When does a child need treatment?
Recently we have been asked more often: "What is actually a good reason to come to the practice with my child?" The answer is not that difficult ...
Firstly, we are of course happy to take a look at any child whose parents are concerned. However, we can give you, dear parents, a few tips and guiding thoughts on when a visit to the paediatric practice is necessary and when it is not.
The most important thing when assessing a child is their general condition. You can't say anything about individual symptoms such as vomiting, fever or diarrhoea. It is never the decisive criterion whether a child has vomited two or four times, had one or four thin stools or has a temperature of 38.2 or 38.6. It is always about the following three aspects:
What does the child look like? Is it reasonably well perfused, does it have a good facial colour?
Is the child drinking properly?
And most importantly, does it appear apathetic and/or lethargic?
The child may be tired and sleepy, but it must respond when you want something from it. It should be interested in a book or a DVD and it must have phases in which it runs around the house, etc.
Parents must always realise this: When a child gets seriously ill, the first thing the body does is switch into energy-saving mode. And to move less.
Therefore, especially now that winter is approaching and we already have a wave of infections in early autumn: If your child is only coughing, only has a cold, has a few gastrointestinal symptoms but is otherwise in a decent general condition, then we doctors don't need to look at the child straight away.
However, it is also important that if you have any doubts, please contact us, even if only by e-mail at first. And of course we will, want to and must always look at the child if you feel unwell about its state of health.
Further interesting tips
Polio
Recently, there have been repeated reports that poliomyelitis viruses, i.e. polio viruses, have been found in waste water in large German cities. Is there cause for concern? A categorisation.
Screaming / crying
Many parents, especially young parents, keep asking us: Why does our child cry so often / so long / so loud? Of course, there is no single answer to this question. But there are a few important things to think about.
Blood test
Parents keep asking if we would like to do a blood test on their child. There are two main things to say about this.