whooping If it does, consult your doctor. • Do not use orthopedic shoes without your doctor's prescription. • Do not give your child vitamin D supplements unless your doctor has prescribed them. Overdoses of vitamin D can be harmful. MEDICAL TREATMENT In most instances, the doctor will examine your child and then prescribe no treatment-except to wait and watch. Xray studies of the wiees maybe necessary, as well as blood tests for rickets. Use of orthopedic shoes or night splints is rarely necessary. For Blount's disease, races or corrective operations on bones may be required. Quick Reference Bronchiolitis SYMPTOMS • Nasal congestion • Fever • Loss of appetite • Cough (mild to severe) • Rapid, sometimes difficult breathing • Wheezing • Irritability • Bluish skin HOME CARE • None. See your doctor. PRECAUTIONS • Bronchiolitis can be a serious illness. See your doctor. • Do not give cough medicines to a child who is having difficulty in breathing. • Give the child extra liquids to prevent dehydration (serious loss of body fluids). • Dehydration in infants can be dangerous. • If your infant frequently has a cough, see your doctor. • If your infant has difficulty in breathing, see your doctor. Bronchiolitis is an inflammation of the lungs, which is caused by a 1 infection. Bronchiolitis occurs during the first two years of life, У1Г t often at about age six months. It is almost always caused by a Ssoiratory virus. The early symptoms are similar to those of bronchitis. Bronchioli ¦ may develop in an infant who has been exposed to an older child or dult with a cold. The illness may last for several days. Infants who are subject to bronchiolitis may develop asthma in later years. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The first symptoms of bronchiolitis are nasal congestion, fever, loss of appetite, and a mild cough. These symptoms may then progress to frequent, severe coughing: rapid, difficult breathing: wheezing (a whistling sound heard when the child breathes out); irritability; and cyanosis (a bluish discoloration of the skin). The child's extra efforts to breathe may cause flaring of the nostrils, as well as drawing in of the flesh in the spaces between the ribs and of the abdomen just below the ribs. HOME CARE Do not attempt to treat bronchiolitis on your own. Diagnosis and treatment should be handled by your doctor. See your doctor if your infant has a frequent cough, even if only for short periods. See your doctor if your child has difficulty in breathing other than that caused by nasal congestion. PRECAUTIONS • Bronchiolitis can be a serious illness. See your doctor. • Do not give cough medicine to a child with bronchiolitis. Cough medicines may be dangerous to a child who is already having difficulty in breathing. • An infant with rapid breathing can suffer dehydration (a serious loss of body fluids) because of loss of vapor from the breath. Dehydration in infants can be dangerous. Give the child extra fluids by mouth. fever