Summer outdoor activities reach their peak. Children are overwhelmed by beaches, camping and outdoor activities, but parents need to be careful to deal with seasonal injuries and diseases. Recently Medscape published a newsletter on summer injuries and dangers, which mainly introduces the top 10 dangers most often encountered by children in summer.
Step 1: Drowning
The biggest threat to children in summer is drowning. This is also the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 5.
The pool is the most dangerous place, The number of children under the age of 5 who die from drowning is 14 times higher than that from car accidents. Even inhaling only a small amount of liquid (such as a spoon or less) can cause obvious respiratory disorders. If it is hypertonic saline, the consequences are more serious. Other organ injuries are mostly secondary to ischemic and hypoxic acidosis. If drowning occurs in chlorine-containing swimming pools, be alert to chemical pneumonia. The effects of drowning on sinuses, lungs and other rare parts may be related to soil, bacteria, amoeba and fungi inhaled into the water.
2. Diving Injury
The second biggest risk associated with water is injury caused by diving.
Injury to the cervical spine caused by diving is rare, But it can involve the spinal cord and lead to permanent disability, The incidence rate is 1%-21%, It is also common in young and healthy boys. The limitation of diving rules and the supervision of special personnel in sports events reduce the possibility of injuries. However, swimming or diving in unsupervised shallow water will fully expose oneself to danger. Injuries caused by diving should be dealt with as an emergency, the cervical spine should be checked before other injuries are identified, and the cervical spine should be forcibly fixed before cervical spine fracture is eliminated.
3. Heatstroke
Heatstroke can be manifested as mild heat spasm (mainly leg) or heat prickly heat, or it can progress to heat failure. The main symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, weakness, anxiety and potential syncope.
Heat stroke is the most severe condition of heatstroke, It is because the body temperature is higher than 41.1 ℃ due to the dysfunction of the body temperature regulation center. It is very common for infants to suffer from heat stroke caused by continuous high temperature in summer or death caused by extremely hot irradiation. Infants suffer from perspiration insufficiency, fast metabolism, inability to take care of themselves and inability to adjust their own environment. Therefore, they are more vulnerable. The main risk factors for heatstroke include: virus infection history, dehydration, weakness, obesity, lack of sleep, infirmity and poor ability to adapt to the environment. At this time, cooling and replenishing water are the most important.
4. Concussion
In recent years, we have gradually realized the importance of early identification and timely treatment of concussion.
Many potential causes of summer activities may lead to concussions in children. Such as falling off a bicycle, being hit by a baseball, having a collision at a football match or having a car accident. Usually the head imaging examination is normal. Therefore, the diagnosis should be based on systematic evaluation and clinical manifestations. Children may show long-term headache, dizziness, weakness and mood swings. If the symptoms last for 1 week, neuropsychological tests should be considered. Physical examination is especially important, and the main treatment method is to let the brain rest.
5. Acute otitis externa
Acute otitis externa (AOE) mainly occurs in summer. High temperature and humidity can help bacteria invade the external auditory canal.
Although AOE can occur in all age groups, However, children aged 7-12 are the most common. Most patients are caused by bacterial infection. The most common are Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Gram-negative bacteria. It can show pain and itching in the auricle and external auditory canal. Although the auricle is usually free of lumps, edema, rash or increased skin temperature, it can be basically diagnosed by palpation of the earlobe or auricle. Sometimes rash, edema and exudation can be seen in the external auditory canal, and even occlusion of the tympanic membrane when edema is severe.
Treatment for AOE includes glacial acetic acid, polymyxin/neomycin, and topical hormones are also effective. Occasionally cellulitis invades deep bones and leads to osteomyelitis, which requires intravenous antibiotic treatment.
6. Lacquer tree dermatitis
Rhus vernicifera dermatitis is a kind of allergic contact dermatitis that occurs after contact with Rhus vernicifera plants (including Pueraria lobata, Poisonous Oak and Poisonous Rhus vernicifera) in summer, with an incidence rate of 10%-15%.
Some children have come into direct contact with plants of the family Rhus vernicifolia, and some have been infected while playing and touching pets. Rinsing the contact area with water within 20 minutes after contact can reduce the inflammatory reaction. Rhus vernicifolia is characterized by linear erythema, which may be accompanied by edema, itching and blistering.
Topical preparations such as aluminum nitrate, calamine, oat paste and Burow solution can be used for treatment. Oral antihistamines can also relieve pruritus, especially in severe cases of urticaria and bullae. Low-dose hormones and local antihistamines are ineffective, while systemic antibiotics are recommended for severe patients, and oral analgesics are required for severe pain.
7. Sunburn
Sunburn is a first-degree burn caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays. There are many reasons, including sunbathing and phototherapy. Although sunscreen has been widely used in recent years, more than half of American children have a history of sunburn in one year.
Although the vast majority of these children do not require treatment, Some children may develop persistent inflammatory reactions, peaking at 12-24 hours after exposure to the sun, with edema and blistering. If the symptoms of the patient are obvious, treatment such as external application of ice cubes and softeners can be given. If local hormone therapy is not effective, over-the-counter analgesics can be given appropriately. For children who may suffer from second-degree burns, more active treatment, including rehydration, is required.
8. Mosquito bites
Although [bite] and [bite] are interchangeable in vocabulary, [bite] usually causes itching after being bitten by mosquitoes (mosquitoes, fleas, tsutsugamushi and bedbugs), and [bite] uses prickly organs to pierce the skin and release venom (bees, wasps, wasps and scorpions).
Mosquito bites are most common in summer. Rubella and urticaria masses will appear immediately within a few minutes, accompanied by itching, pain, erythema, tenderness, increased skin temperature, edema but no systemic symptoms. Severe local reactions such as diffuse erythema, urticaria and edema may cause systemic reactions, which can be mild or fatal.
Allergic reactions are manifested as local symptoms such as rash and urticaria in non-biting areas, and then rapidly progress to anxiety, disorientation, syncope, hypotension and circulatory failure. Systemic reactions can be delayed by 10-14 days, similar to serum diseases. Careful cleaning and ice application are required after mosquito bites. Adrenaline should be given immediately when systemic reactions occur.
9. Trauma
Summer bruises, bruises, cuts and bruises increase the risk of secondary infection with common drug-resistant bacteria. The increase in community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus wound infection has accelerated the update of the latest clinical treatment guidelines by the American Association of Infectious Diseases.
A new statistic compares suppurative and non-suppurative staphylococcal infections (abscess, furuncle and carbuncle) and classifies them into mild, moderate and severe. Incision and drainage are usually given when suppuration occurs. Antibiotic treatment is generally not given unless systemic symptoms such as fever occur. Local preparations can be used for mild trauma, although drug resistance has appeared in the population. Severe non-suppurative infection requires surgical debridement. Individualized treatment is crucial, and medication should be adjusted according to clinical symptoms and local antibacterial spectrum of patients.
10. Food poisoning
The number of picnics in summer has increased, and the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the incidence of food-induced diseases has also continued to increase, with children under the age of 5 being the most common.
It is usually manifested as severe vomiting (such as staphylococcal toxoid gastroenteritis) and small intestinal diarrhea (infection with Vibrio cholerae). Salmonella infection is the most common, It is the leading cause of hospitalization and death. Escherichia-induced diarrhea can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is a special disease in young children. It takes a long process from ingesting suspicious food to presenting clinical symptoms to finding out the cause of the disease. All family members should be alert to diseases caused by picnics.
Stool culture is expensive, but its results are of little significance. Clinically, symptomatic and supportive treatment is mainly adopted, water and electrolyte are supplemented, and antibiotics are not given in general.