Like many pediatricians, I find that children, and even teens, often have a severe, phobia-like fear of the throat swab necessary for a strep test. To calm the patient, I say, “we are doing the strep test in a new way today.” Then I make a fairly big production of twisting the swab between my fingers until the cotton fluffs up a bit. I tell the child that the modified swab will prevent a choking sensation and instead produce more of a “sweeping” feeling. With younger children, I add that mice, like the ones they see in cartoons, use a similar “broom” for sweeping. Most children give me an amused or befuddled look and let me do the test with few, if any, tears.
Raymond O’Toole, MD
Bridgeville, Pa.
Pediatric patients with uveitis at elevated risk of cataracts, study finds
July 24th 2024Risk for cataract development was assessed at specific follow-up durations of 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 20 years following the index date, with an increased risk of cataracts development among patients aged younger than 18 years present at each time point.