Infectious Diseases

Four categories
 Viral
 Bacterial
 Fungal
 Parasitic

Some infections can be prevented by
immunization
2
Infectious Diseases
Many have incubation period
 Symptoms

 Fever, nausea, and vomiting
 Malaise
 Cough and rash
 Anorexia
3
Infectious Diseases

Treatment
 Varies but may consist of good nutrition
 Rest
 Non-aspirin antipyretics
4
Viral Diseases
Usually treated symptomatically
 Invade host and can lay dormant
 Reactivated by certain triggers: stress,
illness, trauma

5
Viral Diseases

Common viral diseases
 Measles
 Rubeola: Koplik’s spots
 Rubella: “German measles”
 Mumps: inflammation of parotid glands
6
Viral Diseases
Varicella - “chickenpox” or herpes zoster
 Poliomyelitis - polio virus; immunization
has reduced threat of disease
 Influenza: “flu”
 Common cold: rhinovirus

7
Viral Diseases
Mononucleosis - “kissing disease” from
Epstein-Barr virus
 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
(AIDS)

8
Bacterial Diseases
Pathogens such as staphylococcus,
streptococcus, haemophilus, clostridium
 Symptoms

 Fever, cough, headache, difficulty breathing,
and sore throat

Treatment based on causative agent
9
Bacterial Diseases

Common bacterial diseases
 Pertussis - “whooping cough”
 Diphtheria - severe inflammation of
respiratory system
 Tuberculosis - “consumption”
10
Bacterial Diseases

Common bacterial diseases
 Tularemia - “Rabbit Fever”
 Impetigo - dermatitis caused by
staphylococcus or Group A streptococcus
11
Bacterial Diseases
Acute tonsillitis - infection of the palatine
tonsils located on posterior wall of
nasopharynx
 Otitis Media - acute bacterial infection of
middle ear

12
Fungal Diseases
Skin or mucous membranes in children
 Usually not severe but irritating
 Fungal diseases

 Candidiasis - thrush is an oral fungal
infection
13
Fungal Diseases

Fungal diseases
 Tinea
○ Ringworm
○ Tinea corporis (face, trunk, extremities)
○ Tinea cruris - “jock itch”
○ Tinea pedis - athlete’s foot
14
Parasitic Diseases
Common where there is poor nutrition,
contaminated water, low socioeconomic
conditions
 Common parasitic diseases in United
States

 Giardiasis - infection by protozoa
 Pediculosis - lice
15
Parasitic Diseases

Common parasitic diseases in United
States
 Pinworms - parasitic nematodes that infect
intestines and rectum
 Roundworms - parasites that lodge in
intestines, absorbing nutrients from host
16
Respiratory Diseases
Most common childhood diseases seen
by physicians
 Respiratory diseases

 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - abrupt
unexplained death of an infant under the
age of one
 Croup - known as laryngotracheobronchitis
17
Respiratory Diseases
Adenoid Hyperplasia - enlargement of
pharyngeal tonsils
 Asthma - chronic respiratory system
disease
 Pneumonia - inflammation of lung
parenchyma

18
Digestive Diseases
Children may experience serious
development problems due to lack of
appropriate ingestion, digestion,
absorption, or elimination
 Fluid and electrolyte imbalance are
frequently more severe in children

19
Digestive Diseases

Examples
 Fluid imbalance
 Food allergies
 Eating disorders - major problem among
children, especially adolescent females
20
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Soft tissue injuries and fractures to joint
and bone
 Legg-Calvé-Perthes – avascular
necrosis of upper end of femur
 Ewing’s Sarcoma - malignant neoplasm
occurring before age 20

21
Blood Diseases

Leukemia - malignancy of blood-forming
cells in bone marrow
 Most common disorder of blood and blood-
forming organs in children
22
Neurologic Diseases

Reye’s Syndrome - acute
encephalopathy in children under age
15 who have had a viral infection
23
Eye and Ear Diseases
Have profound effects on child’s ability
to learn and develop
 Common diseases

 Strabismus - lazy or cross-eye
 Deafness - may be caused by genes,
trauma, infections, exposure to ototoxic
drugs
24
Trauma
Child abuse - serious problem in United
States, and it is often fatal
 Suicide - third leading cause of death
among young people

25
Trauma
Drug abuse - illicit drug, alcohol, and
tobacco use among children
 Epidemic among adolescents
 Poisoning - among top five causes of
accidental death under age 10

26