Parents: Call the doctor right away for these 4 symptoms

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire As a pediatrician, I’ve talked on the phone with lots of parents of sick children. As I ask my questions and try to understand what’s going on and how I can help, there are a few symptoms in particular that I listen for. I don’t hear them often. Most of the time, it’s not serious (that’s one of the great things about pediatrics). But when I hear them, I get scared because I know there is a chance that the child is very sick, and that if they don’t get medical attention quickly, something bad could happen. The thing about these symptoms, too, is that many parents don’t understand how serious they can be. Parents know that high fevers, cuts that bleed badly, lots of vomiting or diarrhea, bad injuries, or bad coughs need attention. But they don’t always understand the seriousness of the ones that terrify me. That’s why I think it’s important that parents know about them. 1. Lethargy. When doctors talk about “lethargy,” they aren’t talking about a lazy teenager who wants to hang out on the sofa all day. To us, the word means sleepiness that is really unusual. Now, sick children (sick people, not just children) need sleep, and it’s normal for them to sleep more than usual. But when a child wants to do nothing except sleep, or (this is important) is difficult to rouse or keep awake, that’s not okay. It’s also not okay when a child, although awake, only wants to lie still and seems sleepy and weak. If you can’t get the...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs