Consultant for Pediatricians Vol 7 No 1

An 11-year-old girl was brought to the emergency department (ED) after 3 days of intermittent, dull, nonradiating left lower abdominal pain. She also had 3 episodes of nonbloody, nonbilious emesis in the 2 days before presentation. Three days earlier, the patient had been vaccinated against influenza and varicella by her pediatrician.

If you are a regular reader of this journal, you've probably enjoyed articles on a number of topics that were written by Dr Linda S. Nield. I'm pleased to announce that Dr Nield has recently joined the editorial board of Consultant For Pediatricians, and I would like to extend to her a warm welcome.

With the banning of peanut butter and jelly from some school cafeterias, peanut allergies have become a popular topic in the media and the public. Discussions often include references to an increasing prevalence of allergies, as well as to an earlier emergence of those allergies in children.

A 10-year-old boy presented with a persistent rash that began several months earlier as recurrent crops of papules and a few vesicles with crusting. Varicella was initially diagnosed, and the patient was treated unsuccessfully with over-the-counter drying lotions. The patient denied systemic symptoms and pruritus and was in his usual state of health otherwise. Review of systems, family history, and social history were unremarkable. There was no history of travel or new exposures during this period.

1. The chest radiographs (Figure 1) of a 9-year-old child reflect the classic findings of a particular disease. Among other findings, the size of the patient's heart is_____?

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) released its Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma--Full Report, in August 2007.1 The EPR-3 is the fourth iteration of the guidelines, which were first released in 1991 (EPR-1), revised in 1997 (EPR-2), and partially revised in 2002 (Update on Selected Topics). For the first time since their inception, the guidelines include separate recommendations specific to children aged 0 to 4 years and 5 to 11 years. Table 1 highlights the key differences between the 1997 EPR-2 guidelines and the 2007 EPR-3 guidelines regarding treatment of pediatric asthma.

The mother of this school-aged girl is concerned that her child has a fungal infection in her fingernails and that the nails are destroyed forever. Your examination reveals that all 20 of her nail plates are affected similarly.

A 3-week-old boy was referred for evaluation of suspected herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in the inguinal and pelvic regions. The rash had reportedly worsened since its appearance 2 days earlier and was associated with a foul smell.

ABSTRACT: Routine screening for eye disease at all well-child visits should begin in the newborn period. Prompt ophthalmological referral of patients with strabismus or any suspected eye disease is essential to determine the underlying cause, optimize treatment, and preserve binocular vision.