Management of Chronic Illness in Children
At Miller Children's Subspecialty Group, we offer long-term care for patients with chronic illnesses. Despite the physical and emotional toll these conditions can take on patients and their families, we strive to provide the most effective treatment options with the least amount of interference in your child's daily life.
Our doctors are specially trained in treating chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, sickle cell anemia, HIV, cardiac disorder and many others. We work together with families to educate them on the latest disease information and train them to maintain a healthy home lifestyle. It is important for families to stay involved with treatment of chronic illnesses in order to offer support and understanding for the affected child.
Immunizations
While infants are protected from certain diseases at birth because of antibodies passed from the mother, this protection is temporary. Immunization from these diseases can be achieved through vaccination shots, which use small amounts of killed or weakened microorganisms that cause the diseases.
Some of the vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics include:
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
- Measles, mumps, rubella
- Chickenpox
- Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis
- Hepatitis A
- HPV
We offer these and other immunizations given at the recommended age for your child and will discuss with you the risks and advantages of each one.
Constipation
Constipation is a common condition that affects up to ten percent of children, although many parents never seek medical treatment for this condition. Constipation involves infrequent or hard bowel movements and may be a result of insufficient fluid consumption or a diet that does not contain enough fiber. Depending on how often your child normally has a bowel movement will determine what is considered to be "infrequent" for each individual patient. Typically, parents should seek medical attention if their child has three or less bowel movements each week and passes stools that are hard, dry and difficult to pass.
Although constipation in children can be linked to chronic conditions such as hyperthyroidism, most cases are related to diet and environmental factors. Parents can help relieve the symptoms of constipation for their child by implementing a healthy, balanced diet and encouraging children to pass stools whenever they can and avoid waiting. Laxatives are often given to help treat constipation as well.
Most cases of constipation in children can be treated without the need for long-term treatment. Parents can help prevent constipation from returning by making smart changes to the child's behavior, diet and fluid consumption. If a large amount of stool is in the colon, disimpaction may be performed to remove the stool through oral or rectal medications. Your doctor will then educate you and your child on how to prevent stools from accumulating in the future through healthy bowel habits.
Liver Diseases
The liver is an essential organ that helps fight infection, clean the blood and digest food. When damaged, it can affect any of these functions and can lead to serious problems within your child's body. There are many different types of liver disease that can affect children. Some of the most common diseases involve inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis or failure of the liver. These diseases often develop as a result of infection, poor blood supply, an obstruction in the bile flow or from metabolic liver disease.
The symptoms of liver diseases can greatly vary, but often include jaundice, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, yellow urine, itching and fatigue. Many symptoms do not appear until significant damage has already been done to the liver, making many of these diseases hard to diagnose. Your child's doctor may perform a series of tests, including biopsy, blood tests and a comprehensive metabolic panel in order to accurately diagnosis the your child's individual liver condition.
Some liver diseases can be effectively treated with medication, but most will eventually require a liver transplant to fully treat the disease. Liver transplantation is performed to treat end-stage liver disease and offer children a chance for long-term survival. It is important to note that after a transplant, children must undergo frequent blood tests and take medications to maintain the function and health of the new liver. A liver transplant should not be performed on patients with cancer or infection.
