Childhood diseases

What are teething troubles?

A childhood disease is a disease caused by an infection that is widespread and easily transmitted. Therefore, these diseases occur mainly in children. Usually, a lifelong immunity follows, which means that this disease cannot occur again in the same person. Vaccinations are now available for most infectious diseases that typically occur in children. However, if the disease does not occur in childhood and no vaccination has been given, it can also affect adults.

The most important childhood diseases

Among the classic teething troubles are: Measles Mumps Rubella Three-day fever Chickenpox Scarlet fever Diphtheria Poliomyelitis These are discussed in more detail below.

  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Rubella
  • Three-day fever
  • Chickenpox
  • Scarlet fever
  • Diphtheria
  • Poliomyelitis

One of the most well-known childhood diseases is measles. They are very contagious and are transmitted by viruses.

Symptoms appear about 10-15 days after infection. In a first phase, also known as the preliminary stage, fever, rhinitis, cough and inflammation of the eyes occur. As a result, the affected persons usually become afraid of light.

A few days later the typical spots in the oral cavity appear. These are also called Koplik spots. They occur in more than half of all patients and are dark red.

If these spots can be observed, this is a sure proof of the measles disease. A few days later there is a sharp rise in body temperature and a rash all over the body. Again, these are dark red spots that remain for about 5 days before the infection subsides.

The treatment is usually symptomatic. Only if the immune system is suppressed can complications occur, such as inflammation of the lungs or the brain, which must be treated early on. Measles vaccination is one of the standard vaccinations nowadays and is given within the first 2 years of life.

Mumps disease is an infection caused by viruses. Children between the ages of 2 and 15 are particularly affected. The symptoms break out after 2-4 weeks, with about half of all those affected only experiencing flu-like symptoms.

If, however, the disease becomes more pronounced, it begins with an initially unilateral swelling of the parotid gland. The swelling is usually very painful and begins after a few days also on the other side. In addition, there is a fever and now and then pain when chewing.

Mumps is a dangerous childhood disease, especially because of the possible complications. These include inflammation of the pancreas, also called pancreatitis, and inflammation of the testicles, also called orchitis (testicular mumps). The latter can in rare cases even lead to infertility.

Nowadays, however, this disease is no longer a danger because of the vaccination. The vaccination is given within the first two years of life together with the vaccination against measles and rubella. Rubella is a childhood disease caused by a virus.

Children aged 5-9 years are most often affected. Half of all infected children show no symptoms. The other half develop a slight fever and a rash 2-3 weeks after transmission.

This usually starts behind the ears and spreads over the whole body in the course of the disease. These are small red spots that have given the disease its name. In addition, the lymph nodes swell, especially in the neck area.

Occasionally there is also a slight enlargement of the spleen, which reflects the activation of the immune system. Rubella infection is usually relatively harmless, but can be dangerous, especially during pregnancy: Here it can lead to malformations of the unborn child. Therefore, a vaccination against rubella infection is very important.

It is usually carried out together with the vaccinations against measles and mumps and is usually administered within the first two years of life.

  • Numbness,
  • Visual impairments,
  • A mental underdevelopment and
  • Heart defect.

A very well-known childhood disease is chickenpox.They are also called varicella zoster virus, because they are caused by the varicella zoster virus. The disease is very contagious and usually leads to symptoms after about 2 weeks.

These include typical symptoms on the skin, which develop into fluid-filled blisters. Due to the severe itching, they are usually scratched open by the affected children and leave scars that are initially crusted. Since these skin symptoms usually appear in different stages of development next to each other, this appearance is also called starry sky.

In addition, there is the occurrence of fever, exhaustion and headaches. In otherwise healthy children, the symptoms subside after one week. Therefore, treatment consists mainly of the administration of drugs that reduce itching.

If the immune system is weakened, medication to combat the viruses may be recommended. A vaccination against chickenpox can be administered within the first two years of life. After an infection, the person affected is immune to the disease, but if the immune system is weakened, the virus can cause symptoms to reappear.

This is also known as herpes zoster disease, or colloquially shingles. Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a childhood disease caused by bacteria. The symptoms include the eponymous coughing attacks that occur at short intervals and long inhalations.

Those affected usually stick out their tongue and there is a temporary lack of oxygen in the body. After the coughing attack, children often vomit mucus. Especially in newborns these attacks must not be underestimated and must be treated with antibiotics at an early stage.

A vaccination against whooping cough is recommended and is given within the first year of life. Scarlet fever is a childhood disease transmitted by the bacteria streptococci, which occurs mainly between the ages of 4 and 10. The symptoms are fever and typical changes in and around the mouth.

These include reddening of the cheeks, paleness around the lips, redness of the palate and discoloration of the tongue. This is also often called raspberry tongue. Furthermore, a spotty rash occurs, which is mainly found in the groin.

Approximately one week later the skin becomes scaly and peeling. The treatment is done with penicillin, a vaccination against scarlet fever does not exist. The childhood disease Ringel rubella is caused by a virus and mainly affects children between 5 and 15 years of age.

Many infections occur without symptoms. If symptoms do occur, there is a typical reddening, which starts in the face and is not visible around the mouth. Later, the redness spreads over the entire body.

It usually goes away after a few days. Especially in adults, arthritis, i.e. inflammation of joints, can also occur. After having gone through a rubella disease, the affected persons are immune for life.

During pregnancy, the infection can be transmitted from mother to child and lead to severe consequences. The hand-foot-mouth disease is transmitted via droplet infection, for example when sneezing, and is triggered by a virus. As the name suggests, this childhood disease causes rashes on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands and in the area around the mouth.

In some cases, the rash can also be found all over the body. In addition, there is often inflammation of the oral cavity with the formation of painful blisters. The symptoms usually subside after a few days.

Rarely complications occur. These include inflammation of the meninges, heart muscle and lungs. The three-day fever caused by a virus mainly affects infants and small children.

As the name suggests, it causes a high fever, which usually disappears after three days. In addition, there is a rash, which occurs mainly on the trunk of the body and also disappears again relatively quickly. Occasionally, febrile convulsions can occur during the three-day fever, which are usually harmless, but should still be clarified by a doctor.

The treatment of the three-day fever includes antipyretic measures. Impetigo infectiosa, also called impetigo contagiosa, is caused by a type of streptococcus bacteria.This leads to the infestation of the skin with characteristic symptoms. These include the appearance of blisters and typical honey-yellow crusts.

These are particularly pronounced on the face, especially around the mouth, the nose and on the scalp. After a few days, the symptoms usually disappear without long-term consequences. If the symptoms are pronounced, the administration of antibiotics may be useful.

Otherwise, no treatment is usually necessary. The childhood disease diphtheria is caused by a certain bacterium. This reaches the throat through droplet infection, for example through sneezing, and leads to the appearance of symptoms there.

These include angina tonsillaris, i.e. inflammation of the tonsils, which is typically accompanied by so-called pseudomembranes, a kind of coating on the tonsils. Alternatively, the bacterium can lead to symptoms of the larynx. This leads to pronounced coughing, hoarseness and the increasing whispering due to the hoarseness.

Diphtheria must be treated as soon as possible with the administration of an antidote, otherwise serious complications can occur. There is a vaccination against diphtheria, which is carried out as standard. Poliomyelitis is also known as polio and is caused by viruses.

If the polio virus is transmitted, more than 90% of all infected persons do not show any symptoms. If, however, the disease develops, it usually only consists of influenza. Only in about 1-2% of cases do the viruses attack the nerves and paralysis occurs in various parts of the body.

Poliomyelitis is feared above all because of the infestation of the nerves for the respiratory musculature, since in the past only the so-called “iron lung“, a respiratory machine, was available as a therapy. Nowadays, vaccination against the viruses is standard. Only in Pakistan and Afghanistan is the disease still a risk.

The clinical picture of tetanus, also known as tetanus, is caused by offshoots of a bacterium and leads to an infestation of the nervous system. This leads to an uncontrolled activation of the nerves, which manifests itself in convulsive, excessive movements. The typical picture of the childhood disease consists of a lockjaw, the convulsive so-called devil’s grin and the overextension of the back.

Later on, the nerves of the respiratory musculature are also affected, which leads to a respiratory arrest. Since vaccinations against tetanus are standard, the otherwise necessary treatment with medication is fortunately rarely needed nowadays. Haemophilus influenzae is a bacterium which, contrary to its name, does not cause the classical influenza but can lead to various other diseases.

Since the bacterium lives in the mucous membranes, it leads to inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, bronchial tubes, lungs and epiglottis, especially in the respiratory tract. Other possible diseases that can be triggered by haemophilus influenzae are inflammation of the middle ear, the meninges or the heart. Due to the vaccination against the bacterium, these diseases nowadays mainly occur only in unvaccinated small children.