Disease And Illness
Babies are prone to a host of diseases and are more susceptible to them than adults. The tender being of an infant makes him/her susceptible to various kinds of problems and illnesses. Both mother and father need to keep a track of any unusual symptom, which might be irritating the child. Parents need to be a keen observer of baby's activities, so that they can narrate the symptoms correctly and accurately to the doctor. Parents should never take a chance with the health of a toddler.
Some of the common infant illnesses are as follows:
• Colds - Babies succumb to colds several times in their first years. In general, they are affected by viral infections during the changing seasons. Cold in children cause a lot of irritation; it leads to the swelling of the membranes of nose and their respiratory passages. The best way would be to consult with physician. Cold and cough are generally treated using antibiotics.
• Constipation - Most babies suffer from constipation when they start eating solid foods. This is generally due to lack of balanced diet and not enough liquids intake. Constipation is quite common among children and normally cures itself and is not to be worried about. However, chronic constipation in a child certainly needs medical attention.
• Diarrhea - Diarrhea leads to frequent and watery bowel movements. The condition is more common in babies than in adults. This can be caused due to a viral infection, bacterial infection, allergy or medication. The dangerous thing is that diarrhea can lead to dehydration. So, proper liquid supplement to be given to the child in such a case.
• Ear Infections - Ear infections are one of the most common diseases in infants and children. Ear infections are often a result of accumulation of fluid in the middle ear that results in growth of germs. It may also be caused by viruses or due to cold. It is often, caused due to accumulation of fluid in the middle ear that results in growth of germs. In an ear infection, fluid fills in the middle ear, which is very painful when it presses against the eardrum.
• Fever - Fever is nothing to worry about itself. It just indicates that there is something wrong with the body.
• Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) - GERD happens, because the circular band of muscle that acts, as a valve between the esophagus and the stomach is still immature in babies. This lets the acidic stomach contents regurgitate back into the esophagus, causing pain. This is a common ailment among the infants and the result is that the baby 'spits up'.
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) - This viral infection is really serious and pretty common in early infancy too. A leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness, it can cause pneumonia, bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways of the lungs) and croup. The disease usually begins in the fall and runs into the spring season. RSV is a highly contagious disease and spreads by touching, kissing or even shaking hands with the infected person.
• Food Allergies - Babies usually get food allergy by consuming a food directly or through nursing, where they may become allergic to something moms may have eaten.
• Vomiting - Normally, babies bring up a little mild, after feeding. This condition is known as 'Possetting'. However, if the baby brings up the entire meal, it is worrisome as the cause then is a virus and needs to be treated immediately.
