Articles: adolescent.
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Evid Based Child Health · Jan 2013
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyCochrane Review: Osmotic and stimulant laxatives for the management of childhood constipation (Review).
Constipation within childhood is an extremely common problem. Despite the widespread use of osmotic and stimulant laxatives by health professionals to manage constipation in children, there has been a long standing paucity of high quality evidence to support this practice. ⋯ Laxatives for the management of childhood constipation Constipation within childhood is an extremely common problem. Despite the widespread use of laxatives by health professionals to manage constipation in children, there has been a long standing lack of evidence to support this practice. This review included eighteen studies with a total of 1643 patients that compared nine different agents to either placebo (inactive medications) or each other. The results of this review suggest that polyethylene glycol preparations may increase the frequency of bowel motions in constipated children. Polyethylene glycol was generally safe, with lower rates of minor side effects compared to other agents. Common side effects included flatulence, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea and headache. There was also some evidence that liquid paraffin (mineral oil) increased the frequency of bowel motions in constipated children and was also safe. Common side effects with liquid paraffin included abdominal pain, distention and watery stools. There was no evidence to suggest that lactulose is superior to the other agents studied, although there were no trials comparing it to placebo. The results of the review should be interpreted with caution due to methodological quality and statistical issues in the included studies. In addition, these studies were relatively short in duration and so it is difficult to assess the long-term effectiveness of these agents for the treatment of childhood constipation. Long-term effectiveness is important, given the often chronic nature of this problem in children.
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Open Access J Sports Med · Jan 2013
ReviewSpecial considerations for adolescent athletic and asthmatic patients.
Asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and variable bronchoconstriction, and is one of the most common diseases in childhood and adolescence. Exercise-induced asthma-like symptoms and asthma are also frequently seen in highly trained athletes. Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) are found in 8%-10% of healthy school-aged children and in 35% of children with asthma. ⋯ The treatment of EIB is comparable to the treatment of EIA and leukotriene modifiers offer a new and promising treatment option, particularly in EIB. Generally, athletes may not use β2-agonists according to the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). However, the WADA list contains specific β2-agonistic substances that are permitted to be used by inhalation.
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Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can be grouped as the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). These conditions have become increasingly common in recent years, including in children and young people. Although much is known about aspects of the pathogenesis of these diseases, the precise aetiology is not yet understood, and there remains no cure. ⋯ Exclusive enteral nutrition plays a central role in the induction of remission of active Crohn's disease. Medical and surgical therapies need to considered within the context of a growing and developing child. The overall management of these chronic conditions in children should include multi-disciplinary expertise, with focus upon maintaining control of gut inflammation, optimising nutrition, growth and quality of life, whilst preventing disease or treatment-related complications.
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Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Feb 2007
ReviewHPA function in adolescence: role of sex hormones in its regulation and the enduring consequences of exposure to stressors.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the physiological systems involved in coping with stressors. There are functional shifts in the HPA axis and its regulation by sex hormones over the lifespan that allow the animal to meet the challenges of the internal and external environment that are specific to each stage of development. Sex differences in HPA function emerge over adolescence, a phenomenon reflecting the concomitant initiation of regulatory effects of sex hormones. ⋯ Although research has been scarce, there is a growing evidence that exposure to stressors in adolescence may alter behavioural responses to drugs and cognitive performance in adulthood. However, the effects reported appear to be stressor-specific and sex-specific. Such research may contribute toward understanding the increased risk for drug abuse and psychopathology that occurs over adolescence in people.