Egyptian Board Pediatrics key terms

Inadequate physical growth in a child, usually shown by weight or length falling across major percentile lines on standard charts or persistently below the expected range for age, reflecting undernutrition or underlying disease.

A calculated target height for a child derived from the average of both parents' heights, adjusted by 6.5 cm in the direction of the child's sex, used to judge whether growth is genetically appropriate.

Skeletal maturation assessed on a hand and wrist radiograph by comparing ossification centers with age-referenced standards; it helps distinguish constitutional delay from pathological short stature and guides endocrine workup.

Insufficient pituitary growth hormone secretion causing slow linear growth, often with preserved weight-for-height and delayed bone age; diagnosed by provocation testing and treated with recombinant hormone replacement.

Age-specific skills in gross motor, fine motor, language, and social domains that most children achieve by a given age; regression or loss of a previously acquired skill always warrants prompt evaluation.

A structured screening tool comparing a child's performance in personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor areas with age norms, flagging children who need fuller diagnostic assessment.

A neurodevelopmental condition defined by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction plus restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests, with onset in early childhood and widely variable functional impact.

A 0-10 rating of newborn condition at one and five minutes after birth based on heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color; it documents status but does not by itself dictate resuscitation.

A stepwise delivery-room approach for a depressed newborn: warming, drying, positioning, airway clearing, tactile stimulation, then positive-pressure ventilation, chest compressions, and drugs according to heart rate response.

Neonatal respiratory failure from surfactant deficiency, mostly in preterm infants, producing tachypnea, grunting, retractions, and ground-glass chest radiographs; treated with early continuous positive airway pressure and exogenous surfactant.

Endotracheal instillation of natural or synthetic surfactant to reduce alveolar surface tension, improve lung compliance, and lower mortality in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity defined by persistent oxygen or respiratory support at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, resulting from injury to an immature lung exposed to ventilation, oxygen, and inflammation.

Yellow discoloration from unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia common in the first week of life; timing, rate of rise, and risk factors determine whether it is physiological or requires phototherapy to prevent kernicterus.

Irreversible brain injury from bilirubin deposition in the basal ganglia and brainstem of a newborn with severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, causing lethargy, hypotonia, and later choreoathetosis, deafness, and gaze palsy.

Replacement of a neonate's blood with donor blood in aliquots to rapidly remove bilirubin or antibodies, reserved for severe hyperbilirubinemia or hemolytic disease when phototherapy and other measures fail.

The national timetable of routinely recommended vaccines, with ages and doses set by local epidemiology; in Egypt it includes BCG, hepatitis B, oral polio, pentavalent, measles-containing, and other vaccines.

The uninterrupted sequence of refrigerated storage and transport that keeps vaccines within their required temperature range from manufacture to administration, preserving potency and preventing wasted doses.

Indirect protection of unvaccinated people that arises when a high enough proportion of a population is immune, reducing transmission; the threshold varies with how contagious the pathogen is.

Any unwanted health occurrence after immunization, whether or not caused by the vaccine; distinguishing common minor reactions from rare true contraindications determines whether future doses can be given.

Viral lower airway infection, most often respiratory syncytial virus, in infants under two years, causing wheeze, crackles, and respiratory distress; management is supportive, with oxygen and feeding support as needed.

Chronic airway inflammation with variable airflow obstruction and recurrent wheeze, cough, or breathlessness triggered by exercise, allergens, or infection; controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and relieved by bronchodilators.

A lung function test measuring forced expired volumes and flows; a post-bronchodilator rise in forced expiratory volume in one second supports asthma diagnosis and helps grade severity in cooperative children.

Acute viral laryngotracheitis, usually parainfluenza, producing a barking cough, hoarse voice, and inspiratory stridor; mild cases need only supportive care, while moderate to severe cases respond to corticosteroids and nebulized epinephrine.

Bacterial supraglottic infection, classically Haemophilus influenzae type b, causing abrupt high fever, drooling, muffled voice, and toxic appearance; the airway must be secured by skilled staff before any examination.

Structural cardiac malformations present at birth, ranging from septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus to cyanotic lesions such as tetralogy of Fallot; presentation and urgency depend on lesion and shunt physiology.

Ultrasound imaging of cardiac chambers, valves, and great vessels that defines anatomy, shunts, and ventricular function; it is the first-line diagnostic study for suspected congenital or acquired heart disease.

A congenital heart defect in which pulmonary or systemic blood flow relies on a patent ductus arteriosus; closure causes rapid collapse, so prostaglandin infusion is started urgently to keep the duct open.

An acute medium-vessel vasculitis of young children with prolonged fever, conjunctivitis, mucositis, rash, extremity changes, and cervical adenopathy; treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and aspirin prevents coronary aneurysms.

An immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by gluten in genetically susceptible children, causing diarrhea, bloating, poor growth, or iron deficiency; diagnosed by serology and confirmatory small-bowel biopsy.

Feeding an infant only breast milk, without water, formula, or other foods, for the first six months; it reduces diarrheal and respiratory infection and supports optimal growth and development.

Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract from infection, causing diarrhea and vomiting; the main danger is dehydration, so oral rehydration solution and continued feeding are the cornerstones of management.

A balanced glucose-electrolyte drink that exploits sodium-glucose co-transport in the gut to replace fluid losses; used for mild to moderate dehydration from diarrhea and given in small frequent sips.

A glomerular disorder marked by heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia; childhood cases are mostly steroid-responsive minimal change disease, and relapse or steroid resistance prompts biopsy.

Immune-complex kidney inflammation appearing one to two weeks after streptococcal infection, with hematuria, hypertension, edema, and low complement; management is supportive with salt and fluid restriction.

Bacterial infection of the urinary tract, common in children with fever of unknown source; prompt culture-guided treatment and imaging for structural anomalies protect against renal scarring.

Retrograde flow of urine from bladder to ureter, graded by severity on voiding cystourethrography; it predisposes to recurrent urinary infection and renal scarring, especially when associated with obstruction.

A metabolic emergency of insulin deficiency with hyperglycemia, ketonemia, and acidosis; in children it is often the presenting feature of type 1 diabetes and requires careful fluid and insulin replacement to avoid cerebral edema.

Autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells causing absolute insulin deficiency; it presents with polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, and risk of ketoacidosis, and requires lifelong insulin therapy.

Thyroid hormone deficiency present at birth, often from thyroid dysgenesis; newborn screening allows early thyroxine replacement, which prevents irreversible intellectual disability if started within the first weeks.

Anemia from insufficient iron for hemoglobin synthesis, common in infancy and adolescence, causing microcytic hypochromic red cells, fatigue, and impaired development; treated with oral iron and dietary change.

Inherited disorders of globin chain synthesis producing microcytic anemia; beta-thalassemia major needs regular transfusions and iron chelation, while trait states require genetic counseling rather than iron therapy.

A hemoglobinopathy in which sickled red cells cause vaso-occlusion and hemolysis, producing painful crises, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, and stroke; care includes hydration, analgesia, and penicillin prophylaxis.

A seizure occurring with fever in a child aged six months to five years, without central nervous system infection or prior afebrile seizures; simple episodes are brief and generalized and carry low epilepsy risk.

A continuous seizure, or repeated seizures without recovery, lasting five minutes or more; it is a medical emergency treated in sequence with benzodiazepines, then second-line anticonvulsants.

Needle sampling of cerebrospinal fluid for cell counts, chemistry, and culture; in febrile children it distinguishes bacterial meningitis from viral illness but is deferred when raised intracranial pressure is suspected.

Clinical grading of fluid deficit using mental status, thirst, skin turgor, mucous membranes, eyes, tears, heart rate, and urine output, which guides whether oral or intravenous rehydration is needed.

Emergency care of an ingested or exposed toxin: stabilization, decontamination when appropriate, antidote administration, and poison-center consultation, with attention to the child's weight-based dosing.

Serial measurement of weight, length or height, and head circumference plotted on standardized charts to detect faltering growth, obesity, or microcephaly early and to monitor response to intervention.

Permission for a procedure or treatment given by a person with capacity after understanding its nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives; for minors, a parent or guardian consents while the child's assent is sought.

The legal and ethical duty of clinicians to notify designated authorities when physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect is reasonably suspected, even without proof and sometimes without parental consent.

The principle that adolescents may receive certain confidential services, such as sexual health or mental health care, with limits disclosed in advance when safety or legal reporting duties require sharing information.