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Q Now that summer is here, I get calls from parents asking how to keep their children from constantly scratching itchy rashes that occur during the warmer months.

In a conversation with a friend recently about my children, she said there ought to be a word or a term to describe offspring who have achieved adulthood—to distinguish them from pre-adult children. At the time, I had to agree with her, because my 18-, 21-, and 24-year-old progeny are surely no longer the small, dependent humans we usually think of as children.

Pediatric Puzzler: Fever and abdominal pain (cat-scratch disease)

Acute gastroenteritis has many possible causes but two main treatments--oral rehydration and early refeeding. Despite their proved effectiveness in preventing life-threatening dehydration from diarrhea, they are still underused.

Homeopathy: Good or bad science?/Screening for autism

The author reviews the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of a handful (and they are a handful!) of dermatologic complaints: eczema, diaper rash, scabies, lice, and alopecia areata.

Something's "going around": Skin creases on a baby's limbs (Michelin tire baby syndrome, or congenital diffuse lipomatosis)

It isn't just about skin: Atopic dermatitis affects a child's psyche. To keep the disease under control, prescribe sufficient topical corticosteroids and administer a generous dosage of reassurance.

Pediatric Puzzler is about first seizure and hypoglycemia

The war in Iraq is over, as President Bush proclaimed from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

Reporting on the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is shooting at a moving target; what follows can only be a snapshot of how things looked at the end of May, when this issue of Contemporary Pediatrics went to press.

Q My patient is an 8-year-old boy whose progress I have been following since he was born. For the past four or five years he has had only one behavior problem—but it is a severe one: He refuses to have his bowel movements on the toilet.

In the aftermath of World War II, a newly born World Health Organization defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."* More than 50 years later, despite a remarkable decline in disease-related morbidity and mortality, many children in the United States continue to suffer poor health under this definition.

Pediatric Puzzler is about first seizure and hypoglycemia

The authors take a case-based look at 10 immune disorders, and review when to suspect a primary immunodeficiency in a child with frequent infections and how to confirm the diagnosis.

New products of interest to pediatricians

Preventing the potentially irreversible effects of congenital hypothyroidism requires early recognition, prompt treatment, and constant reassessment. A screening test for hypothyroidism on all newborns is just the beginning of your role.

Few tasks are harder than telling a patient and family that they have fallen victim to a medical mistake. A forthright, sensitive approach is the best course.

Letters and comments from readers

The percentage of ethnic minorities represented in pediatric practice is on the rise. To deliver optimum health care to these patients, pediatricians should recognize and respect each family?s unique cultural beliefs.

Children's books about the body, its parts, and how it works--reviewed by Laura Jana, MD

Throat pain of 1-day's duration sent this 17-year-old boy for medical evaluation. He had no fever and no other symptoms.

After several days of suffering fever, headache, and malaise, a 17-year-old boy noticed a rash developing over much of his body. He sought medical attention and was admitted to the hospital.

A physician who practiced amid an outbreak of smallpox reviews the immunization procedure and complications.