General paediatrics

A study led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has found that up to 2,000 child deaths could be prevented every year in Britain, where more children die unnecessarily than in any other Western European country.

The UK has the worst record of 14 European countries for unnecessary deaths in children under 14, which is partly attributed to some British doctors not receiving any specialist paediatric training, as is the case in Sweden, which has the lowest child death rate.

A study produced in partnership with the BPSU has found that very few babies become dehydrated or seriously ill because they are not getting enough milk from breastfeeding.

Severe hypernatraemia is a rare but potentially fatal condition which occurs when dehydration causes levels of salt in the baby’s blood to rise dramatically. If left untreated it may lead to seizures, gangrene, brain damage – and in the worse cases death.

A US study suggests that giving toddlers low-fat milk could lead to them becoming overweight or obese.

Researchers found two-year-olds with a healthy weight to be 57% more likely to be overweight at four if they drank skimmed or 1% fat milk rather than full-fat milk.

The researchers argued that full-fat milk might better satisfy a child's appetite, making it less likely that they will go in search of additional food.