Common Infant and Newborn Problems

It is hard when your baby is sick. Common health problems in babies include colds, coughs, fevers, and vomiting. Babies also commonly have skin problems, like diaper rash or cradle cap.

Many of these problems are not serious. It is important to know how to help your sick baby, and to know the warning signs for more serious problems. Trust your intuition - if you are worried about your baby, call your health care provider right away.

COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an illness caused by a virus. This virus is a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. In the United States, there are several vaccines that are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19. These vaccines are being used under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that the vaccines have met the FDA's scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality that are needed to support authorization.

This page includes details about the vaccines and the vaccination program, including where you can find a vaccine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Delirium

What is delirium?

Delirium is a mental state in which you are confused, disoriented, and not able to think or remember clearly. It usually starts suddenly. It is often temporary and treatable.

There are three types of delirium:

• Hypoactive, when you are not active and seem sleepy, tired, or depressed
• Hyperactive, when you are restless or agitated
• Mixed, when you change back and forth between being hypoactive and hyperactive

What causes delirium?

There are many different problems that can cause delirium. Some of the more common causes include:

• Advanced cancer.
• Alcohol or drugs, either from intoxication or withdrawal. This includes a serious type of alcohol withdrawal syndrome called delirium tremens. It usually happens to people who stop drinking after years of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
• Dementia.
• Hospitalization, especially in intensive care.
• Infections, such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and the flu.
• Medicines. This could be a side effect of a medicine, such as sedatives or opioids. Or it could be from withdrawal after stopping a medicine.
• Metabolic disorders.
• Organ failure, such as kidney or liver failure.
• Poisoning.
• Serious illnesses.
• Severe pain.
• Sleep deprivation.
• Surgeries, including reactions to anesthesia.

Who is more likely to get delirium?

Certain factors put you at risk for delirium, including:

• Being in a hospital or nursing home
• Having dementia
• Having a serious illness or more than one illness
• Having an infection
• Older age
• Having surgery
• Taking medicines that affect the mind or behavior
• Taking high doses of pain medicines, such as opioids

What are the symptoms of delirium?

The symptoms of delirium usually start suddenly, over a few hours or a few days. They often come and go. The most common symptoms include:

• Changes in alertness (usually more alert in the morning, less at night)
• Changing levels of consciousness
• Confusion
• Disorganized thinking, talking in a way that doesn't make sense
• Disrupted sleep patterns, sleepiness
• Emotional changes: anger, agitation, depression, irritability, overexcitement
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Memory problems, especially with short-term memory
• Trouble concentrating

How is delirium diagnosed?

Your health care provider may use many tools to make a diagnosis:

• A medical history, which includes asking about your symptoms
• Physical and neurological exams
• Mental status testing, which checks for problems with your thinking and alertness
• Lab and diagnostic imaging tests

Delirium and dementia have similar symptoms, so it can be hard to tell them apart. You can also have both at the same time. The differences between them are that:

• Delirium starts suddenly and can cause hallucinations. It is mainly a problem with attention and staying alert. The symptoms may get better or worse and can last for hours or weeks.
• Dementia develops slowly and does not cause hallucinations. It usually starts with memory loss. The symptoms don't change often, like they can with delirium. Dementia almost never gets better.

What are the treatments for delirium?

Treatment of delirium focuses on the causes and symptoms of delirium. The first step is to identify the cause. Often, treating the cause will lead to a full recovery. The recovery may take some time - weeks or sometimes even months. In the meantime, there may be treatments to manage the symptoms, such as:

• Controlling the environment, which includes making sure that the room is quiet and well-lit, having clocks or calendars in view, and having family members around
• Medicines, including those that control aggression or agitation and pain relievers if there is pain
• If needed, making sure that the person has a hearing aid, glasses, or other devices for communication

Can delirium be prevented?

Treating the conditions that can cause delirium may reduce the risk of getting it. Hospitals can help lower the risk of delirium by avoiding sedatives and making sure that hospital rooms are kept quiet, calm, and well-lit. It can also help to have family members around and to have the same staff members treat the person each day (if possible).

Diabetes

What is diabetes?

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose is your body's main source of energy. Your body can make glucose, but it also comes from the food you eat. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas. Insulin helps move glucose from your bloodstream into your cells, where it can be used for energy.

If you have diabetes, your body can't make insulin, can't use insulin as well as it should, or both. Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells. This can cause glucose levels to get too high. Over time, high blood glucose levels can lead to serious health conditions. But you can take steps to manage your diabetes and try to prevent these health problems.

What are the types of diabetes?

There are different types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body makes little or no insulin. It happens when your immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes. This is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body may still be able to make insulin, but your cells don't respond well to insulin. They can't easily take up enough glucose from your blood.
• Gestational diabetes. This is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It happens when your body can't make the extra insulin it needs during pregnancy.

What causes diabetes?

The different types of diabetes have different causes:

• Researchers think type 1 diabetes is caused by genes and factors in the environment that might trigger the disease.
• Type 2 diabetes is caused by several factors, including lifestyle factors and genes. The lifestyle factors include not being physically active and being overweight or having obesity.
• Researchers think gestational diabetes is caused by the hormonal changes of pregnancy along with genetic and lifestyle factors.

Who is more likely to develop diabetes?

The different types of diabetes have different risk factors:

• You can develop type 1 diabetes at any age, but it most often starts in childhood. Having a parent or sibling with type 1 diabetes may increase your chance of developing it.
• You are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:
• Are overweight or have obesity.
• Are over age 35. Children, teenagers, and younger adults can get diabetes, but it is more common in middle-aged and older adults.
• Have a family history of diabetes.
• Have prediabetes. This means that your blood glucose is higher than normal, but it's not high enough to be called diabetes.
• Had gestational diabetes.
• Have given birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more.
• Are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, or Pacific Islander.
• Are not physically active.
• Have certain other health conditions, such as high blood pressure or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• You are at higher risk of developing gestational diabetes if you:
• Are overweight or have obesity.
• Have a family history of diabetes.
• Had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
• Have given birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more.
• Have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• Are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

The symptoms of diabetes may include:

• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry
• Urinating (peeing) more often, including at night
• Fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands
• Sores that do not heal
• Losing weight without trying

But it's important to know that your symptoms may vary, depending on which type you have:

• The symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually come on quickly and can be severe.
• With type 2 diabetes, the symptoms often develop slowly, over several years. The symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them.
• Gestational diabetes often has no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they may be mild. People who are pregnant are usually screened for this condition between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

To find out if you have diabetes, your health care provider will use one or more glucose blood tests. There are several types, including the A1C test.

What are the treatments for diabetes?

Treatment for diabetes involves managing your blood glucose levels:

• If you have type 1 diabetes, you will need to take daily doses of insulin, either by injection or through a special pump. Some people also need to take another type of diabetes medicine that works with insulin.
• If you have type 2 diabetes, you may be able to manage or even reverse it by making lifestyle changes. These include eating a healthy diet, staying at healthy weight, and getting regular physical activity. Some people also need to take diabetes medicines to manage their diabetes.
• If you have gestational diabetes, you may be able to lower your glucose levels by eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. But be sure to talk to your provider about your treatment options. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after you give birth. But you will have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later.

Checking your blood glucose levels is also an important part of managing your diabetes. Ask your provider about the best way to check your blood glucose level and how often you should check it.

Can diabetes be prevented?

Type 1 diabetes can't be prevented.

You may be able to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes through the same lifestyle changes that are used to manage diabetes (eating a healthy diet, staying at a healthy weight, and getting regular physical activity). These lifestyle changes may also help prevent gestational diabetes.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Diarrhea

What is diarrhea?

Diarrhea is loose, watery stools (bowel movements). You have diarrhea if you have loose stools three or more times in one day. Acute diarrhea is diarrhea that lasts a short time. It is a common problem. It usually lasts about one or two days, but it may last longer. Then it goes away on its own.

Diarrhea lasting more than a few days may be a sign of a more serious problem. Chronic diarrhea -- diarrhea that lasts at least four weeks -- can be a symptom of a chronic disease. Chronic diarrhea symptoms may be continual, or they may come and go.

What causes diarrhea?

The most common causes of diarrhea include:

• Bacteria from contaminated food or water
• Viruses such as the flu, norovirus, or rotavirus . Rotavirus is the most common cause of acute diarrhea in children.
• Parasites, which are tiny organisms found in contaminated food or water
• Medicines such as antibiotics, cancer drugs, and antacids that contain magnesium
• Food intolerances and sensitivities, which are problems digesting certain ingredients or foods. An example is lactose intolerance.
• Diseases that affect the stomach, small intestine, or colon, such as Crohn's disease
• Problems with how the colon functions, such as irritable bowel syndrome

Some people also get diarrhea after stomach surgery, because sometimes the surgeries can cause food to move through your digestive system more quickly.

Sometimes no cause can be found. If your diarrhea goes away within a few days, finding the cause is usually not necessary.

Who is at risk for diarrhea?

People of all ages can get diarrhea. On average, adults In the United States have acute diarrhea once a year. Young children have it an average of twice a year.

People who visit developing countries are at risk for traveler's diarrhea. It is caused by consuming contaminated food or water.

What other symptoms might I have with diarrhea?

Other possible symptoms of diarrhea include:

• Cramps or pain in the abdomen
• An urgent need to use the bathroom
• Loss of bowel control

If a virus or bacteria is the cause of your diarrhea, you may also have a fever, chills, and bloody stools.

Diarrhea can cause dehydration, which means that your body does not have enough fluid to work properly. Dehydration can be serious, especially for children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

When do I need to see a health care provider for diarrhea?

Although it is usually not harmful, diarrhea can become dangerous or signal a more serious problem. Contact your health care provider if you have:

• Signs of dehydration
• Diarrhea for more than 2 days, if you are an adult. For children, contact the provider if it lasts more than 24 hours.
• Severe pain in your abdomen or rectum (for adults)
• A fever of 102 degrees or higher
• Stools containing blood or pus
• Stools that are black and tarry

If children have diarrhea, parents or caregivers should not hesitate to call a health care provider. Diarrhea can be especially dangerous in newborns and infants.

How is the cause of diarrhea diagnosed?

To find the cause of diarrhea, your health care provider may:

• Do a physical exam
• Ask about any medicines you are taking
• Test your stool or blood to look for bacteria, parasites, or other signs of disease or infection
• Ask you to stop eating certain foods to see whether your diarrhea goes away

If you have chronic diarrhea, your health care provider may perform other tests to look for signs of disease.

What are the treatments for diarrhea?

Diarrhea is treated by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Depending on the cause of the problem, you may need medicines to stop the diarrhea or treat an infection.

Adults with diarrhea should drink water, fruit juices, sports drinks, sodas without caffeine, and salty broths. As your symptoms improve, you can eat soft, bland food.

Children with diarrhea should be given oral rehydration solutions to replace lost fluids and electrolytes.

Can diarrhea be prevented?

Two types of diarrhea can be prevented - rotavirus diarrhea and traveler's diarrhea. There are vaccines for rotavirus. They are given to babies in two or three doses.

You can help prevent traveler's diarrhea by being careful about what you eat and drink when you are in developing countries:

• Use only bottled or purified water for drinking, making ice cubes, and brushing your teeth
• If you do use tap water, boil it or use iodine tablets
• Make sure that the cooked food you eat is fully cooked and served hot
• Avoid unwashed or unpeeled raw fruits and vegetables

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases