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Sandy
Hernias (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth
~1.8 mins read
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What Are Hernias?
Hernias happen when part of an organ or tissue in the body (such as a loop of intestine) pushes through an opening or weak spot in a muscle wall. It can push into a space where it doesn't belong. This causes a bulge or lump
How Do Hernias Happen?
Hernias are fairly common in kids. Babies, especially preemies, can be born with them.
Some babies are born with small openings inside the body that will close at some point. Nearby tissues can squeeze into such openings and become hernias. Unlike hernias seen in adults, these areas are not always considered a weakness in the muscle wall, but a normal area that has not yet closed.
Sometimes tissues can squeeze through muscle wall openings that are only meant for arteries or other tissues. In other cases, strains or injuries create a weak spot in the muscle wall. Then, part of a nearby organ can push into the weak spot so that it bulges and becomes a hernia.
Hernia repair is the one of the most common surgeries kids have. It's important to know the signs of a hernia so your child gets the right medical care.
What Are the Types of Hernias?
There are different types of hernias, and each needs different levels of medical care.
Most hernias in kids are either inguinal hernias in the groin area or umbilical hernias in the belly-button area.
Inguinal Hernias
An inguinal hernia happens when part of the intestines pushes through an opening in the lower part of the abdomen called the inguinal (IN-gwuh-nul) canal. Instead of closing tightly, the canal leaves a space for the intestines to slide into.
Doctors fix inguinal hernias with surgery.
Umbilical Hernias
An umbilical hernia happens when part of a child's intestines bulges through the abdominal wall inside the belly button. It shows up as a bump under the belly button. The hernia isn't painful and most don't cause any problems.
Most umbilical (um-BILL-ih-kul) hernias closes up on their own by the time the child turns 4 or 5. If a hernia doesn't go away by then or causes problems, doctors may recommend surgery.
Epigastric Hernias
An epigastric (eh-pih-GAS-trik) hernia is when part of the intestines pushes through the abdominal muscles between the belly button and the chest.
Many are small, cause no symptoms, and don't need treatment. Larger ones that do cause symptoms won't heal on their own, but surgery can fix the problem.
Other types of hernias — like hiatal hernias, femoral hernias, and incisional hernias — usually happen in older people, not kids
Hernias happen when part of an organ or tissue in the body (such as a loop of intestine) pushes through an opening or weak spot in a muscle wall. It can push into a space where it doesn't belong. This causes a bulge or lump
How Do Hernias Happen?
Hernias are fairly common in kids. Babies, especially preemies, can be born with them.
Some babies are born with small openings inside the body that will close at some point. Nearby tissues can squeeze into such openings and become hernias. Unlike hernias seen in adults, these areas are not always considered a weakness in the muscle wall, but a normal area that has not yet closed.
Sometimes tissues can squeeze through muscle wall openings that are only meant for arteries or other tissues. In other cases, strains or injuries create a weak spot in the muscle wall. Then, part of a nearby organ can push into the weak spot so that it bulges and becomes a hernia.
Hernia repair is the one of the most common surgeries kids have. It's important to know the signs of a hernia so your child gets the right medical care.
What Are the Types of Hernias?
There are different types of hernias, and each needs different levels of medical care.
Most hernias in kids are either inguinal hernias in the groin area or umbilical hernias in the belly-button area.
Inguinal Hernias
An inguinal hernia happens when part of the intestines pushes through an opening in the lower part of the abdomen called the inguinal (IN-gwuh-nul) canal. Instead of closing tightly, the canal leaves a space for the intestines to slide into.
Doctors fix inguinal hernias with surgery.
Umbilical Hernias
An umbilical hernia happens when part of a child's intestines bulges through the abdominal wall inside the belly button. It shows up as a bump under the belly button. The hernia isn't painful and most don't cause any problems.
Most umbilical (um-BILL-ih-kul) hernias closes up on their own by the time the child turns 4 or 5. If a hernia doesn't go away by then or causes problems, doctors may recommend surgery.
Epigastric Hernias
An epigastric (eh-pih-GAS-trik) hernia is when part of the intestines pushes through the abdominal muscles between the belly button and the chest.
Many are small, cause no symptoms, and don't need treatment. Larger ones that do cause symptoms won't heal on their own, but surgery can fix the problem.
Other types of hernias — like hiatal hernias, femoral hernias, and incisional hernias — usually happen in older people, not kids
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Sandy
Latest On Corona Virus
~3.5 mins read
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So far, around a quarter of people infected during the outbreak of a new coronavirus have developed severe respiratory infections, and about 3 per cent have died. With the numbers still climbing alarmingly fast, many groups are already rushing to try to find treatments for the virus.
A vaccine that stops people being infected by the new coronavirus would obviously be better than any treatment, but that is some way off. “A vaccine would take at least a year, if not more,” says virologist Jonathan Ball at the University of Nottingham, UK.
Coronavirus facts: Listen to our podcast about the new coronavirus outbreak
The good news is that a few existing drugs might help to save lives in the meantime. And new treatments could be developed in as little as six months.
There are two ways of treating viral infections. One is to find small molecules that stop viruses replicating by interfering with viral proteins. Antivirals are usually simple to manufacture, and can be taken in pill form, both big advantages.
But 99 per cent of potential small-molecule drugs fail, says Ball. So developing new antivirals from scratch could take years.
Read more: What are the symptoms of the new coronavirus and how deadly is it?
The second way is to use the same weapons that our bodies use: antibodies. Antibodies are large proteins that bind to viruses and trigger their destruction.
When people are infected with a new virus, it can take two weeks for the body to produce enough antibodies to fight it off. Injecting people with antibodies made by cells growing in a vat can keep viruses in check until a person’s immune response kicks in fully.
Antibodies are less likely to cause side effects than small-molecule drugs, because they bind more specifically to viruses whereas small-molecule drugs tend to stick to lots of other things as well. This means we should be able to find safe and effective antibodies against the 2019 coronavirus very quickly – the problem will be mass-producing them fast enough.
Testing antibodies
In fact, a team in China has already tested antibodies against the coronavirus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002, and found one that binds to the new coronavirus as well. But team leader Tianlei Ying at Fudan University told New Scientist that it could take one or two months just to make enough of the antibody to start tests in animals and people.
There are two antibodies for treating the MERS coronavirus that have already been tested in people. The US biotechnology company that makes them, Regeneron, says they are unlikely to work against the 2019 coronavirus, but it will test them and others. While developing antibodies for Ebola, it took Regeneron six months to get to the stage where human tests could begin.
A Chinese company called WuXi Biologics announced in a press release that it is establishing a 100-strong team dedicated to developing antibody treatments for the 2019 coronavirus. It says it might be able to start mass production in a record four or five months.
By that stage, there is a chance that the outbreak could be over or millions of people might be infected, in which case making enough wouldn’t be easy. There aren’t many antibody factories, says Ball, and they are all already busy producing antibodies for treating cancer and other diseases.
Read more: New coronavirus looks set to cause a pandemic – how do we control it?
There might be a shortcut. Instead of making antibodies in a vat, a US company called RenBio instead injects the genes coding for them into leg muscles. Antibody production in the body continues for weeks or even months, so these injections could be given to people to prevent infections as well as treat those who are already infected.
“Both are possibilities,” says Neal Padte, the head of RenBio. But this has only been tested in animals, so health authorities may be reluctant to try it.
HIV drugs
There are a few existing small-molecule drugs that might help. For instance, an experimental antiviral called galidesivir developed for treating Ebola is active against coronaviruses, says its US maker, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. It has already passed safety tests in people.
“The company is in active dialogue with relevant US public health authorities to ensure that galidesivir is available to them,” says John Bluth at BioCryst, although he did not say how fast production could be ramped up.
Most promisingly, two drugs given together to treat HIV – called lopinavir and ritonavir – are already approved for human use, and in small trials they seemed to reduce disease severity and fatalities in people infected by the SARS or MERS coronaviruses.
Doctors in Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, have already started a randomised controlled trial of lopinavir and ritonavir. “Given the scale of the outbreak in China, you would hope to get a reasonably quick answer to whether these interventions work,” says Ball. “The manufacturing for these is already in place and they are easily available.
A vaccine that stops people being infected by the new coronavirus would obviously be better than any treatment, but that is some way off. “A vaccine would take at least a year, if not more,” says virologist Jonathan Ball at the University of Nottingham, UK.
Coronavirus facts: Listen to our podcast about the new coronavirus outbreak
The good news is that a few existing drugs might help to save lives in the meantime. And new treatments could be developed in as little as six months.
There are two ways of treating viral infections. One is to find small molecules that stop viruses replicating by interfering with viral proteins. Antivirals are usually simple to manufacture, and can be taken in pill form, both big advantages.
But 99 per cent of potential small-molecule drugs fail, says Ball. So developing new antivirals from scratch could take years.
Read more: What are the symptoms of the new coronavirus and how deadly is it?
The second way is to use the same weapons that our bodies use: antibodies. Antibodies are large proteins that bind to viruses and trigger their destruction.
When people are infected with a new virus, it can take two weeks for the body to produce enough antibodies to fight it off. Injecting people with antibodies made by cells growing in a vat can keep viruses in check until a person’s immune response kicks in fully.
Antibodies are less likely to cause side effects than small-molecule drugs, because they bind more specifically to viruses whereas small-molecule drugs tend to stick to lots of other things as well. This means we should be able to find safe and effective antibodies against the 2019 coronavirus very quickly – the problem will be mass-producing them fast enough.
Testing antibodies
In fact, a team in China has already tested antibodies against the coronavirus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002, and found one that binds to the new coronavirus as well. But team leader Tianlei Ying at Fudan University told New Scientist that it could take one or two months just to make enough of the antibody to start tests in animals and people.
There are two antibodies for treating the MERS coronavirus that have already been tested in people. The US biotechnology company that makes them, Regeneron, says they are unlikely to work against the 2019 coronavirus, but it will test them and others. While developing antibodies for Ebola, it took Regeneron six months to get to the stage where human tests could begin.
A Chinese company called WuXi Biologics announced in a press release that it is establishing a 100-strong team dedicated to developing antibody treatments for the 2019 coronavirus. It says it might be able to start mass production in a record four or five months.
By that stage, there is a chance that the outbreak could be over or millions of people might be infected, in which case making enough wouldn’t be easy. There aren’t many antibody factories, says Ball, and they are all already busy producing antibodies for treating cancer and other diseases.
Read more: New coronavirus looks set to cause a pandemic – how do we control it?
There might be a shortcut. Instead of making antibodies in a vat, a US company called RenBio instead injects the genes coding for them into leg muscles. Antibody production in the body continues for weeks or even months, so these injections could be given to people to prevent infections as well as treat those who are already infected.
“Both are possibilities,” says Neal Padte, the head of RenBio. But this has only been tested in animals, so health authorities may be reluctant to try it.
HIV drugs
There are a few existing small-molecule drugs that might help. For instance, an experimental antiviral called galidesivir developed for treating Ebola is active against coronaviruses, says its US maker, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. It has already passed safety tests in people.
“The company is in active dialogue with relevant US public health authorities to ensure that galidesivir is available to them,” says John Bluth at BioCryst, although he did not say how fast production could be ramped up.
Most promisingly, two drugs given together to treat HIV – called lopinavir and ritonavir – are already approved for human use, and in small trials they seemed to reduce disease severity and fatalities in people infected by the SARS or MERS coronaviruses.
Doctors in Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, have already started a randomised controlled trial of lopinavir and ritonavir. “Given the scale of the outbreak in China, you would hope to get a reasonably quick answer to whether these interventions work,” says Ball. “The manufacturing for these is already in place and they are easily available.
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