Health Wikipedia

Many parents often wonder why their babies drool or why they drool more than some of others? Is there anything that can be done for these babies? Is excessive drooling harmful or is it just a symptom of other clinical conditions?

Drooling means saliva coming out from mouth. Typically infants do not have the ability to swallow saliva efficiently. Until their muscles in the head, face, mouth, jaw and neck develop, infants tend to drool or salivate.

By the time a baby is between 4 to 6 months old they gain better head and neck control, and they can handle better their secretions. At this time, parents expect their babies’ drooling to diminish, but unfortunately it tends to continue due to teething. Six months is the average age for the first tooth eruption. Care for drooling due to teething includes good oral hygiene. Take care to avoid choking when a child uses any of these objects.

Besides teething, excess salivation or drooling may be due to helminthic infestations. In that case, children have to take anti-helmihthic drugs.

Fungal infection is other major cause of drooling. In such case, nystatin drop or miconazole oral gel is the solution.

Other causes of drooling includes nausea, mouth sores, an abnormality of the airway, protruded tongue, pain in the throat or certain infections. Cerebral palsy or developmental delay is one of the major cause of drooling.

Occasionally, a child does not develop muscle tone and coordination with age as expected. Instead they develop hypotonia or low muscle tone which results in symptoms such as delayed speech development, persistent drooling, problems in feeding, difficulty with the introduction of new foods and difficulty drinking from a cup. Children with these symptoms should be evaluated by their doctors.

Parents can help their baby develop and improve his oral motor skills by allowing him to suck. All babies have a natural need to suck during the first 6 months of life and parents can help satisfy this need through the use of a pacifier. Some parents are cautious about introducing a pacifier because they are afraid that it will become a habit. But it will not become a habit if you discontinue the pacifier at 6 months of age when an infant naturally overcomes the need to suck.

If baby develop a sudden onset of drooling or excess salivation along with difficulty feeding, labored breathing, stridor (a high pitched inspiratory sound), changes in the sound of his cry, a weak cry, insufficient weight gain, irritability, fever, mouth sores or developmental delay, this would call for an evaluation by child specialist as soon as possible, although these occur rarely.

It is normal for newborns to drool. If a baby is seemingly healthy like eating well, gaining weight, free from respiratory symptoms and without fever there is no need to be concerned.

Do you know when to be concerned about your child’s weight? Of course, all children gain weight as they grow older. But extra pounds — more than what is needed to support their growth and development — can lead to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents.

It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Causes
Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little.

Children, unlike adults, need extra nutrients and calories to fuel their growth and development. But children who eat more calories than needed gain weight beyond what is required to support their growing bodies.

Risk factors
Many factors — usually working in combination — increase your child’s risk of becoming overweight like diet, inactivity, genetics, psychological factors, family factors, socioeconomic factors and so on.

When to seek medical advice
Not all children carrying extra pounds are overweight or obese. Some children have larger than average body frames. And children normally carry different amounts of body fat at the various stages of development. So you might not know just by looking at your child if his or her weight is a health concern.

If you are worried that your child is putting on too much weight, talk to a physician. S/he will evaluate if your child’s weight is in an unhealthy range.

Complications
Obese children can develop serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, often carrying these conditions into an obese adulthood.

Overweight children are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, High blood pressure, Asthma and other respiratory problems, Sleep disorders, Liver disease, Early puberty or menarche, Eating disorders, Skin infections

The social and emotional fallout also can hurt your child, especially resulted in low self-esteem and bullying, behavior and learning problems and depression.

Healthy eating
Parents are the ones who buy the food, cook the food and decide where the food is eaten. Even small changes can make a big difference in your child’s health.

* When buying groceries, choose fruits and vegetables over convenience foods high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available. And never use food as a reward or punishment.

* Limit sweetened beverages, including those containing fruit juice. These drinks provide little nutritional value in exchange for their high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier foods.

* Sit down together for family meals. Make it an event — a time to share news and tell stories. Discourage eating in front of a screen, such as a television, computer or video game. This leads to fast eating and lowered awareness of how much you are eating.

* Limit the number of times you eat out, especially at fast-food restaurants. Many of the menu options are high in fat and calories.

Physical activity
A critical component of weight loss, especially for children, is physical activity. It not only burns calories but also builds strong bones and muscles and helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day. Such habits established in childhood help adolescents maintain healthy weight despite the hormonal changes, rapid growth and social influences that often lead to overeating. And active children are more likely to become fit adults.

To increase your child’s activity level:

* Limit recreational screen time to fewer than two hours a day.

* Emphasise activity, not exercise.

* Find activities your child likes to do.

* If you want an active child, be active yourself.

* Vary the activities.

Prevention
Whether your child is at risk of becoming overweight or currently at a healthy weight, you can take proactive measures to get or keep things on the right track.

* Schedule yearly well-child visits. Take your child to the doctor for well-child checkups at least once a year.

* Set a good example. Make sure you eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to maintain your weight. Then, invite your child to join you.

* Avoid food-related power struggles with your child.

* Emphasise the positive. Encourage a healthy lifestyle by highlighting the positive — the fun of playing outside or the variety of fresh fruit you can get year-round, for example.

* Be patient. Many overweight children grow into their extra pounds as they get taller. Realise, too, that an intense focus on your child’s eating habits and weight can easily backfire, leading a child to overeat even more, or possibly making him or her more prone to developing an eating disorder.

Coping and support
Parents play a crucial role in helping children who are obese feel loved and in control of their weight. Take advantage of every opportunity to build your child’s self-esteem.

Consider the following advice:

* Find reasons to praise your child’s efforts.

* Talk to your child about his or her feelings. Help your child find ways to deal with his or her emotions that don’t involve eating.

* Help your child focus on positive goals.

Is your child free from polio? Polio (also called poliomyelitis) is a contagious, historically devastating disease that has plagued humans since ancient times. It is catastrophic for the individual and heartbreaking for the family.

Most polio victims are children under five years of age. A portion of the victims die or become permanently crippled. It is the main cause of childhood paralysis in South-East Asia. But only two drops of polio vaccine can prevent this serious disease.

In order to eliminate polio and create awareness about polio, National Immunisation Day will be observed in Bangladesh today. On this day children over 5 years of age will receive oral polio vaccine.

Polio virus can strike at any age, but affects mainly children under five. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

Once established in the intestines, poliovirus can enter the blood stream and invade the central nervous system — spreading along nerve fibres. As it multiplies, the virus destroys nerve cells (motor neurons) which activate muscles. These nerve cells cannot be regenerated and the affected muscles no longer function. The muscles of the legs are affected more often than the arm muscles. The limb becomes floppy and lifeless – a condition known as acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). More extensive paralysis, involving the trunk and muscles of the thorax and abdomen, can result in quadriplegia. In the most severe cases (bulbar polio), poliovirus attacks the motor neurons of the brain stem — reducing breathing capacity and causing difficulty in swallowing and speaking. Without respiratory support, bulbar polio can result in death.

Amongst those paralysed, 5%-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilised. Although polio paralysis is the most visible sign of polio infection, fewer than 1% of polio infections ever result in paralysis. Poliovirus can spread widely before cases of paralysis are seen.

As most people infected with poliovirus have no signs of illness, they are never aware they have been infected. After initial infection with poliovirus, the virus is shed intermittently in faeces (excrement) for several weeks. During that time, polio can spread rapidly through the community Poliovirus is spread through person-to-person, fecal-oral contact. Where hygiene and sanitation are poor, young children are especially at risk.

Young children who are not yet toilet-trained are a ready source of transmission, regardless of their environment. Polio can be spread when food or drink is contaminated by faeces. There is also evidence that flies can passively transfer poliovirus from faeces to food.

There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented through immunisation. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. Full immunisation will markedly reduce an individual’s risk of developing paralytic polio. Full immunisation will protect most people, however individuals can still contract the disease due to the failure of some individuals to respond to the vaccine.

Dr Abu Sayeed Shimul…