Diseases & Conditions
Pertussis Is Actually Still Alive and Well
I have spoken with several parents who believed that pertussis, or whooping cough, is a disease of the past. Nevertheless, it is a common cause of chronic cough illness in adults and older children. I…
How Many Infections Are Too Many?
Is the immune system okay? AIDS is the most famous disease affecting the immune system, but there are more than 70 different immunodeficiency diseases that are not caused by viruses. Together they aff…
The Future for Children with Tourette’s
The most common question I'm asked by parents whose children have Tourette's syndrome is "What will happen when they get older?" The fear is that they will progress to become like the caricatures seen…
Does Your Child Really Have ADHD?
Rates of diagnosing ADHD in some school and medical settings are still 300% higher than in others, according to an article in the March 2001 electronic issue of Pediatrics. Some children are labeled a…
Asthma, Diabetes Related?
Children with type 1 diabetes are less likely to get asthma, eczema, or hayfever. And the reverse is true, that those with asthma, eczema, or hayfever are less likely to get type 1 diabetes. (more&hel…
Prevent Meningitis
One evening a child has a high fever, a severe headache, and a stiff neck. It might be just the flu -- or it might be meningococcal meningitis. This devastating disease, though still uncommon, has bee…
Dangers of Parental Smoking
Dr. Greene's take on parental smoking... (hint: don't do it!) A study in the August 2000 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that parents who smoke increase the risk of meningococcal m…
Asthma Treatment
Nebulizer machines were once the mainstay of asthma treatment for those with serious asthma, but they are gradually being replaced in the management of asthma in adults, and then in older children. A …
CDC Recommends Routine Hepatitis A Vaccine For All Children
In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended routine Hepatitis A vaccination for children in high-risk areas. Hepatitis A is a serious, debilitating disease that can be sp…
Cancer – Compassion for Dying Children
Tremendous strides have been made in treating children with cancer. I remember the time when most children with cancer died from their illness -- now most live. But we must not ignore those who are st…
Could a rise in cases of Pyloric stenosis be linked to erythromycin?
Spitting up is common in babies, but a few infants can hardly keep anything down. When the valve at the bottom of the stomach gets too tight, we call it pyloric stenosis, a condition that affects abou…
Inborn Errors of Metabolism
Dr. Greene's take on inborn errors of metabolism... Some of my most heart-rending experiences as a physician and as a friend have been watching the devastation caused by inborn errors of metabolism. T…
Fast Facts about Diabetes
A fasting blood sugar at or above 126 mg/dL or a random blood sugar at or above 200 mg/dL is diagnostic of diabetes, according to the official American Diabetes Association definition. (more…)…
Does RSV Cause Asthma?
In the Northern Hemisphere it's the season for respiratory illnesses. Children with RSV bronchiolitis usually wheeze. Often these same children go on to develop asthma. My hunch has been that RSV does…
Dilemma in Treating Cancer During Pregnancy
How tragic to be expecting a child - one of life's great joys - and to discover that you have breast cancer. This nightmare happens during about one in 3,500 pregnancies. We know that chemotherapy wor…
Exercise Helping Children With Underlying Medical Condition
When children have an underlying medical condition, it is easy for parents and others to treat them as fragile. At the 1999 American College of Rheumatology meeting in Boston, experts reported that ch…
Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency (OTC)
A Quiet Salute. Devastating genetic diseases are sometimes hardwired into children. One such condition called OTC makes the protein that should fuel growth into a dangerous, toxic substance for these …
Pain Control Methods
I'm excited about the growing demand for treating pain and distress in children undergoing medical procedures. A survey in the October 1999 edition of Pediatric News reported that half of parents stil…
Emergency Medical Test for Appendicitis
Your child is doubled over in pain. Concern has brought you both to the Emergency Room, but after initial evaluation, the situation still isn't clear. Is this appendicitis or not? An exciting report i…
Fasting Before Surgery
One of the unpleasant aspects of my son's operation was not allowing him to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. He was too young to understand - especially when the start time of the…