.
• CMA can also be detected as the cause of a rash on the mouth and chin, eczema, hives, itching and swelling. There are some more symptoms as well that come into view gradually. These are
• Loose stools (possibly containing blood)
• Colic,
• Failure to gain weight and grow normally.

CURE:

Breast-Fed Child

If a child who is on a breast milk diet, is diagnosed to be suffering from Cow's Milk Allergy, then do not stop breastfeeding he baby. Rather try and eliminate, dairy products from your own diet. Consult your doctor to get a healthy, dairy free diet for your self.

Formula-Fed Child

If you are feeding your baby on a formula diet and he/she is diagnosed to be allergic to Cow's milk then you will be recommended by the doctor to change over to either to SOY-BASED formula or HYDROLYSATE formulas. It is necessary to eliminate cow's milk protein, so simply switching on to another brand of formula will not help. In severe cases the baby is prescribed to have special medicines together with a protein free diet.

DIARRHOEA

It is an ailment opposite to constipation in nature. Here the bowel movement of the child turns to loose. It is characterized by more frequent watery stools. The stools are as frequent as 8-10 times in a day.

SYMPTOMS

• Loose Stools
• Frequent bowel movements.
• Loss of appetite
• Crampy tummy pains
• High temperature (fever)
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headache

CAUSES

• Diarrhoea is generally caused due to an injury caused to the inner lining of the intestine. Due to the damage caused to the intestine,the nutrients do not get properly digested resulting into loose stools.
• In infants it is generally caused due the action of virus, known as "rota virus".
• Things like parasitic infections, bacteria or food poisoning can also become the causes of Diarrhoea.
• A number of times food or milk allergy together with side effects from medications like some antibiotics can cause diarrhoea as well.

CONSEQUENCE

Excessive diarrhoea in children can lead to loss of water from the body. This is known as Dehydration. In such a case contact your doctor.

• Symptoms of mild dehydration.
• Appears lethargic and tired.
• Passes urine less frequently.
• Mouth turns dry.
• Tears while crying get reduced. Other than these , there are certain symptoms of severe Dehydration, that require immediate attention of the doctor. These are:
• Excessive sleepiness
• Increased fussiness
• Eyes get sunken
• hands and feet get cold and show signs of discoloration.
• Skin gets wrinkled.
• Does not pass urine for long intervals.

PREVENTION

• Make it a point to provide the infant with clean drinking water.
• Maintain hygienic and safe sanitation conditions.
• Mothers should make it a point to feed the infants exclusively on breast milk.
• Proper following of improved and hygienic weaning practices.
• Special attention should be given towards immunization.
• Mothers should wash her own as well as the baby's hands frequently, specially before touching food.

CURE

Some home remedies that can work towards making the child's situation some what better are;

• A lot of water from the body is lost during diarrhoea, so it is required to replenish the lost salts and water. So to do this mothers are required to give oral re hydration solution (ORS).
• In case your baby is being fed on bottle, give him ORS 3-4 hours and then resume to the old feed.
• As far as the babies fed on breast milk are concerned, make it a point to increase the number of feeds.
• Also, give the babies ORS, after every dirty nappy. Lactose Intolerance It is a disease common in infants. This disease is caused due to the deficiency of lactase, an enzyme required by the body in order to digest lactose. Now the next question coming into your mind must be as to what is Lactose?? lactose is a carbohydrate present in cow,s milk and formulas based on cow's milk.

SYMPTOMS

• Watery Diarrhoea
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• gas
• NOTE: The symptoms become clear within 30 to 60 minutes of intake of cow's milk or cow's milk formula.

CURE

• Lactose intolerance cannot be cured or treatment cannot be begun solely on the basis of symptoms, as the same symptoms can be seen in other ailments as well. So the treatment can only begin once the doctor goes through all the necessary tests to confirm Lactose Intolerance.
• It is a practice to either totally remove the lactose content completely from the child's diet or reduce the content.
• In place of cow's milk diet, soy formulas can work as a healthy alternative.

JAUNDICE

Jaundice is an ailment which is very common among the infants. It is usually caused due to the inability of the liver to throw out a chemical called bilirubin, from the body.

SYMPTOMS

• Change in the color of the skin to Yellow, first on the face and scalp. tinge to the skin, usually appearing first on the skin of the face and scalp.
• Change in color of white parts of the eye to yellow.
• Child remains drowsy and lethargic.
• There are difficulties in feeding.
• Light-colored faeces and dark urine.

CAUSES

• There are some enzymes present in breast milk, which lead to 'breast milk jaundice'.
• A baby who has born anaemic, is more exposed to the dangers of jaundice.
• High levels of milk sugar can lead to cirrhosis of the liver which in turn lead to jaundice.
• Sometimes the bile ducts in the body of the child get destroyed and bile accumulates within the liver and this accumulation often leads to jaundice.

CURE

The cure of Jaundice in babies can only follow once all the tests and diagnosis have been made. Some of the tests that are done include:

• Physical examination
• Blood tests
• Ultrasound scans
• Liver biopsy
• Exploratory surgery.