pediatric patients could get the same diseases just like adults
During the second week, I gathered quite a lot of new information. I interacted with pediatric patients from whom I learned vital and valuable lessons. The biggest lesson I learned was that pediatric patients could get the same diseases just like adults, while some diseases are not recorded in the population.
Patient Assessment
I met a 15-year old boy accompanied by his mother, who complained of having lots of small white bumps on both of his legs. He indicated that the white bumps have stayed on for 14 days. Despite his mother applying calamine lotion on his legs to help them dry out, the bumps stayed on and surprisingly increased in number. The bumps have increased in the last three days. He states that nothing has worked as far as eliminating the bumps is concerned. He does not have the bumps in any other part of the body and does not feel any pain.
Further assessment revealed the following. B/P-110/60, HR-66, RR-16, Temperature- 79.7, weight-110, height-54 inches, BMI-24. The patient has multiple, small white papules on both legs. The bumps are likely to be caused by Keratosis pilaris, which is a skin condition commonly experienced by adults (Wang & Orlow, 2018). Lack of pain as reported by the patient is associated with keratosis pilaris, which is described as a common harmless skin condition that appears as small, whitish bumps on the upper thighs and arms, especially in kids and young adults. It appears on the legs, upper arms, or buttocks. The application of the calamine could have aggravated the symptoms since the symptoms increase in dry environments.
Treatment Plan
The patient was advised o use intensive moisturizing with Acid mantle and Vaseline after birth three to three times daily. He was further instructed to reduce bath time to less than 15 minutes and avoid using harsh drying soaps. He also advised to pat the skin dry gently, not to scrub the skin, and only use warm water. Hot water should not be used.
Follow Up
The patient was advised to visit the office for a follow-up check-up suppose the symptoms become worse.
Differential Diagnosis
Actinic keratosis was ruled out because it is more common in people aged 40 years and above. They take years to develop and originate from several years of exposure to the sun (Siegel, Korgavkar & Weinstock, 2017). Also, they rarely develop on the legs. Psoriasis is also ruled out because it causes the skin to build up into bumpy red patches, which are covered with white scales. These are not seen in the patient.