Meningitis, Hay Fever, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Dyslexia, Nut Allergy, Acne & Roaccutane

MENINGITIS

It’s meningitis season – and the new vaccine may not protect your child. Read why and how to diagnose it early. This information could save your child’s life.

Since the meningitis C vaccine was introduced last year the rates of meningitis C in children has dropped dramatically, however the more common Meningitis B, caused by meningococcus B, is still the commonest cause of bacterial meningitis in children and its incidence is rising. Read ‘Meningitis B cases rising’. Some parents think that having the meningitis vaccine has protected their children but they are still at risk from this potentially fatal form of the disease. Can you recognise meningitis? It is one of the few diseases where an early diagnosis can quite often save lives – read about the early symptoms in babies and children and see a picture of a typical meningitis rash in our article on meningitis.

HAY FEVER

The herbal treatment Butterbur is as effective as antihistamines for hay fever but is it a safe alternative?

An article in this week’s British Medical Journal (BMJ) has compared butterbur, the herbal remedy, and ‘cetirizine’, a commonly used anti-histamine that does not make you sleepy. The trial was done in Switzerland and involved 125 people being given different treatments in a randomised controlled trial – this is the ‘gold standard’ of scientific research in which neither the patient nor the prescribing doctor knows which treatment is being given and so any change or improvement in symptoms cannot be due to the patients’ or doctor’s expectations. The results suggest that butterbur was as effective as the antihistamine BUT a couple of doctors have written in to say that butterbur (petasites hybridus) preparations can contain chemicals that may cause cancer or liver damage. As with most herbal preparations the levels of these toxins are not regulated or controlled so it may be unsafe to give butterbur to children. Read the article and the concerns about butterbur in the BMJ letters section.

See our section on hay fever for more information.

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

Chronic fatigue syndrome or ME may affect up to 25,000 children in Britain. Does a new report throw any light on its cause or treatment?

ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome as it is also known, seems to be becoming more prevalent. A recent article in the Independent newspaper, ‘The younger ME generation’, shows just how dreadful the symptoms can be for children. However even after the report has finally been published it has been revealed that several doctors and some patients resigned because of the recommendations in the report. Read ’Chronic fatigue report delayed as row breaks out over its content’ in the British Medical Journal.

The CFS/ME Working Group Report says that doctors must recognise ME as a serious and genuine illness and the ME Association has described it as a wake up call for doctors. The doctors who resigned from the working party producing the report were concerned that not enough emphasis was being placed on the psychological and social aspects to the disease and that some of the treatments recommended were not proven to be effective. The patients who resigned did not like the prescription of graded exercise as a treatment. The report seems to have stoked up a lot of discussion but whether more money is made available for specialist research and treatment to find the best treatments as a result of these discussions remains to be seen.

See our section on chronic fatigue syndrome for more information.

DYSLEXIA

Is dyslexia inherited and if it is can this help our treatment of it? A new report says it is.

A recent (January 2001) report published in ‘Nature Genetics’ suggests that dyslexia may be inherited. Read ‘Is dyslexia inherited?’ in the British Medical Journal. The chromosome it seems most likely to be associated with is chromosome 18. This is one of the first clinical reports using the recently completed human genome-mapping project where human DNA has been analysed and mapped out for the first time. Genetic markers for dyslexia raise the prospect of early intervention and preventative treatment for affected families. A recent report suggests that exercises that stimulate the cerebellum (the part of the brain that controls balance) may help to treat dyslexia – read ‘Dyslexia and the cerebellum’ from the Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADD centre, and also a report about it in the Daily Telegraph.

However it also raises the ethical problem of babies being diagnosed ante-natally with potentially mild problems like dyslexia and the parents requesting a termination.

See our section on dyslexia for more information.

NUT ALLERGY

Nut allergies affect up to one in 100 people in the UK. As a new treatment is launched find out if your children are at risk.

Nut allergies are on the increase in the UK. This may be due to an increase in nuts in our diet, but one thing is sure: that the reaction can be severe and fatal in allergic children. Peanuts are the commonest culprit and the first reaction to them is often mild BUT the next reaction may be much more serious so even if your child only gets a tingling or slight swelling of the lips medical advice should be sought. Read this article from the BBC about an athlete who died after one bite of a chicken sandwich.

How do you prevent it? If there is a history of any food allergy or hypersensitivity in your family you should avoid all peanuts and peanut-containing products during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, and also avoid nipple creams containing groundnut or arachis oil (forms of peanut oil). Read ‘Women can 'pass peanut allergy to their children'’. Children under three years should not be given peanuts in any form, and as the whole nuts can cause choking they should not be given to children under six years.

If you do have peanut allergy in your family make sure you know all the different names that they are marketed under and always be vigilant.

Also always keep up to date - subscribe to the Anaphylaxis Campaign. Did you know that lupins and lupin flour can cause a reaction in peanut-allergic individuals. They also have details of the new Anapen, which delivers adrenaline via a firing device.

A vaccine for peanut allergy may be available soon – read this report from the BBC.

Read our Tigerchild health articles on anaphylactic shock, food allergy and breastfeeding.

ACNE & ROACCUTANE

Does your child have acne? One leading treatment is being linked with depression and suicide. Is this true, and did this make the boy fly his plane into the building in Tampa, Florida?

Roaccutane is a commonly prescribed drug for acne – it is taken by mouth and it has been known for years that it can cause severe birth defects in the unborn baby if given to someone in pregnancy. There are increasing reports, however, of it causing depression, which has led to suicide in some cases. This was highlighted this week when it was discovered that the boy who killed himself by flying a light aircraft into a building in Tampa, Florida was on Roaccutane (called Acutance in America). Roaccutane is a very effective treatment but should only be used in severe acne and if you or your child experiences any feelings of depression or feeling low or tearful you should alert your doctor immediately. Your doctor should have checked that there was no history of depression-related illnesses before prescribing it.

Read British Association of Dermatologists - News on Roaccutane and PressBox - Roaccutane. The link with suicide is refuted in ABCNEWS.com : Numbers Don't Support Accutane-Suicide Link.

As with all drugs Roaccutane has a number of other side effects including defects of night vision and alterations in blood fat levels. People on Roaccutane should not have body hair waxing or give blood, and they should read the leaflet in the packet carefully.

Read Tigerchild’s articles on acne and depression.