10 Childhood Illnesses That Parents Should Be Able To Identify

Jun 21, 2018

Children do get colds often, and most of the time some rest and anti-cold medication is enough to help them recover. However, there are many childhood illnesses that share the symptoms of the common cold that could become a serious threat to your child.

It's important for parents to be able to identify these illnesses, so here's a quick rundown on 10 of them that are often confused with a common cold. 

If your child is running a fever and has a sore throat, it's understandable that you would assume that they just have a cold. However, if you start noticing a white coating on the tongue and mouth, enlarged tonsils, pain around the eyes, or difficulty swallowing, your child might have angina. Angina is a potentially serious disease that can affect the heart and kidneys if it isn't treated with antibiotics quickly, so make an appointment with your doctor as soon as you notice these symptoms

A rotavirus infection causes symptoms that are similar to a cold and various digestive disorders. Diarrhea and vomiting are common, so the biggest danger here is dehydration. Give your child small drinks of water and let them rest until the infection passes.

Doctors often misdiagnose whooping cough as a cold, and anti-cold medication can make a child feel better at first. If your child's symptoms go from that of the common cold to a cough with a "whooping" sound that may be strong enough to cause vomiting, your child might have whooping cough. A doctor will need to diagnose this illness and prescribe treatment. 

Scarlet fever is often seen in babies and causes a small rash to appear on the skin along with a sore throat and fever. A distinctive feature of scarlet fever is that the rash doesn't appear around the lips or on the nose. Scarlet fever can cause complications in the internal organs, but it can be treated with antibiotics.

An asthma attack can cause a cough much like a cold, but it is also accompanied by wheezing, shortness of breath and even an inability to breathe. Asthma is a chronic condition that can be managed with medication. Severe attacks may require the use of a rescue inhaler.

Polio is a disease that was all but wiped out in the United States, but the virus that causes it can still be brought into the country and spread to children who haven't been vaccinated against it. It is often misdiagnosed as a cold at first, but in later stages can cause pain and weakness in the legs, poor sense of direction, and permanent damage to the spinal cord. A polio diagnosis requires a special blood test, so make an appointment with your doctor if you suspect that your child has this illness.

Tuberculosis is often confused with a cold in its early stages thanks to symptoms such as a dry cough, fever, and a tickle in the throat. However, unlike a cold that goes away in a few days, tuberculosis symptoms will worsen over time. Someone with tuberculosis may develop a wet cough, pale skin, cramping while coughing, and a general feeling of weakness. If you suspect that your child has tuberculosis, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.

Croup causes the throat to swell and even close altogether if it isn't treated, although at first you may only notice that your child has a severe cough and a fever. Croup can develop very quickly and can be fatal if it isn't treated, so call an ambulance if your child starts to have trouble breathing after developing a bad cough.

Measles is a serious illness that has made something of a comeback in recent years after it was all but eradicated in the United States. At first, measles appears to be a cold or the flu with symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, a sore throat, and pain in the joints. As the disease progresses, you might see white spots on the cheeks and a telltale rash that almost always leads to a diagnosis. Any child that is diagnosed with measles should be isolated immediately to prevent it from spreading to anyone else.

Rubella is an infectious disease that attacks the immune system and can affect nearly every organ in the body. Early symptoms include a runny nose, fever, and a sore throat, but a rash appears on the third day after the initial infection. The rash begins around the ears and the front of the neck before it spreads, yet it never appears on the palms of the hands or bottoms of the feet.

Even though many of these illnesses have clear symptoms in their later stages, most of them will still require a diagnosis and treatment from a doctor. If you suspect that your child has any of these diseases or any other issue, don't hesitate to make an appointment with your family's pediatrician.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!