Symptoms in 298 infants under 6 months old, seen at home

Article Abstract:

Symptoms and illness during the first 6 months of life are common occurrences and can be of major concern to the infants' mothers. Appropriate recognition of the symptoms, determination of severity, and proper treatment can substantially reduce illness and prevent some deaths. Babies born at more than 36 weeks' gestation, healthy at birth, resident within five miles of a particular maternity hospital, and born to English-speaking mothers, were potential candidates for inclusion in a study that finally included 298 infants between 1 and 25 weeks of age. The babies were visited at home between April 1986 and March 1987. For each infant, the mother was asked if the baby was ill or if she was concerned as to its health. Twenty-eight discrete symptoms were discussed with each mother and the occurrence of any within the previous 24 hours was noted. The mother was also asked to rank the symptom's severity on a 4-point scale ranging from normal to severe. Complete physical and clinical histories were also collected and added to the records. The summary data revealed that the overall incidence of symptoms in this age group was high, that many babies had multiple symptoms, and that the mothers often considered most of them normal and no cause for concern. Month of age and season were the factors that had the greatest influence on reporting of symptoms. Cold extremities, decreased sleeping, runny nose, increased irritability, crying, cough, sweating and rash were most frequent symptoms in the winter months. Data on the incidence, duration and maternal perception of the symptoms were collected, but their significance and interpretation cannot be assessed without consideration of a detailed history. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Surveys, Infants (Newborn), Newborn infants, Neonatal diseases, Symptomatology, Signs and symptoms

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Respiratory rate and severity of illness in babies under 6 months old

Article Abstract:

Tachypnea is an increased respiratory rate that in infants may be a sign of serious illness. The presence of tachypnea is an important indication of possible respiratory failure, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, or heart failure. Data on normal respiratory rates and variations in infants during the first six months of life were determined to identify markers of serious illness. During the course of one year, 1,007 babies were studied. Each baby was carefully assessed and the severity of illness was graded according to predetermined criteria. The goal of the study was to determine the usefulness of respiratory rate as a diagnostic tool. Normal respiratory rate in infants ranges from 36 to 80 breaths per minute, with the average being about 58 breaths per minute. Sleeping babies were seen to have an average rate of 42 breaths per minute, while babies when they are awake breathe faster, at 61 breaths per minute. Respiratory rate is difficult to measure in infants and the infant's activity (including sleeping and crying) significantly affects this rate. In awake infants, respiratory rate alone cannot be used as an indicator of serious illness, since there is normally a large variation in healthy babies. In addition, babies in their first few months of life breathe faster than had been previously reported. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Standards, Measurement, Demographic aspects, Respiration, Pulmonary function tests, Respiratory tract diseases, Pulmonary function tests for newborn infants

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Baby Check: a scoring system to grade the severity of acute systemic illness in babies under 6 months old

Article Abstract:

It is difficult to discriminate between serious and mild illnesses in young infants. Several indices of serious illnesses, consisting of up to 12 symptoms, have been suggested as ways of determining which babies should be seen by physicians, but subsequent reviews usually have found that the proposed symptoms are as likely to identify mildly ill infants as seriously ill infants. A new scoring system, Baby Check, has been developed to grade the severity of symptoms in babies under six months old. The condition of 709 hospitalized infants and 298 infants at home was assessed. Out of 28 subjective symptoms and 47 measurable signs, 19 were most strongly linked to the presence of severe illness. Scores increased with illness severity, and the ability to predict serious illness accurately improved with increased score. Only 8 percent of seriously ill babies were falsely identified as not seriously ill. The scoring system was more accurate than mothers' impression of severity of illness. To further judge the accuracy of this method, the system was tested in homes, general practices, and hospitals, and the results are presented in three other articles published in the January 1991 issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Education, Health status indicators, Mothers

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