Excessive Thirst in Children
Posted by in Kids Health on June 28, 2011
Excessive thirst is a common symptom that many children may complain of. Most parents tend to ignore this symptom, as they claim that children play outside most of the time and so tend to get dehydrated easily. However, there may be more to this symptom than what meets the eye. Excessive thirst in children could be an indicator of a serious underlying disorder your little one may be suffering from. Given below are the various causes of excessive thirst in children and ways to deal with them.
Causes of Excessive Thirst in Children
Diabetes Mellitus
One of the most common cause of excessive thirst is diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by the classic triad of polyphagia (excessive hunger), polydipsia (excessive thirst) and polyuria (excessive urination). These symptoms are seen due to excess of glucose in the blood stream. This is Type 1 diabetes which is seen in children and is also known as insulin dependent diabetes. This occurs because the insulin producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas are destroyed, due to which the person does not produce sufficient amount of insulin in the body. This type of diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, as it is seen children.
Diabetes Insipidus
Diabetes insipidus is a condition where there is a deficiency of anti-diuretic hormone or insensitivity of the kidneys to it. Anti-diuretic hormone is the hormone that is responsible for sending signals to the kidneys that they need to reabsorb as much water as possible. Thus, in cases of people suffering from diabetes insipidus, there is frequent urination in children. This leads to excess loss of fluids from the body, which in turn, causes excessive thirst in children.
Dehydration
Dehydration is a condition where there is excess loss of fluids from the body. One of the most common causes of dehydration in children is viral infection, which leads to high fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Other causes of dehydration in children include bacterial and parasitic infections, which can lead to excess loss of fluids in the form of diarrhea. Read the rest of this entry »
Sex Change Operations for Kids
Posted by in Kids Health on June 28, 2011
Boston’s Children’s Hospital has long been thought of as the hospital for children. However, the hospital has recently come under fire for opening a new clinic that offers sex changes for kids, some as young as seven years old. Many critics have referred to the new service as “barbaric”.
The clinic, operated by pediatric specialist Dr. Norman Spack, is focused on treating transgendered kids – children who believe they were born the wrong sex and want to change in order to feel “normal”.
As part of the therapy, Spack offers young patients counseling and drugs that will delay the onset of puberty. The prescribed drugs will prevent the natural flood of hormones that would drastically reduce the patient’s chances of having a successful sex change later in life. The disadvantage of the therapy is that it forces patients to make a choice, perhaps before they are ready to do so.
Teenagers may also be offered hormone therapy, a process in which the patients experience drastic changes in the way they develop. Hormone therapy can be discontinued but may result in long-term effects, including permanent infertility.
Some potential patients believe the trade-off is worth the risk. Supporters of the procedure point out transgendered children tend to be deeply troubled and have a high level of suicide attempts. “I’ve never seen any patient make [a suicide attempt] after they’ve started hormonal treatment,” Spack said.
Naturally, not all doctors are convinced that the treatment is safe or effective and some believe the treatments will do more harm than good.
“Treating these children with hormones does considerable harm and it compounds their confusion,” said Dr. Paul McHugh, University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at John Hopkins University. “Trying to delay puberty or change someone’s gender is a rejection of the lawfulness of nature.”
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a legal charity affiliated with the Liberty University, stated that transgender disorder is a mental disorder, not a medical one. Therefore, it should be treated with behavior modification therapies, not hormones or surgical procedures.
“Just as you don’t give liposuction to an anorexic, you don’t do sexual reassignment surgery on men who think that they are women and vice versa,” Staver said.
“At some point in childhood,” McHugh said, “many children role play as the opposite sex, but it is a social, not a medical issue.”
By Buzzle Staff and Agencies