Advanced Techniques to Diagnose and Treat Pediatric Infectious Diseases
If your child or adolescent has an infectious disease, the pediatric infectious disease specialists at Loyola Medicine can provide expert diagnosis and care. We offer outpatient and emergency inpatient consultations for diagnosis and management of a variety of conditions.
Your child might contract an infectious disease through contact with another person, an animal or an insect. It’s also possible to get an infectious disease from food contamination or indirectly through contact with germs on an object.
Loyola’s experienced pediatric infectious disease specialists treat a wide array of conditions, including:
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Bartonella
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Bone and joint infections
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Congenital infections
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Diarrheal diseases
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Fever of uncertain origin
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Fungal infections
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Immunodeficiency conditions
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Influenza
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Intra-abdominal infections
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Kawasaki disease
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Lyme disease
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Lymph node infections
Loyola’s pediatric infectious disease specialists work as an integrated team with your child’s pediatrician, as well as family medicine doctors, nurses, mental health workers and critical care specialists. Our team will create a personalized treatment plan for your child.
If your family is planning a trip abroad to a country with a greater incidence of infectious diseases, Loyola’s doctors can provide the immunizations recommended for travel and expert advice to help keep your family safe while traveling abroad.
Why Choose Loyola for Pediatric Infectious Diseases?
Loyola is committed to the compassionate diagnosis and care of our youngest patients with infectious diseases. Loyola’s pediatric infectious disease team is specially trained in the treatment of children and provides care in a compassionate, family-friendly environment.
Our clinicians welcome families to be involved in all aspects of diagnosis, treatment and recovery; they are available to answer any questions and address any concerns you might have.
Loyola’s fellowship-trained specialists are regionally recognized as experts in the rapidly changing field of infectious diseases. They regularly receive referrals from other doctors and consult with pediatricians and other clinicians around the Chicago area on cases with complex bacterial, fungal and viral infections.
Loyola’s pediatric infectious disease specialists are active in educating parents and teachers on ways to keep children safe from infectious diseases, including frequently washing hands, getting vaccinated, staying home when sick and preparing food safely.
How are Pediatric Infectious Diseases Diagnosed?
Children with infectious diseases may experience recurring fevers, rash (dermatitis), stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain, fatigue or visual impairment. The goal of Loyola’s pediatric infectious disease specialists is to provide a diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan for your child as soon as possible.
In order to determine and understand the cause of your child’s symptoms, your child’s doctor will start with a medical history and a complete physical exam. The doctor may ask about foods your child has eaten and places he or she has visited recently. Be sure to tell us if your child was recently bitten by an insect or scratched or bitten by an animal.
Your child’s doctor may also conduct testing, which may include:
How are Pediatric Infectious Diseases Treated?
Once your child’s doctor makes a clear diagnosis, your Loyola team will devise a treatment plan tailored for your child. Medication and bed rest are common treatments for infectious diseases.
Other treatment options may include:
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Antibiotic medicine
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Antiviral drugs
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Antifungals
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Antiparasitics
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Fluid replacement (through an IV if needed)
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Management of diarrhea and vomiting
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Pain management
