Tackling medical emergencies in children is far more difficult than in adults. It’s because children are less expressive and dependent and take time to seek medical help. Consequently, in 2019, around 5.2 million children under five years old died from treatable and preventable diseases.
These circumstances occur when parents and supervisors are unaware of the common pediatric emergencies and the symptoms the child is showing. Read till the very end to uncover more about pediatric emergencies and saving your child’s life.
What are the most Common Pediatric Emergencies?
Here are the common pediatric emergencies every parent should know to save their child from negligence:
1. Asthma Attacks
Despite being one of the oldest conditions, asthma still pertains to being among the top ten causes of hospital emergencies in children in the UK. With millions of children receiving asthma treatment worldwide, it is unfortunate to see that 46 per cent of children are generally those receiving inadequate treatment, according to some research.
Asthma is caused by inflammation of airway muscles, tightening them enough to cause breathing difficulties and showing cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. During an emergency and uncontrollable asthma attack, ensure taking your child immediately to emergency care or pediatric urgent care to avoid death risks. If you live in the US, you can go for Pediatrics Urgent Care in Tyler, TX.
2. Fever and Febrile Seizures
If your child’s fever exceeds 104 Fahrenheit and extends up to 108° F, has febrile (seizures), stiff neck, non-alertness, is less than one year, soft spot bulging like symptoms, your child needs emergency care and should be taken to any pediatric care like Pediatrics Urgent Care in Tyler, Tx.
3. Allergy and anaphylaxis
Anaphylactic is a serious and life-threatening allergic response that develops rapidly—within minutes or many hours after allergen exposure. The shock is recognized via an inflammatory reaction on the skin, showing redness, itching, and flushing throughout, along with low blood pressure, abnormal pulse rate, airway constriction, dizziness, nausea, etc.
According to a study by The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, around 2 per 1000 children were reported to have anaphylaxis, where 12 cases reported fatal reactions. Hence, getting your child admitted to an emergency unit like Pediatrics Urgent Care in Tyler, Tx, or calling 911 in the first 30 minutes to get epinephrine injections to reverse the symptoms is crucial.
4. Diarrhea
One of the most underestimated yet one of the most common causes of pediatric deaths worldwide is diarrhea. The diarrhoeal disease mostly occurs via the consumption of contaminated food and water and is common in children due to their negligence in personal hygiene and healthy eating habits. If your child has bloody, watery stools, dehydration ( very dry mouth, dark urine or no urine in over eight hours, no tears), and the diarrhea lasts for 2 weeks, it’s time to call the doctor to seek emergency help. Undiagnosed and untreated diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and may cause the child to lose his/her life. Hence, diarrhoeal symptoms should never be ignored.
Wrap Up
We learned that most pediatric emergencies are common in children and are easy to avoid if diagnosed earlier. The delay in treatment and lack of medical acknowledgment can easily take your child’s life due to time shortage. Therefore, it’s important to seek pediatric urgent Care or medical help immediately for any condition.
