You're Kidding, Right?

Eosinophilic oesophagitis (or EoE) is caused by an immune response to dietary antigens. It can cause symptoms like chest pain, vomiting and dysphagia. Untreated, chronic oesophageal inflammation can ultimately lead to oesophageal narrowing and strictures. Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddingrightpod-107273607638323/ Our email is yourekidd...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has overtaken HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world, according to the WHO. One third of the global population is infected, including those with latent disease. In this episode, we discuss the presentation of tuberculosis, screening tests, definitive diagnosis, and management.  Links and resources: Follow us on Instagram @yourekidding...

Epiglottitis is a life threatening inflammation of the epiglottis, classically caused by  Haemophilus influenzae (Hib), but other pathogens can cause it too, and should especially be considered if an immunised individual presents with epiglottitis.  The most important thing initially is to avoid distressing the child, as this could worsen airway obstruction. It is an emergency and requires early e...

Wilms tumour (also known as nephroblastoma) is a type of kidney cancer than mostly affects children. It mostly occurs in kids under 5. Often the child seems well at diagnosis and it is only picked up because someone notices a lump in their tummy. Treatment usually involved surgery to remove the entire kidney that has the tumour, and then chemotherapy to make sure there are no remnants of the tumou...

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is the most common paediatric overgrowth and cancer predisposition disorder. It is a genetic condition presenting with a wide range of symptoms and signs. Sometimes it is referred to as exomphalos-macroglossia-gigantism syndrome.  Individuals with BWS are at increased risk of developing embryonal cancers, with the most common one being Wilms tumour. In this episode, we...

Neonatal abstinence syndrome describes drug withdrawal signs in newborn babies after they have been exposed to certain medications in utero, typically opioids. Babies can go through withdrawal after birth when they are no longer being exposed to the substance in the maternal circulation via the placenta. Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourekiddi...

Following on from our episode on meningococcal, we bring you a guide to interpreting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) results - once you've gotten some CSF from that hopefully champagne tap! (A champagne tap meaning a perfectly clear tap that isn't contaminated by red cells!) In this episode, we go through what's normal in CSF, and a guide as to what should prompt the practitioner to think of bacterial v...

Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects many organ systems, particularly the respiratory and digestive systems.  It causes thick secretions which block ducts and airways. It is most common in people of northern european descent. It is a life limiting disorder but huge advances in treatment have been made and life expectancy is increasing to many times what it used to be. Th...

A "pulled elbow" (sometimes called a nursemaid's elbow) is subluxation of the radial head at the elbow (or, if you are being very technical, subluxation of the annular ligament). It usually occurs in kids aged 1-4. The name pulled elbow literally describes the mechanism of injury in most cases - typically it's a child who is about to run onto a road or fall or something and someone grabs their han...

Meningococcal disease is caused by  Neisseria meningitidis,  a gram negative diplococcus. The two most common presentations of meningococcal infection are meningococcal meningitis and meningococcaemia. An individual may present with one or both of these.  Rapid recognition and treatment is vital, requiring IV antibiotics, but even with treatment, up to 15% of cases result in fatality.  Listen in t...

Costochondritis is a common cause of chest pain in children and adolescents. It is inflammation of 2-4 consecutive costochondral or costosternal junctions. Follow us on Instagram @yourekiddingrightdoctors (This isn't individual medical advice, please use your own clinical judgement and local guidelines when caring for your patients)

Nitrous oxide is a common choice for procedural sedation, for its rapid onset and offset and combination of sedation, anxiolysis, amnesia and some level of analgesia. It's great for short procedures like cannulas or suturing. In this episode, we will go through the use of nitrous oxide, common side effects, contraindications to be aware of, and proposed mechanisms of action.    Links and resources...

Epistaxis is the medical term for a nosebleed. This is a common occurrence in kids, and is usually due to a combination of nasal mucosa, plus trauma like picking and the effects of drying from the air around us.  They usually don't need to be investigated, unless they occur often, are resistant to basic measures or there if there are other red flags - which we will discuss further in this episode!...

Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, is a genetic disorder where nerve cells in the spinal cord die prematurely, and this causes the muscles that would normally be controlled by those nerves to atrophy. The most common subtype usually presents in the first 6 months of life with a hypotonic baby (and other lower motor neuron signs). Typically these children die before 2 years of age, mostly from respir...

SIDS is classified as a sudden and unexplained death of an infant in their first year of life. It is a diagnosis of exclusion - an autopsy must be done and all other causes ruled out. Before safe sleeping campaigns in the 1990s, the prevalence of SIDS was about 1.5 in 1000 babies. Now it is about 0.5 in 1000. From 1989 to 2018, the rate of SUDI deaths in Australia has decreased by 85% – equating t...

ITP is the most common cause of symptomatic thrombocytopaenia in children, with the most common paediatric age group being 1-4 years of age.  ITP is an isolated low platelet count of < 100 in an otherwise well child, with a normal blood film and FBE (aside from the thrombocytopaenia).  Treatment varies from monitoring platelet count and for signs of bleeding, to steroids and IVIG. Tune into this e...

Ingested foreign bodies are most common in kids between ages 6 months and 3 years, and in children with developmental or behaviour problems. In this episode, we will be discussing foreign bodies, which are limited to the gastrointestinal tract.  We will also discuss high risk foreign bodies - such as button batteries - and what needs to be done about those.    Links and resources: Follow us on Ins...

Sickle cell disease is an inherited abnormality of haemoglobin (which is the oxygen-carrying protein found in red blood cells). It is characterised by red blood cells changing shape to become sickle (or crescent)-shaped which then causes them to block tiny blood vessels causing ischaemia and also makes them more prone to haemolysing, causing anaemia. Links and resources: Follow us on Instagram @yo...

GAS pharyngitis is associated with a few important complications. They are usually divided in suppurative and non-suppurative - i.e. purulent and non purulent complications. The main non-suppurative complications are post-strep glomerulonephritis and acute rheumatic fever (which we did an episode on recently). A couple of the serious suppurative complications to be aware of is a peritonsillar or r...

Galactosemia is an autosomal recessive metabolic condition that alters the body's ability to metabolise galactose, which is a type of sugar. This leads to a build up of galactose and some other metabolites, which then build up in the tissues, causing issues with the liver, brain, kidneys, eyes and other organs. It is a fatal condition if not treated.  The mainstay of treatment is eliminating galac...

With special guest - Dr. Emily Mogridge, surgical resident.  Testicular torsion is a surgical emergency - a torted testicle is only viable for 4-6 hours, before the viability drops dramatically. The most common cause is the bellclapper deformity, where the testicle is not fixed properly within the scrotum.  You don't want to miss: A case base discussion Explaining the condition to families Present...

We want to do some episodes on antibiotics coming up but thought it would be useful to do an episode about the basics of bacteria first so we can understand exactly what we are dealing with!  Today we will touch on: How we name bacteria Bacteria morphology Gram staining Growth requirements (aerobic vs anaerobic) Haemolytic properties Coagulase production Lactose fermenting vs non fermenting Seroty...

Torus fractures, often referred to as buckle fractures, are a common type of fracture found in kids under the age of 10. They usually occur in the distal metaphysis, where the bone is most porous, most often after a fall onto outstretched hand (FOOSH). The most common affected bone is the radius. An X-ray can confirm the diagnosis, although sometimes, the buckling of the cortex is quite subtle.   ...

Urticaria is a very common rash - it affects up to 25% of people in their lifetime. Although urticaria is most commonly associated amongst the population with allergies, in 50% of cases, a cause is not identified, and the most common cause of urticaria aside from being idiopathic is viral illnesses.    Acute urticaria refers to urticaria that has lasted less than 6 weeks. Once the rash has been ar...

Acute rheumatic fever is a rare multisystem disease caused by a delayed autoimmune response to a recent untreated or inadequately treated Group A streptococcus infection (mainly from "strep throat" but can also be from group a strep skin infections). The signs of acute rheumatic fever include: Arthritis Fever Carditis Rash Sydenham's chorea Subcutaneous nodules Follow us on Instagram @yourekidding...