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Children's health

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Why are some children ill more often or more severely than others?

22 replies

packedlunches · 25/04/2022 08:11

Anyone know?

As a child I suffered with severe asthma, caught everything going and had a lot of time off school (back in those days school didn't seem to care though and never followed it up).

Now I have kids of my own, they seem to be following the same trajectory - frequent colds/coughs that seem to hit them hard. Ear infections, headaches/migraines, sore throat, etc etc. One example that's stood out is when they both had covid they had high temps and were unwell for days whereas other kids had zero symptoms.

I feel like people don't believe me either which is really frustrating.

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Furrbabymama87 · 25/04/2022 08:33

One of my kids is the same. She was sent home from school three times on three separate occasions recently, with high temperature, complaining of feeling sick and cough. It wasn't covid as she had had this a few weeks before and actually wasn't that ill with it. She seems to be worse since schools have been running as normal. All the bugs and viruses she should have had the past 2 years, she seemed to get all in one go. And then the school complains about attendance even though they're the ones sending her home!

LillyDeValley · 25/04/2022 08:41

It is a mixture of genetics and environmental factors, which is not totally understood. On the genetics side some will be inherited factors and some will be de novo mutations.

As Covid has shown, some people don't get it, some people get it asymptotically and others get it fatally. Scientists can hypothesis wise, but it's unlikely they will have definite answers, just know certain conditions are more likely to contact.

One of mine always get illnesses much worse and has more allergies.All you can do is support their immune systems as much as possible: lots of healthy fruit and veg.

Shanksponyorbust · 25/04/2022 08:41

Your immune system isn’t the best but obviously it’s good enough to beat all those viruses it just takes a little time compared to someone who does have a strong immune system.

I have an autoimmune disease and my immune system hovers just in the lower end of the “normal” immune system range. I catch a lot of colds and stomach bugs and I had German measles three times as a kid. BUT I had Covid before the vaccine was available and while I got really sick my immune system beat it.

So not having a strong immune system can be annoying but remember it still does a good job just takes a little longer.

packedlunches · 25/04/2022 09:19

Thanks everyone. They do eat a relatively balanced and healthy diet and take vitamins but I suppose it could be improved.

I think what I find frustrating is that society expects kids to have 100% attendance at school and obviously in our family that is not happening. In the past I've spoken to doctors about the recurring illnesses and they've said some kids just catch everything and the only thing you can do is just give them time to get over it. A nurse practitioner actually got really irate one time as she said she is constantly asked by parents to write letters to school confirming an illness and she doesn't have time to do that. (I didn't ask her to but I think she thought I was going to!) Again she said that kids just need time to recover properly.

Also, most of my friends seem to have robust kids that are very rarely unwell and they have on occasion commented by saying things like: "x seems to have a lot of time off school", "I can count on one hand the amount of times my kid has had a fever" and other unhelpful things.

I think it just gets me down sometimes. I'm not particularly worried about my kids health as they do seem to get over things and bounce back, and in between they are fine. It's just the frequency and severity that is a bit unusual compared to others.

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packedlunches · 25/04/2022 09:23

LillyDeValley · 25/04/2022 08:41

It is a mixture of genetics and environmental factors, which is not totally understood. On the genetics side some will be inherited factors and some will be de novo mutations.

As Covid has shown, some people don't get it, some people get it asymptotically and others get it fatally. Scientists can hypothesis wise, but it's unlikely they will have definite answers, just know certain conditions are more likely to contact.

One of mine always get illnesses much worse and has more allergies.All you can do is support their immune systems as much as possible: lots of healthy fruit and veg.

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. (had to Google de novo mutations!)

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sashh · 25/04/2022 09:57

Shanksponyorbust · 25/04/2022 08:41

Your immune system isn’t the best but obviously it’s good enough to beat all those viruses it just takes a little time compared to someone who does have a strong immune system.

I have an autoimmune disease and my immune system hovers just in the lower end of the “normal” immune system range. I catch a lot of colds and stomach bugs and I had German measles three times as a kid. BUT I had Covid before the vaccine was available and while I got really sick my immune system beat it.

So not having a strong immune system can be annoying but remember it still does a good job just takes a little longer.

Er, if you have an autoimmune disease then your immune system should be higher than normal. It is the immune system attacking your own body.

This is why they are often treated with drugs that reduce immunity.

OP

Human immunity is a complex thing. We all have a slightly different system that has white blood cells, various chemicals and antibodies.

Eg if your body encounters HIV the virus here is a 2 stage process for you to become infected, in some people the second process cannot happen so they are immune to HIV.

It is like the white blood cells have locks and the virus has the key, but in some people there is no lock.

When we encounter some viruses our body reacts by creating antibodies, for a lot of viruses this means you are unlikely to get the disease because the body has a model of which antibodies to manufacture and fight of the disease, this is how vaccination works and why most viruses you only catch once (colds and flu change frequently which is why you need a flu jab every year).

As well as your own immune system there is a question of what you are encountering in terms of bacteria, viruses etc. If you are in a completely sterile environment you will not get ill.

Scientists at the South Pole don't get colds because it is too cold for the virus to reproduce.

When I worked for the NHS when I moved hospitals I would get a sort of mild cold for a couple of weeks and then nothing. You get the same with 'freshers' flu' lots of people wringing new germs into one space.

Then there are other factors, think about how small a child's nose and throat are, so a cold can make it harder to breathe than an adult and results in them being more ill.

As a small child my brother caught everything going, I didn't but since puberty my brother has never had more than a cold whereas I have a list of permanent ailments an arm long and multiple hospital visits.

ArianaDumbledore · 25/04/2022 11:11

1 of my 4 is like this. He's 14 and he developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when he was 11.
He suffers with hay-fever and general allergies. From birth to 7 is he used to get viral induced wheeze. His eczema as a baby was horrendous but thankfully grew out of that.
.strangely though He's never caught Covid, even when 4 of us at home had it. It's also been rife in hid school.

He's pretty academic, well behaved etc but his school is obsessed with attendance and resilience, so he gets no praise just criticism.

My other 3 DC are rarely ill.

packedlunches · 25/04/2022 14:06

Thanks @sashh that's all very interesting.

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Thereisnolight · 25/04/2022 14:09

Other things to consider. Do you live in a damp home? (Or alternatively an overly-heated home?) Does anyone smoke heavily in your house?

packedlunches · 25/04/2022 14:09

ArianaDumbledore · 25/04/2022 11:11

1 of my 4 is like this. He's 14 and he developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when he was 11.
He suffers with hay-fever and general allergies. From birth to 7 is he used to get viral induced wheeze. His eczema as a baby was horrendous but thankfully grew out of that.
.strangely though He's never caught Covid, even when 4 of us at home had it. It's also been rife in hid school.

He's pretty academic, well behaved etc but his school is obsessed with attendance and resilience, so he gets no praise just criticism.

My other 3 DC are rarely ill.

Sorry to hear about your son's chronic fatigue. I developed post viral fatigue as a teen after contracting glandular fever. I was off school for months. Thankfully in those days school didn't seem too concerned but I definitely remember my parents thinking I was either making it up or panicking that I had something more severe. Neither of which were helpful to me!

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packedlunches · 25/04/2022 14:12

Thereisnolight · 25/04/2022 14:09

Other things to consider. Do you live in a damp home? (Or alternatively an overly-heated home?) Does anyone smoke heavily in your house?

No, no-one smokes at all and we live in a new build house with air source heat pump. Keeps an ambient temperature. Also have windows open frequently.

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Pommelegible · 25/04/2022 14:23

My third child is like this, every cold results in a high temperature and awful cough. Nights where they’re up all night coughing and being sick from coughing. They also go deaf every time they catch a cold. As a result they’ve had quite a lot of time off school with colds when others in the class have only had it mildly.

However they have never had a stomach bug, didn’t catch covid even when three in the household did and didn’t catch chicken pox either time it’s gone around their class 🤷🏻‍♀️

ArianaDumbledore · 25/04/2022 14:35

I got sent back to school after 3 weeks with Glandular Fever, despite barely being able to keep my head up. My dad said they would have rung if I had it and it was months after the GP said oh you did keep her off with it. I have never let that one go! My friend was off school for a couple of years with post viral fatigue. It can be so debilitating and isolating.

At least now DS2 can socialise online, so he's not cut off completely when unwell.

I've just had an email drop in encouraging increased attendance. I cannot wait until the summer holidays!

cockapoopoo · 25/04/2022 14:51

I think I know but the answer is not popular. The people I hang around with don't have kids that are always ill. No ear infection, no constant URTIs, urine infections. These children have never had antibiotics or really seen doctors at all and are well. We find the idea of normal very strange.

No point saying anything else but if you genuinely want answers start taking an active interest in health outside of the current consensus.

packedlunches · 25/04/2022 20:15

cockapoopoo · 25/04/2022 14:51

I think I know but the answer is not popular. The people I hang around with don't have kids that are always ill. No ear infection, no constant URTIs, urine infections. These children have never had antibiotics or really seen doctors at all and are well. We find the idea of normal very strange.

No point saying anything else but if you genuinely want answers start taking an active interest in health outside of the current consensus.

Intriguing

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Innocenta · 25/04/2022 20:18

@packedlunches they're probably an antivaxxer or something.

Veryverycalmnow · 25/04/2022 20:20

cockapoopoo · 25/04/2022 14:51

I think I know but the answer is not popular. The people I hang around with don't have kids that are always ill. No ear infection, no constant URTIs, urine infections. These children have never had antibiotics or really seen doctors at all and are well. We find the idea of normal very strange.

No point saying anything else but if you genuinely want answers start taking an active interest in health outside of the current consensus.

I want to know more please cockapoopoo.

Hugasauras · 25/04/2022 20:23

I think some of it is just luck. DD is very robust, has never had a temperature, when she gets colds she shrugs them off v quickly, and I've never had to take her to doctor's since she was born. Can't say we are particularly health conscious or do anything special. She has a multivitamin and eats reasonably well but that's about it!

Both DH and I were healthy kids too and rarely I'll so I guess there's a genetic element at play too.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 25/04/2022 20:24

Luck
Genes
Environment, people and diet.

Any combination of the above.

Ragwort · 25/04/2022 20:29

I think it's luck too, my DS was/is rarely ill .... everyone always said when he starts nursery/school he will catch bugs ... he never did, been sick twice in his life once due to a an 'off' mussel an the other time as he hated tomato soup. (Actually been sick as a 20 year old due to excess alcohol Grin).

DH and I are rarely ill ... DH is retiring soon and has never had a day off sick in his whole career ... I don't think I've had more than a couple of days off sick ever.
and we are not super healthy eating, tee total, fit types ... my diet is appalling and I last exercised (apart from an occasional walk) over ten years ago!

bakewellbride · 25/04/2022 20:48

Covid restrictions resulting in weakened immune systems have definitely not helped things.

packedlunches · 26/04/2022 21:15

It really must be a luck/genetics thing because there are people I know of whose kids eat rubbish, get no exercise etc and are never unwell.

I have wondered about whether or not stress could be a factor? Both my kids can get quite anxious.

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