Current opinion in pediatrics
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Curr. Opin. Pediatr. · Oct 2003
ReviewAssessment and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with comorbid psychiatric illness.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently occurs with a wide variety of comorbid psychiatric disorders such as conduct disorder, depression, mania, anxiety, and learning disabilities. Because the vast majority of children with ADHD are treated in primary care settings, it is important that primary medical doctors be proficient in the diagnosis and initial treatment of children with ADHD and its commonly occurring comorbid disorders. ADHD research is beginning to focus on the treatment of these comorbidly ill children. This review will summarize the recent findings from the psychiatric literature in an attempt to provide the clinician with some initial diagnostic and treatment guidelines for ADHD and its comorbidities. ⋯ The presence of comorbid illness is associated with significant additional morbidity and complicates the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of ADHD. Therefore, it is important to identify and treat any comorbid psychiatric conditions in a child with ADHD.
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Curr. Opin. Pediatr. · Aug 2003
ReviewPostexposure prophylaxis: an intervention to prevent human immunodeficiency virus infection in adolescents.
Postexposure prophylaxis is an effective intervention to prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Administration of antiretroviral medications within 72 hours of a percutaneous or mucous membrane exposure to HIV can prevent infection. The use of postexposure prophylaxis for occupational and perinatal HIV exposures is well established. ⋯ Clinicians should consider initiating postexposure prophylaxis in adolescents for any oral, anal, or vaginal exposure to definitely or possibly HIV-infected blood or body fluids. Adolescents treated should be followed closely for medication toxicity, acute seroconversion, and risk-reduction counseling. Further studies are needed to characterize the use and efficacy of postexposure prophylaxis in an adolescent population.
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Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease commonly seen in children, but it also occurs in adults. This skin disease is often triggered by bacterial, fungal, or viral skin infections. The mechanisms resulting in this increased propensity for skin infections have been an area of active investigation. ⋯ The current review will examine recent literature on the etiology and pathogenesis of infection in atopic dermatitis. These observations are likely to have importance implications for management of atopic dermatitis.
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Curr. Opin. Pediatr. · Jun 2003
ReviewFamily member presence in the pediatric emergency department.
Traditionally, family members were excluded from viewing invasive procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the pediatric emergency department. The concept of family-centered care in the emergency department has now become more widespread. Consequently, family member presence during routine invasive procedures such as venipuncture, intravenous cannulation, urethral catheterization, and lumbar puncture has become more accepted. ⋯ Variations in approval of witnessed resuscitation are influenced by occupation, level of training and experience, and prior exposure to family member presence practices. Although several organizations formally support family presence policies, citing benefits for grieving relatives, critics point to a lack of rigor in a large body of the research cited to underpin these endorsements. We review the literature from the perspective of pediatric emergency physicians, offer suggestions for family member presence, and provide directions for future study.
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In 1981, the Report of the Medical Consultants on the Diagnosis of Death established guidelines for the diagnosis of brain death and, in 1995, the American Academy of Neurology published practice parameters to standardize determination of brain death. In 1987, the American Academy of Pediatrics established guidelines for determining brain death in children. Despite the establishment of these guidelines, the declaration of "death" based on the cessation of brain function remains complex and controversial. In this review are discussed the current guiding principles and the controversies in the diagnosis of brain death in children.