Category Guides

Causes of acne Acne is the name for a skin condition that develops when skin pores get blocked by dead skin cells and an oily substance called sebum . Sebum is made in the sebaceous glands, which are in skin pores on the face, neck, chest, upper back and upper arms. In adolescence, hormonal changes cause the sebaceous glands to get bigger, increase in number and make more sebum.

Causes of abrasions in children Children get abrasions all the time. This is because they like rough-and-tumble play, and they also fall over a lot. Younger children fall over because their heads are heavy in proportion to their bodies, which makes them unsteady on their feet. They also often like to climb everything they see!

What is an allergy and immunology specialist or allergist? An allergy and immunology specialist, or allergist, is a medical doctor with special training and skills in diagnosing and treating allergies and diseases of the immune system. Why your child might see an allergy specialist Your child might need to see an allergy specialist if it looks like he has allergies including food allergies, eczema, asthma, moderate to severe hay fever, or severe and potentially life-threatening non-food allergies - for example, to medications, insects or latex.

What is anaemia? Anaemia is when you don't have enough red blood cells or when the blood cells don't have enough haemoglobin. There are many causes of anaemia. Iron-deficiency anaemia Anaemia most often happens because of a lack of iron, which your body needs to make haemoglobin. This type of anaemia is known as iron-deficiency anaemia.

Causes of abscesses or boils A skin abscess is caused by infection. It's usually an infection by bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus , which can invade the skin. The body tries to stop the infection from spreading, so it collects the bacteria, white blood cells and dead tissue in one spot. This is the abscess.

What is Angelman syndrome? Angelman syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system. It causes severe developmental delay and intellectual disability. The genetic change that causes Angelman syndrome affects chromosome 15. Most children with Angelman syndrome have a 'deletion', or small piece missing, from chromosome 15.

About anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction . Anaphylaxis happens when your child comes into contact with something in the environment that he's allergic to. This thing is called an allergen. For most people it's something harmless, like food, insect stings and medications.

About autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a brain-based condition - that is, where the brain hasn't developed in a typical way. Although no two children with ASD are the same, they all have: trouble interacting and communicating with others - for example, they might not use eye contact to get someone's attention, or they can be confused by language and take things literally narrow interests - for example, they might collect only sticks or play only with cars repetitive behaviour - for example, they might make repetitive noises like grunts, throat-clearing or squealing, or do things like flicking a light switch repeatedly.

What is asthma? Children with asthma have inflammation in the small airway passages (bronchi) of their lungs. This makes their airways sensitive to triggers. Triggers are the things that bring on asthma attacks. When children come into contact with triggers, the muscles in the walls of their airway passages tighten up.

Asthma treatment: emergency action plan If your child has asthma you need an emergency action plan, regardless of how mild or severe the symptoms usually are. Severe asthma attack Here's what to do if your child has a severe asthma attack: Remain calm and sit your child down. For children aged 0-5 years , give 2-6 separate puffs from the inhaler (usually the blue one) through the spacer.

What is appendicitis? Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix - that is, the appendix gets red, swollen and irritated. The appendix is a small finger-like tube that grows out of the large bowel. Appendicitis symptoms The main symptom of appendicitis is stomach pain. Appendicitis pain usually starts in the middle of your child's stomach near his belly button.

About auditory processing disorder Children with auditory processing disorder (APD) have normal hearing, but difficulty recognising and interpreting the sounds they hear. These difficulties make it hard for children to work out what a sound is, where the sound came from and when the sound happened. And this means it's hard for children to listen properly when there's background noise or the sound is muffled.

Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed according to a checklist in the ; Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders , the DSM. In the past, the DSM categorised children with ASD as having Asperger's disorder , autistic disorder or pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

About bow legs in babies and children Bow legs happen when the bones in each of a baby's thighs and legs line up differently while the baby is growing. Most children aged 18 months to 2 years have some bow-leggedness. It's more common in babies of above-average weight. Bow legs are sometimes more noticeable when children start to walk.

Causes of bronchiolitis Bronchiolitis can be caused by many different viruses, but it's most often caused by a virus called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This virus spreads through sneezing, coughing or personal contact. Bronchiolitis symptoms When bronchiolitis starts, bronchiolitis symptoms look a bit like a cold.

Asthma symptoms: wheezing An asthma wheeze can vary from mild to severe. Some people say it sounds like a whistle. Sometimes you'll be able to hear your child's wheeze easily, usually when she's breathing out. Asthma wheezing is typically worse first thing in the morning or at night when the air is cooler.

What are bruises and bruising? If your child falls over or bumps himself against something, he might get bruises. Bruising happens when blood from damaged blood vessels builds up under the skin's surface. Children get bruises all the time , especially on their shins and other bony bits of their bodies.

How allergies happen Allergies happen when your child comes into contact with something in the environment that he's allergic to. This thing is called an allergen. It might be something that's harmless to most people, like food, dust mites or pollen. The allergen enters the body and your child's immune system reacts to it.

First aid for burns and scalds: key steps If the burn is severe or if the burn is to the child's airway, call an ambulance - phone 000. If you're not sure how severe a burn is , contact a doctor, hospital or medical centre immediately. Then take the following first aid steps: Make sure the area is safe, and there's no further risk of injury.

About a blocked tear duct Tears flow from the eye to the nose through narrow tubes called tear ducts. A blocked tear duct usually happens when the membrane inside the lower end of the tear duct, near the nose, is slow to open after a baby is born. This creates a blockage. Although the blockage is usually present from birth, it might not be obvious until your baby is around one month old.