Maternal & paediatric care - Essay Example

Rheumatic fever is an infection that can be compared to an inflammatory disease. It is said to develop two or three weeks after a group A Streptococcal infection. This type of infection is referred to through a scarlet fever or a strep throat.The basis of this kind of infection is found in cross reactivity that is created through a conflict between antibodies. Such an infection can affect various parts of the body. This includes the heart, joints, skin and brain (Robbins Basic Pathology). An acute version of rheumatic fever is said to appear in children who fall between the ages of five and fifteen.

Adults are inflicted at a lesser degree with this fever. 20% of adults are thought to be affected by a first time attack of this disease. The results of this disease are said to leave a life long mark on the patient (American Heart Association). There are not many differences between a rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. While rheumatic fever can be caused by an inflammation, the heart disease caused by this kind of fever is known as rheumatic heart disease. The damage done by this infection to the heart is a direct result of the fever itself.

Any patient who has suffered from this kind of fever is more susceptible to suffering from the heart damage which follows. This is the reason why patients who have undergone this kind of fever are given a monthly dose of antibiotics for the rest of their life. Any problems caused to the heart by the fever can lead to an increased risk to the heart and further complications such as infective endocarditic. Rheumatic heart disease leads to a clogging of the heart valves. Thus, rheumatic heart disease is a direct cause of the fever in itself and has the same symptoms and cure.

There are many symptoms to a rheumatic fever. They are usually preceded by a strep throat that is responsible for causing the inflammation as mentioned previously which can later develop into a fever, chest pain and skin rashes. There are several ways to cure this type of a fever. It can be done with by reducing the inflammation in itself. This can be done using several ways. Anti inflammatory medicine likes aspirin or corticosteroids to help reduce the infection. If this medicine is not taken then the patient can suffer from acute rheumatic fever.

Antibiotics can also be taken to cure the strep throat. Later in life, a recurring fever can be prevented by eradicating the infection with the use of antibiotics. Dehydration Dehydration is not a disease or illness. It is caused by an excessive loss of water in the body (MedicineNet). Another term for it is hypohydration where water is removed from an object. Because the water in the human body is responsible for possessing so many solutes a loss can lead to severe deficiencies.

Thus, while the body losses its water it is coupled with the loss of important solutes needed by the body as well. Dehydration can be caused by a variety of reasons. These states or diseases can lead to the body's inability to impair water. The first of this can be blamed on external causes. Physical activity which can lead to sweating without the consumption of adequate water can cause this problem. Another is the exposure to humid weather which can lead an individual to lose water in an atmosphere of dry air.

Along with this the individual's health can also affect their levels of hydration. These include vomiting, diarrhea or hyperthermia, any of which can cause a severe loss of water in the body. Infectious diseases can also be held responsible for dehydration: such as cholera, gastroenteritis or yellow fever. Another reason for dehydration is malnutrition which can lead to an individual receiving a reduced amount of water required for the body. The symptoms of dehydration can be easily discovered depending on the degree it has reached in the body.

A mild dehydration can lead to