8.15: Illnesses and Conditions in Childhood

Childhood illnesses and conditions can impede the quality of life of children. An understanding and access to healthcare can improve children's lives significantly.

Vision and Hearing

The most common vision problem in middle childhood is being nearsighted, otherwise known as Myopia. 25% of children will be diagnosed by the end of middle childhood. Being nearsighted can be corrected by wearing glasses with corrective lenses.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Children need to receive eye exams as part of their regular well child visits.[1]

Children may have many ear infections in early childhood, but it’s not as common within the 6-12 year age range. Numerous ear infections during middle childhood may lead to headaches and migraines, which may result in hearing loss.[2]

Diabetes in Childhood

Los and Wilt (2023) describe childhood onset diabetes (Type 1 diabetes) as an autoimmune condition where individuals (often between 5 to puberty) are diagnosed with high blood and urine sugar levels because their bodies are not producing enough insulin to allow their body cells to use the sugar they ingest.  The diagnosis often involves symptoms that include major weight loss, peeing a lot, and drinking a lot of water.  If diagnosis is delayed, other symptoms, even life threatening ones can result.  While there is no cure, treatment involves managing insulin levels for the rest of one's life through testing, medication and careful diet adjustments.

While type 2 diabetes used to be called adult onset diabetes there are more diagnoses of this type as well in children now.  This type is related to overweight and high sugar intake.

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The finger-prick test is used to measure blood sugar and anemia.[4]

Asthma

Childhood asthma that is unmanaged may make it difficult for children to develop to their fullest potential. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. In the United States, more than 25 million people are known to have asthma. About 7 million of these people are children.

To understand asthma, it helps to know how the airways work. The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma have inflamed airways. The inflammation makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. The airways tend to react strongly to certain inhaled substances. When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This narrows the airways, causing less air to flow into the lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways might make more mucus than usual. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow the airways. This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms. Symptoms can happen each time the airways are inflamed.

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Figure A shows the location of the lungs and airways in the body. Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal airway. Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms when airways are blocked, tightened muscles constrict airways and airway walls are inflamed or thickened with mucus.[5]

Sometimes asthma symptoms are mild and go away on their own or after minimal treatment with asthma medicine. Other times, symptoms continue to get worse. When symptoms get more intense and/or more symptoms occur, you're having an asthma attack. Asthma attacks also are called flare-ups or exacerbations (eg-zas-er-BA-shuns).

Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): The different things that can trigger asthma include stress, anger, pollution, strong odors, smoke, dust, fungus spores, cold air, chemical fumes, bugs in the home, pollen, exercise and pets.[6

Treating symptoms when you first notice them is important. This will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing a severe asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal. Asthma has no cure. Even when you feel fine, you still have the disease and it can flare up at any time.

However, with today's knowledge and treatments, most people who have asthma are able to manage the disease. They have few, if any, symptoms. They can live normal, active lives and sleep through the night without interruption from asthma. If you have asthma, you can take an active role in managing the disease. For successful, thorough, and ongoing treatment, build strong partnerships with your doctor and other health care providers.[7]

References:

Los, E. & Wilt, A. S. (2023). Type 1 Diabetes in Children.  StatPearls: NIH.

Attributions:

Child Growth and Development by Jennifer Paris, Antoinette Ricardo, and Dawn Rymond, 2019, is licensed under CC BY 4.0

[1] Image is in the public domain

[2] Rathus, Spencer A. (2011). Childhood & adolescence voyages in development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

[3] Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases by the is in the public domain

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes - Steps Toward a Healthier Life by the National Institutes of Health is in the public domain

[4] Image by the U.S. Army is in the public domain

[5] Image by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is in the public domain

[6] Image by 7mike5000 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (image modified by adding content from a video by the CDC, which is in the public domain)

[7] Asthma by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is in the public domain