electric children
NOVEMBER, 2018 | THE HEALTH
21
H
YPOSPADIAS is a condition
where a boy is born with an
abnormal – deformed penis,
where the meatus isn’t at the tip
of the penis. Instead, the hole may
be any place along the underside
of the penis. The meatus (hole) is
most often found near the end of
the penis (“distal” position), but it
may also be found from the middle
of the penile shaft to the base of the
penis, or even within the scrotum
(“proximal” positions).
“The incidence is increasing
throughout the world due to
estrogenic material. 10 years ago,
the incidence was 1 in 500, however,
currently it is 1 in 150 globally. In
Malaysia, it is almost the same
frequency, but what is interesting is
the severity of the condition which
is much worst compared to Aus-
tralia and in the United Kingdom,”
revealed Pantai Hospital Kuala
Lumpur Paediatric and Neonatal
Surgeon, Dr Nada Sudhakaran.
“Much severe as in the penises
are more deformed,” he explained.
“If you’re hypospadias, there are
three expects; one is that the penis
is bent, two – the meatus isn’t at the
tip but opens somewhere along the
way and thirdly there is a hooded
foreskin –the skin is not complete –
it is just on the back.”
“When a child has an erect penis,
it should be straight, but this ones
are always bent akin a question
mark. So, question mark penis –
when they have an erection – they
would always be painful. When the
meatus is low down, the penis is
really small, shrunken and curved.
The lower they are – generally they
are more curved.”
Nada highlighted that part of the
examination for a new born baby is
to look at the genitalia.
“The testis must be both down
and the penis must be pretty
mobile – the hole must be at the tip
with a full foreskin - then it is not
hypospadias.”
Hypospadias, he said, is not an
issue in the first few years because
they are just going to pee.
“For sexual function, they need a
straight penis. If the child has a bent
penis, the penis would most likely
function very badly because it is
going to hurt when it erects.
Nada pointed out that the recon-
struction operation is done at one
year of age, as soon as they are old
enough to go through anesthetic.
“The complex ones – where the
hole is really low down of the penis,
then you might need two operations
at least.
Hypospadias in young boys
REALMOMDAILY.COM
Food allergy
in children
Dr Erwin
Khoo
emphasised
that food
allergies
have
different
allergenicity.
Charmaine
Lavinia
Alphonso
Augustin
pointed
out food
allergies
causes an
immune
system
response.
FOOD allergy is an abnormal response
of the body to a certain food. The risk
of food allergies increases if parents or
siblings of the child have known food
allergies. Most allergies occur in the first
year of life. It may be short term and the
child may outgrow the allergies.
IMU Pediatrician Dr Erwin Khoo
emphasised that food allergies have dif-
ferent allergenicity.
“The degree of allergy varies among
children and may depend on the dose
of the allergen ingested. Common food
allergies are peanuts, tree nuts such as
cashew nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish
and shellfish.”
IMU Dietitian Charmaine Lavinia
Alphonso Augustin pointed out to the
difference between food allergies and
food intolerance.
“Food allergies causes an immune
system response and can be life threaten-
ing. On the other hand, food intolerance
are more common than food allergies. It
does not affect the immune system, can
be unpleasant but rarely dangerous and
may occur because a person can’t digest
a food substance,” she said.
Charmaine explained that allergic
Food allergies can get
worse and become
dangerous.
symptoms may begin within minutes to
an hour after ingesting the food. It can
involve only one part of the body or more
severe involve more than one part of the
body.
Among the symptoms are itching or
swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth,
itching or tightness in the throat, dif-
ficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea,
cramps, hives and swelling, eczema,
wheezing and lowered blood pressure.
Among the things parents can do if
the child has a known food allergy is to
avoid the foods that cause the symptoms
as there is no definite cure for the food
allergy. Reading food label and providing
supplementation as well as planning well
when dining out.
Some children may be given certain
foods again after three to six months to
see if they have outgrown the allergy.
She also advised parents to keep a food
diary; with details of food, amount, time
and any symptoms experienced and bring
this when meeting with the doctor and
dietitian.