Arab Board Pediatrics Final Written key terms

A benign rise in bilirubin that appears after the first 24 hours of life, peaks around days 3 to 5, and resolves without treatment; it reflects immature hepatic conjugation and increased red cell turnover.

Permanent neurologic damage caused by bilirubin deposition in the basal ganglia and brainstem, producing choreoathetosis, hearing loss, and upward gaze palsy; it is prevented by treating severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia promptly.

A procedure that removes the infant's blood in small aliquots and replaces it with donor blood to rapidly lower bilirubin or correct severe anemia; it is reserved for extreme hyperbilirubinemia or hydrops.

Conjugated bilirubin above the normal range in a neonate, usually defined as more than 1 mg/dL when total bilirubin is elevated; it always requires investigation for cholestasis, infection, or metabolic disease.

Progressive fibro-obliteration of the extrahepatic bile ducts in infancy that causes cholestatic jaundice and pale stools; early Kasai portoenterostomy improves bile drainage and native liver survival.

Neonatal respiratory failure caused by surfactant deficiency, seen mostly in preterm infants, with grunting, retractions, and hypoxemia soon after birth; antenatal steroids and exogenous surfactant reduce severity.

Instillation of natural or synthetic surfactant into the trachea of a ventilated infant to lower alveolar surface tension, improve lung compliance, and reduce death and air leak in respiratory distress syndrome.

Noninvasive respiratory support that delivers a constant distending pressure through nasal prongs or a mask, keeping small airways and alveoli open in preterm infants with respiratory distress or apnea.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity defined by an ongoing oxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age, resulting from injury and arrested alveolar development after prolonged ventilation and oxygen exposure.

An acquired inflammatory bowel disease of preterm infants causing feeding intolerance, abdominal distension, bloody stools, and pneumatosis intestinalis; management includes bowel rest, antibiotics, and sometimes surgery.

Gas within the bowel wall seen on abdominal radiography; in a sick preterm infant it strongly supports necrotizing enterocolitis, while in older children it may occur with other conditions.

Addition of protein, energy, and minerals to expressed breast milk to meet the higher nutritional needs of preterm infants while preserving the benefits of human milk, including reduced necrotizing enterocolitis risk.

Care of a stable low-birth-weight newborn through continuous skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge with follow-up; it improves temperature control, breastfeeding, and survival.

The newborn's ability to balance heat production and loss; immature infants are prone to hypothermia because of large surface area, low fat insulation, and limited nonshivering thermogenesis, so warm chains and skin contact are essential.

A rapid 0-to-10 assessment of heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color at 1 and 5 minutes after birth; it guides resuscitation but does not diagnose birth asphyxia or predict outcome.

A stepwise approach at birth that begins with warming, drying, and stimulation, then airway positioning, positive-pressure ventilation, chest compressions, and medications if needed, guided by heart rate and breathing.

A public health program that tests newborns for treatable conditions such as congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, and hemoglobinopathies, using blood spots or other samples so treatment can start before symptoms appear.

Thyroid hormone deficiency present at birth that causes poor feeding, constipation, jaundice, and developmental delay if untreated; newborn screening allows early levothyroxine therapy that prevents intellectual disability.

An inherited deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase that causes phenylalanine accumulation and intellectual disability unless a low-phenylalanine diet is started early in infancy.

A genetic defect in an enzyme or transport protein that disrupts normal metabolism; presentation may be acute metabolic crisis in a neonate or chronic developmental and organ problems in older children.

A metabolic emergency with hyperglycemia, ketonemia, and acidosis, often the first sign of type 1 diabetes in a child; treatment requires careful fluid and insulin replacement to avoid cerebral edema.

Swelling of brain tissue that can complicate diabetic ketoacidosis or head injury and raises intracranial pressure; warning signs include headache, bradycardia with hypertension, and altered consciousness.

Telescoping of one bowel segment into another that causes intermittent abdominal pain, vomiting, and currant-jelly stools in young children; ultrasound confirms it and enema reduction is usually curative.

Hypertrophy of the pyloric muscle in early infancy causing projectile nonbilious vomiting, hunger, and hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis; ultrasound confirms the diagnosis and surgical division of the muscle is curative.

An autosomal recessive disorder of chloride transport that produces thick secretions, leading to chronic sinopulmonary infection, pancreatic insufficiency, and elevated sweat chloride; multidisciplinary care improves survival.

The diagnostic test for cystic fibrosis, in which pilocarpine stimulates sweating and the collected sweat is analyzed; chloride above the diagnostic threshold on two occasions confirms the disease.

Inadequate production of pancreatic digestive enzymes, causing malabsorption, steatorrhea, and poor weight gain; it is treated with enzyme replacement taken with meals and fat-soluble vitamin supplements.

Viral inflammation of the larynx and subglottis in young children that produces a barking cough, hoarse voice, and inspiratory stridor; mild cases respond to a single dose of dexamethasone.

Acute bacterial inflammation of the epiglottis that causes high fever, drooling, muffled voice, and rapid airway obstruction; it is a medical emergency requiring airway protection and antibiotics.

A hole in the wall between the ventricles that lets oxygenated blood shunt left to right, causing a murmur and sometimes heart failure; small defects often close spontaneously and large ones may need surgery.

Reversal of a left-to-right shunt to right-to-left flow because of progressive pulmonary vascular disease, leading to cyanosis and poor prognosis; timely closure of the defect prevents it.

The resistance against blood flow through the lungs; it is high before birth and falls after delivery, and persistent elevation causes right-to-left shunting and hypoxemia in newborns.

A medication given to keep the ductus arteriosus open in newborns with duct-dependent congenital heart disease, improving oxygenation or systemic blood flow until surgery or catheter intervention.

A fetal vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta that normally closes after birth; its patency is essential in some congenital heart lesions and its failure to close causes a left-to-right shunt in preterm infants.

A kidney disorder marked by heavy protein loss in urine, low blood albumin, edema, and high cholesterol; most children have steroid-responsive minimal change disease with an excellent prognosis.

The most common cause of childhood nephrotic syndrome, with normal-looking glomeruli on light microscopy; it typically responds to corticosteroids and relapses may require steroid-sparing therapy.

Backward flow of urine from the bladder into the ureter and kidney that predisposes children to urinary tract infection and renal scarring; management ranges from antibiotic prophylaxis to surgery.

Bacterial infection of the urinary system that in young children may present with fever alone; prompt diagnosis and treatment reduce the risk of renal scarring, especially when reflux is present.

A seizure associated with fever in a child aged 6 months to 5 years without central nervous system infection; simple episodes are brief and generalized and do not require long-term anticonvulsants.

A continuous seizure lasting more than 5 minutes or repeated seizures without recovery between them; it is a medical emergency treated with benzodiazepines followed by second-line anticonvulsants.

An acute vasculitis of young children causing prolonged fever, rash, conjunctivitis, oral changes, and extremity swelling; treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and aspirin reduces coronary artery complications.

Abnormal dilation of a coronary artery that can follow Kawasaki disease and may lead to thrombosis or myocardial ischemia; echocardiography monitors for it and anticoagulation may be needed.

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection; in children it requires early recognition, blood cultures, and prompt antibiotics and fluid resuscitation.

Sepsis with circulatory failure that causes hypotension or poor perfusion despite fluid resuscitation; it needs urgent antibiotics, careful fluid boluses, and vasoactive drugs in an intensive care setting.

Anemia caused by insufficient iron for hemoglobin production, common in infants and toddlers, producing microcytic hypochromic red cells and low ferritin; it is treated with oral iron and dietary changes.

An inherited disorder of globin chain production causing microcytic anemia; severe forms require lifelong transfusions and iron chelation, and prevention relies on carrier screening and counseling.

Use of drugs that bind and remove excess iron from the body, given to children receiving repeated transfusions to prevent iron overload and damage to the heart, liver, and endocrine organs.

Ingestion of too much paracetamol that can cause severe liver injury; N-acetylcysteine is the antidote and is most effective when given early, so prompt assessment and treatment are essential.

The antidote for acetaminophen poisoning; it replenishes glutathione and neutralizes toxic metabolites, preventing liver damage when administered soon after ingestion.

The ongoing process of monitoring a child's development during health visits by asking about milestones, observing the child, and addressing parental concerns, with referral for further assessment when problems are suspected.

Use of a brief standardized tool at specific ages to identify children at risk of developmental delay; a positive result prompts a fuller evaluation and early intervention services.

Inadequate physical growth in infancy or early childhood, shown by weight or length falling across growth percentiles; causes include inadequate intake, malabsorption, and chronic disease.

A standardized graph of weight, length or height, and head circumference by age and sex used to compare a child's growth with reference values and to detect faltering or excessive gain.