One patient we saw was a baby with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS), which is a condition in which the opening between the stomach and small intestine thickens. Naudia explained to me that one of the main symptoms associated with HPS is projectile vomiting, and according to Mayo Clinic, "The baby may vomit forcefully, ejecting breast milk or formula up to several feet away (projectile vomiting). Vomiting might be mild at first and gradually become more severe as the pylorus opening narrows. The vomit may sometimes contain blood." Additional symptoms include persistent hunger, stomach contractions, dehydration, changes in bowel movement, and weight problems. Signs of pyloric stenosis typically appear within three to five weeks after birth, and it is rare in babies older than three months of age. Additionally, surgery is required to treat HPS to create a path for the baby's food to move through the stomach into the small intestine.
We also assessed a patient with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), which "is a condition that causes small blood vessels, to become swollen and irritated. This inflammation, called vasculitis, usually occurs in the skin, intestines, and kidneys" (KidsHealth). This patient in particular, however, was experiencing issues with his kidneys due to his HSP, and he was planning on going into surgery to have a kidney biopsy performed. This disorder was named after two German physicians, Eduard Henoch and Johann Schonlein, who first described the disorder in the 1800s. In addition, HSP is more common in kids than in adults while also being more common in boys than girls.
Another case that I found very interesting to observe was the case with a baby born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. A cleft lip and cleft palate occur in approximately 1 or 2 of every 1,000 babies born in the United Sates, making it one of the most common birth defects. These conditions are treatable, however, and most have surgery performed within the first year or two of life in order to correct the defects. According to KidsHealth, "During the first 6 to 10 weeks of pregnancy, the bones and tissues of a baby's upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally come together (fuse) to form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip. A cleft happens when parts of the lip and mouth do not completely fuse together." The cleft can be simply of one side of the mouth, unilateral clefting, or it can occur on both sides of the mouth, bilateral clefting.
Sources:
-http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pyloric-stenosis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20163857
-http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hsp.html
-http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cleft-lip-palate.html
We also assessed a patient with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), which "is a condition that causes small blood vessels, to become swollen and irritated. This inflammation, called vasculitis, usually occurs in the skin, intestines, and kidneys" (KidsHealth). This patient in particular, however, was experiencing issues with his kidneys due to his HSP, and he was planning on going into surgery to have a kidney biopsy performed. This disorder was named after two German physicians, Eduard Henoch and Johann Schonlein, who first described the disorder in the 1800s. In addition, HSP is more common in kids than in adults while also being more common in boys than girls.
Another case that I found very interesting to observe was the case with a baby born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. A cleft lip and cleft palate occur in approximately 1 or 2 of every 1,000 babies born in the United Sates, making it one of the most common birth defects. These conditions are treatable, however, and most have surgery performed within the first year or two of life in order to correct the defects. According to KidsHealth, "During the first 6 to 10 weeks of pregnancy, the bones and tissues of a baby's upper jaw, nose, and mouth normally come together (fuse) to form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip. A cleft happens when parts of the lip and mouth do not completely fuse together." The cleft can be simply of one side of the mouth, unilateral clefting, or it can occur on both sides of the mouth, bilateral clefting.
Sources:
-http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pyloric-stenosis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20163857
-http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hsp.html
-http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cleft-lip-palate.html