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Medical Edge Newspaper Column from Mayo Clinic

SCREEN TIME FOR CHILDREN UNDER 2 COULD HAMPER BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: We are planning to have our infant and my computer in the same room during the day. That way I can continue my consulting work and watch the baby at the same time. The crib will be seven feet away from the computer. The computer screen will not face the baby. Does this present a hazard for the newborn baby? — Ontario

ANSWER: Sharing your home office with your infant won’t hurt the baby’s health.

That said, I strongly advise no screen time — computer or television — during your child’s first two years. That’s also the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

During the first two years, the child’s brain is growing and developing. Children need positive, personal interaction from you and other people to develop good language and social skills.

Young children learn through personal interaction. When a young child reacts to a television program or image on the computer and doesn’t get feedback, it could interfere with brain development.

Enjoy the new addition to your family. And good luck in sharing your office space with your infant. You may soon find that the arrangement presents all kinds of work distractions!

— Daniel Broughton, M.D., Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Additional Resources:
Pediatrics
Appointment Information
Childhood Development

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have high blood pressure in the lungs, and I would like to know more about the symptoms and treatment. I have shortness of breath, dizzy spells and a very hard time breathing. — Lebanon, Ohio

ANSWER: Shortness of breath and dizziness are symptoms of high blood pressure in the lungs, also called pulmonary hypertension. At first, shortness of breath may occur when you exert yourself physically, but eventually, you may be short of breath most of the time.

Other symptoms include fatigue; chest pain or pressure; swelling in your ankles, legs and eventually abdomen; bluish color in your lips and skin; and a racing heart rate.

Pulmonary hypertension begins when tiny arteries in your lungs become narrow or blocked. This causes increased resistance to the blood flow in your lungs, which in turn raises pressure within the pulmonary arteries. As the pressure builds, your heart’s right ventricle must work harder to pump blood through the lungs, which eventually can cause the heart muscle to weaken. Pulmonary hypertension is different from hypertension, a common condition where blood travels through the systemic arteries at a pressure too high for good health.

There’s no cure for pulmonary hypertension, but treatment can help reduce symptoms. Options include:

— Prostacyclin: This is a natural agent in the body that promotes blood vessel dilation and reduces the tendency of platelets to form clots. Prostacyclin is available in three forms. Epoprostenol (Flolan) is a medication that improves symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain. It must be administered by an intravenous catheter via a small pump that you wear in a pack on your belt or shoulder. Treprostinil (Remodulin) can be administered by vein or by a continuous injection under the skin. Iloprost (Ventavis) is a form of prostacyclin that is inhaled as an aerosolized mist.

— Endothelin receptor antagonists: These medications, available in pills, work to reduce the blood vessel constriction and narrowing.

— High-dose calcium channel blockers: These drugs also are used to treat systemic hypertension. Fewer than one in five people with pulmonary hypertension respond at all to this treatment.

— Phosphodiesterase inhibitors: Sildenafil (Revatio) has been shown to improve activity capabilities in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension by dilating vessels and reducing artery narrowing. It is not currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this purpose.

Other options include anticoagulants, diuretics (water pills), oxygen therapy, and in rare cases, a lung or heart-lung transplant

— Michael McGoon, M.D., Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Additional Resources:
Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension
Appointment Information
More Information on Pulmonary Hypertension
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Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. To e-mail a question, go to www.mayoclinic.org, or write: Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, c/o TMS, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y., 14207. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com.