Biomedical subjects

Jon Couriel

Publications and source records attributed to Jon Couriel.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Asthma in adolescence.

The care of adolescents with asthma has been largely neglected, yet adolescents have particular needs that differ from those of children or adults with asthma. There are over 800,000 teenagers in the UK who suffer from asthma and underdiagnosis and poor treatment are common. The prevalence and level of morbidity from asthma in adolescents are as high as or higher than the rates in younger schoolchildren. Poor symptom control frequently reflects poor compliance with treatment. The beliefs and fears of teenagers about their asthma and its treatment are often not recognised or addressed in clinical consultations. Improved communication on the part of health professionals, which results in negotiating simple management plans that are tailored to the individual patient's concerns and goals, is more likely to improve compliance and asthma control than are complex plans made unilaterally by the doctor. The transition of care from the paediatric to the adult clinic remains a challenge for paediatricians and there is a lack of consensus over the best method of achieving this.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2002

Assessment of the child with recurrent chest infections.

The child with recurrent chest infections presents the clinician with a difficult diagnostic challenge. Does the child have a simply-managed cause for their symptoms, such as recurrent viral respiratory infections or asthma, or is there evidence of a more serious underlying pathology, such as bronchiectasis? Many different disorders present in this way, including cystic fibrosis, a range of immunodeficiency syndromes, and congenital abnormalities of the respiratory tract. In some affected children, lung damage follows a single severe pneumonia: in others it is the result of inhalation of food or a foreign body. The assessment of these children is demanding: it requires close attention to the history and examination, and in selected cases, extensive investigations. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure that optimal treatment is given and to minimise the risk of progressive or irreversible lung damage. The aim of this chapter is to examine the causes of recurrent chest infections and to describe how this complex group of children should be assessed and investigated.

Adolescent↗