Three myths in paediatrics
Have you ever heard these phrases or said them yourself? "The child has such yellow snot, it's probably something bacterial!" "The urine smells so bad, it's probably a urinary tract infection!" "The child is coughing so badly, it must be pneumonia!" You hear all these sentences over and over again and they are all, you guessed it, rubbish.
Firstly, the colour of snot or other secretions that run out of the child's nose or eyes does not indicate whether viruses or bacteria are the cause. Snot can be watery, yellowish or greenish in colour - the decisive factor is the overall condition of the child. These secretions usually contain various viruses and bacteria, but this plays no role in whether or not antibiotic treatment is given.
Secondly, urine can smell for countless reasons. Very often it smells because it is a little too concentrated, i.e. it has not been drunk enough. The odour alone is absolutely not an indication of a urinary tract infection. There are certain physical symptoms and a urinary tract infection requiring treatment also requires a certain poor general condition.
Thirdly, there are perhaps a few real medical freaks who have a mega-well-trained ear and who can make a suspected diagnosis of pneumonia based on the sound of the cough. In general, however, the sound of the cough is completely meaningless when it comes to diagnosing pneumonia (unlike asthma or croup, for example). A child can be almost completely healthy and have a loose, mucousy cough that sounds terrible. However, a child can also have very severe pneumonia and barely have a cough or a completely unremarkable coughing sound.
The bottom line is that all three sentences belong in the realm of myths. They have no validity and are not helpful in assessing your child's state of health.
Further interesting tips
Reading - a real superpower!
Today is the nationwide Read Aloud Day. And I don't think I need to say too much more about the great importance of reading aloud. Reading is a real superpower for children. Hence the tip, the advice, the request: Take today as an opportunity to read something really nice to your child again.
Doctor's visit not necessary
Don't worry, we don't want to put anyone off. On the contrary. Everyone is welcome. We are always happy to see you again. Even if the occasion is often not a particularly good one. Nevertheless, we want to help you to know when a visit to the paediatrician's surgery is not necessary. To make life a little easier for you and us.
Meningococcus I
Infections with meningococci (bacteria that can cause dangerous meningitis, for example) are fortunately very rare and fortunately we can also do a lot to prevent them with vaccinations (more on this in Part II).