Causes of Itchy Eyes, Nose, Throat, and Skin

Source: By Kristina Duda, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-i-have-itchy-eyes-770355

Itching is an annoying symptom. Whether it's due to allergies, an illness or something else, it can be bothersome, to say the least. Common parts of the body that may itch include the eyes, face, nose, throat, and skin. There are others as well, but we will focus on these here.

Itchy Eyes

Itchy eyes affect all of us from time to time. Usually, it lasts only a few minutes and then goes away. But sometimes the itching can become overwhelming and last for hours, days or even longer. If your itchy eyes have gotten bad enough to truly interfere with your daily activities, you may have a condition that needs to be treated.

Common causes include:

Allergies: often cause redness and itching, but is not contagious. Pinkeye (conjunctivitis): may be caused by a bacteria or a virus, often highly contagious and common in young children The common cold: occasionally Contacts: people who wear contact lenses may experience itching due to irritation or infection

Although these are not all of the conditions that can cause itchy eyes, they are the most common. If you think your itchy eyes are caused by something else, contact your health care provider to discuss your symptoms and get checked out.

Any symptom that interferes with your daily life is something that you should discuss with your health care provider.

Itchy Nose

There are a few conditions that may cause an itchy nose. They include:

The common cold Allergies or hay fever

If you have an itchy nose but do not believe a cold or allergies are the cause, you should consult your health care provider.

Itchy Throat

An itchy throat is enough to drive a person crazy when you can't get relief. It's important to know what is causing the itchy throat so that you know what to do to relieve the itching. The most common causes of itchy throats are:

Seasonal or environmental allergies Common cold Food allergies Asthma

Typically, taking medications such as antihistamines will help relieve the annoyance of an itchy throat. It may also be helpful to drink warm fluids (such as hot tea with honey) or eat cold foods (such as popsicles or ice cream). Throat lozenges and hard candy are a good option for adults and older children.

If you experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing and a rash along with itching, seek medical attention immediately because these may be signs of a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.

Itchy Skin

Itchy skin is more than just a minor annoyance for many people. It can get so bad that it interferes with daily life and makes it difficult to function. Depending on the cause, the itchy skin may be hard to treat. Some common causes of itchy skin include:

Seasonal and environmental allergies: allergies can cause itchy skin along with itching in the nose, throat, eyes, and face Dry skin: patches of dry skin may be itchy Eczema: flare-ups of eczema can be very itchy and can occur anywhere on the body Fungal infections (ringworm, athlete’s foot, yeast infections): these fungal infections cause patches of very itchy skin Rashes: there are many different types of rashes that cause itchy skin Chickenpox: although it isn’t very common anymore in developed countries due to the varicella vaccine, chickenpox still occurs and leads to extremely itchy skin

This is not a complete list of all the reasons you could have itching. If you don't feel these causes apply to you, contact your health care provider for further evaluation.

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Source: By Kristina Duda, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-i-have-itchy-eyes-770355

An Overview of Strep Throat

Source: By Kristin Hayes, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/overview-of-strep-throat-1191987

Strep throat, characterized by a sore throat and fever, is a contagious infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes). It is a common illness that typically affects children ages 5 to 15, although anyone can get it.

Diagnosis requires a rapid strep test or throat culture, but clinicians may suspect strep based on signs an symptoms such as throat swelling, a swollen uvula, or swollen tonsils.

The infection typically improves on its own but is typically treated with prescription antibiotics. Discomfort may be alleviated by other medications or home remedies. Strep throat can progress and cause complications, such as rheumatic fever, but this is rare.

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms of strep throat, the most common of which is an extremely sore throat.

If you have strep throat, you may develop some or all of these symptoms two to five days after exposure:

Difficulty swallowing or pain when swallowing High fevers Chills Fatigue Headaches Loss of appetite Abdominal pain

Causes

Strep throat is spread from one person to another through saliva or secretions that harbor group A Streptococcus bacteria. You can become sick with a strep throat infection if you have been exposed to the bacteria, which is spread through coughing, sneezing, and by touching people or objects that have the bacteria on the surface. Those, especially at risk for getting strep throat if exposed, include anyone who has an immune system deficiency, anyone receiving chemotherapy, very young babies,4 and pregnant women.

If someone in your household has strep throat, avoid sharing personal items, like towels, drinking cups, eating utensils, and so on. Washing items in hot water can help prevent transmission, as can regular hand washing.

Diagnosis

Strep throat can be diagnosed by your primary care physician or otolaryngologist (ENT doctor). Diagnosis of strep throat is based on your medical history, your symptoms, a physical examination, and laboratory testing.

You may have several clinical signs of strep throat if you have the infection:

Redness, swelling, or white patches that look like pus in the throat or tonsils A rash on your body that begins on the neck and chest Petechiae (red spots on the roof of the mouth) Tonsillitis Swollen lymph nodes 

There are two commonly used diagnostic tests for strep throat. 

The rapid strep test uses a sample of saliva from the back of your throat. The results may be ready within minutes, but the test can produce a false negative. A throat culture involves sending a sample of tissue from the back of your throat to a laboratory to evaluate for bacterial growth. The results take several days to come back, and this is considered a more accurate test.

Treatment

Strep throat is treated using antibiotics. Amoxicillin, penicillin, cephalosporin, clindamycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin(commonly called the Z-pack) are commonly prescribed. What's recommended for you depends on your case and whether or not you have any related medication allergies. Strep throat can be resistant to some antibiotics, so your doctor may need to change your prescription if you do not improve as expected.

You are no longer contagious after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment.

It is important to take your antibiotic prescription exactly as directed and to finish all of the medication. Many people do not know that taking only partial strep throat treatment can lead to serious complications. Symptoms of strep throat, such as fevers, muscle aches, and headaches can be managed using over-the-counter or prescription medications, such as ibuprofen.

Strep throat is a common infection. However, most of the time, a sore throat is instead caused by a viral infection, which does not improve with antibiotics. Because of this, and concerns with using antibiotics being unnecessary, your doctor will want to confirm a true bacterial infection before prescribing such medication.

If you have strep throat, be sure to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and keep eating well, even if swallowing is painful. Give your body the break and tools it needs to recover.

Your doctor will give you advice about when you can resume activities, such as school or work, without running the risk of infecting others. Even if you're feeling better, follow such recommendations to not only protect those around you but ensure that you are well enough to resume your normal routine.

Overall, you should not expect to experience serious long-term consequences with strep throat, and you should expect to improve within a week. If your symptoms do not improve or if they worsen, contact your doctor's office.

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Source: By Kristin Hayes, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/overview-of-strep-throat-1191987

What to Do When Kids Put Things up Their Nose

Source: By: Kristin Hayes, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/foreign-object-nasal-obstruction-1192213

The first time your child gets something stuck up their nose may be a frightening experience. This is known as a foreign object nasal obstruction. This usually happens to curious children who just happen to think it might be a good idea to see if a watermelon seed might sprout up there.

Kids naturally have the curiosity to put things where they don’t belong. They rearrange your cupboards, put things in power outlets, and they even put things up their nose. Sometimes, they will tell you that something is in their nose. While at other times, your children might put things in their nose and then forget about it.

How to Know Your Child Has Something Stuck up Their Nose

Sometimes, the objects that are shoved up your child's nose will be large enough that you can see the object. However, sometimes the objects will be small enough that you will not know unless your child tells you. So how will you know that the foreign object is up there? A few signs to watch for include:

Nasal congestion on one side Bloody nosesBad breath (halitosis)

What to Do

Once you've established that something is indeed up your child's nose, here are a few suggestions that you can use to get the object out.

Don't pull it out unless it is hanging out of the nose, safely within reach, and you are certain it has not damaged any tissue.Do not try to remove items in the nose using cotton swabs, tweezers, or other household items. Doing so may push the object further up the nose.If your child is old enough to understand, advise him to breathe through his mouth as not to suck the object up further.In an attempt to blow the object out, have your child close the clear nostril and lightly blow out. Be careful not to forcefully blow out or accidentally inhale through the nose while doing this. One or two tries should be sufficient if this method will work. Repeatedly trying may cause more damage to the nose.Seek medical help at once if you cannot dislodge or see the object.

One method that has been trialed in Canada and England includes the Mother's or Parent's Kiss. The term "kiss" is used to help reduce the stress of the procedure with your child. This may be less stressful than being restrained in the hospital if your child is resistant. No adverse complications have been noted in eight trials, so this should be safe if performed carefully, however it is only effective approximately six out of 10 times. To perform this:

What for your child to inhale.When your child is exhaling, close the nostril that does not have the foreign object."Kiss" your child using a technique like a mouth-to-mouth.Blow out until you feel resistance. This means the glottis (opening between the vocal cords) has closed.Then use a quick blow to try and push the object out of your child's nose.

What to Expect at the Hospital

The hospital will have specialized equipment including suction, hooks, glues, and catheters. Each technique can have some risk for trauma if the objects are severely wedged, however, the emergency department team will be prepared to treat nosebleeds that occur from the procedure. While the hospital may use suction, you should never use a vacuum cleaner to try and remove a foreign object. If the doctor suspects that a foreign object was swallowed, they will likely have an X-ray of the chest and abdomen done to see if there are any objects in the lungs or stomach. Sharp objects that are ingested are particularly dangerous and would require surgery.

Prevention

Of course, prevention is the best course of action. There is no perfectly childproofed home. But you can try to keep smaller objects out of your child’s roaming area in order to help prevent this from happening. Education is also key. Try to teach children that other than eating, things do not belong in our mouths, ears, or nose.

Source: By: Kristin Hayes, RN https://www.verywellhealth.com/foreign-object-nasal-obstruction-1192213