Lead exposure is almost inevitable. The problem is that too much exposure to lead can lead to learning disabilities, hyperactivity, difficulty with focus and attention, and if a large enough exposure occurs, muscle weakness and abdominal pain. The challenge is that lead won’t be shed by the body naturally, so if levels in the blood … Continue Reading →
Every year this story is in the news. Nicholas Collins, a 19-year-old Central Michigan University freshman from Livonia who tested positive for bacterial meningitis, died May 10 at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia. College students are at particular risk for a very deadly form of meningitis because they live in close quarters and as … Continue Reading →
Several times a week I see a child whose parent has recently been diagnosed with “bronchitis” or a “sinus infection” and put on antibiotics and the parent is worried that their recently sick child has caught the infection and needs treatment too. Here’s the deal: most of the time these infections in children and adults … Continue Reading →
Although fewer people are dying of measles infection, the United States has seen the highest rate of measles cases in more than a decade. With international travel and falling vaccine rates both in the U.S. and abroad it’s no surprise that measles cases are on the rise. Measles infection is caused by a virus that … Continue Reading →
Children ages 8 to 11 are at high risk of getting whooping cough if exposed — even if they’ve been fully vaccinated. Yep, you read that right. Of course tweens who haven’t had all their DTaP vaccines are more likely than vaccinated children to get the illness if exposed, but research is now showing that … Continue Reading →
Fever, sore throat, headache, stomach ache, and rash are the hallmark symptoms of strep throat. You may not have all of them but if you have a couple it’s a good idea to get checked out. When I was a young doc 20-plus years ago, diagnosing strep throat for seasoned doctors involved nothing more than … Continue Reading →
I’m not entirely sure if it is because of the unseasonably mild winter or the early warm up this spring but children with allergies have been having a particularly rough time. Even when parents recognize the symptoms of allergy early, when the amount of allergic irritant in the air is huge, no medication can alleviate … Continue Reading →
I’m not sure when it happened. I’m not sure how it happened. I’m not even sure why it happened. But parents today find it really hard to see their child upset even when there is a greater good being served. Parents don’t want their children to fuss or cry at all it seems. Now I’m … Continue Reading →
What an unusual winter we’ve had. With the warm temperatures and lack of snow, it has barely felt like winter at all. We all got lulled into a false sense that winter illness may skip a year too. Unfortunately, Influenza had a different plan. This month, we have started to see a significant number of children with … Continue Reading →
A 4-year-old girl in for her well visit gives a routine urine sample. She has no urinary symptoms and no fever but there’s a trace amount of blood in the urine on dipstick. The urine is sent to the lab where a culture is done and grows more than 100,000 colonies of E.coli. A 6-month-old … Continue Reading →