Child’s profile, i.e. what tests to perform in a small child

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When a sick adult goes to the doctor, he is able to determine exactly what is wrong with him. In detail, answering the doctor’s questions, he receives a clear diagnosis and a prescription with prescribed drugs. It is different with children. The older ones will tell you what hurts them, but what about the younger ones? This is where the child’s profile comes in handy, i.e. a series of tests that allow you to assess the toddler’s condition.

Little child health

A pediatrician at a medical visit is not always able to accurately assess the health of a small patient. A child who cannot speak will not know what hurts him or her, how much it hurts and when it started. Therefore, in order to be able to diagnose the youngest, it is often ordered to perform the so-called the child’s profile.

Online teleconsultation with a pediatrician is a quick way to contact a doctor. If your child has disturbing symptoms, use the haloDoctor.pl website and get professional help.

Research for a small child

These tests include complete blood count, iron, ESR, ASO, CRP, glucose and urinalysis. These are several studies, the results of which, when analyzed as a whole, give a picture of the health of the youngest patients and the possibility of selecting the appropriate treatment method.

  1. Morphology. A blood count is a test that gives an overall picture of a patient’s health. The analysis of its results is possible only by a doctor who will take into account the results of other ordered tests and other factors such as the child’s chronic diseases, age or developmental status. The morphology allows the assessment of parameters such as the number of red and white blood cells, hemoglobin concentration and determination of hematocrit. The standards of the individual tests that make up the morphology vary depending on the laboratory and the age of the child. The cost of the test is about PLN 12.
  2. Iron. Iron is a micronutrient that is partially absorbed from the food provided to the body. Since the iron requirements are much greater than what is supplied to children during the growth and development of children, children often develop anemia. Frequent infections, shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid fatigue and pale skin are symptoms that should be alarming. We talk about anemia when the iron concentration in a child drops below 110 g / l in children under 6 years of age and below 120 g / l in children up to 14 years of age. An iron test costs about PLN 10.
  3. OB. Biernacki’s test is a test that enables the diagnosis of the development of inflammation in the body. It is determined by the rate at which red blood cells fall out of the patient’s blood within 1-2 hours. As the ESR result does not indicate a specific disease developing in the child, further investigation is required. The norms in newborns are 0-2 mm / h, and in infants up to 6 months of age, 2-17 mm / h. The cost of the test is about PLN 8.
  4. ASO. ASO is also known as an antistreptolysin reagent, which allows the detection of the streptococcus A antigen. If it is present in the blood of a young patient, either he is a carrier of streptococcus or has been infected with it in the past. The infection is very similar to the symptoms of strep throat. So there is a strong sore throat and a fever. The standard of the ASO test result is 100-200 IU / ml. In children over 5 years of age, we speak of an increased result only when the result exceeds 333 IU / ml. The cost of the test is about PLN 12.

Do you want to check your child’s health? Are you worried about the symptoms it tells you about? We recommend a comprehensive examination for kids. Thanks to them, you will find out if your child has vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

  1. CRP. This is otherwise a C-reactive protein. It is produced by the liver when the body becomes inflamed. In serious diseases, i.e. sepsis, the CRP result will be exceeded by several thousand. The most common indication for the examination is high fever. In younger children, a CRP result of less than 5 mg / l is considered normal, while in older children it is <10 mg / l. The CRP result may suggest what infection the child is dealing with. If the result is in the range of 20-40 mg / l, it is probably a viral infection. We are talking about a bacterial infection when the CRP is 40-200 mg / l. The price of the CRP test is approximately PLN 12.
  2. Urine general examination. This is one of the basic laboratory tests. Since, in addition to water, urine contains a number of substances that allow the assessment of the body’s functioning, they are performed during other tests. Thanks to the urine test, you can check the condition of the liver, kidneys, bladder, pancreas, as well as the concentration of micronutrients. When examining the urine, its pH, the presence of protein and glucose, its weight, color and clarity are checked. Remember that urine for testing must be collected on an empty stomach, with a central stream, after washing the child’s intimate areas with water. The cost of the test is about PLN 12.

Child health is a priority for every parent. If you want to be sure that everything is fine with it, start with the diagnostics. You can buy a package of diagnostic tests monitoring your child’s health condition quickly and safely on Medonet Market.

What to do when a child is afraid of drawing blood?

Blood sampling for a newborn baby is not problematic. The nurse most often punctures the vein on the baby’s head. And although the view, especially for the parent, is not pleasant, this method allows you to collect blood as quickly as possible. 30 minutes before the examination, it is worth giving the newborn milk so that the blood is thinner.

  1. See how to interpret your child’s CRP result

But what if the baby is bigger and you need to get a vein from the forearm? First of all, let’s choose a laboratory where nurses qualified to work with children work. They usually know how to deal with a baby’s crying and panic, and often draw blood unnoticed by the baby.

The most important thing, however, will be to talk at home and prepare the child for the examination. If the toddler knows what the examination will involve and how long it will take, he will be better able to go to the clinic. It is also not worth lying to the child – let’s not say that the test will not hurt, but rather that the pain will be short-lived. Taking blood is never a pleasant test, but let’s not let it become a trauma for a child for the rest of its life.

If you want your child to eat healthy food, you can also consider DHA supplementation in the form of fruit-flavored jellies. They are available on Medonet Market.

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