Childhood Diseases - Laegevagten

Call 112 in case of acute life-threatening illness or injury

Call 112 in case of acute life-
threatening illness or injury

Childhood Diseases

You can find answers to your questions by clicking on the individual diseases.

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Written by

Picture of Philipp Skafte-Holm

Philipp Skafte-Holm

Læge

Bjarne Lühr Hansen

Bjarne Lühr Hansen

Praktiserende læge, ph.d.

Last edited on March 21, 2026

Click on the person where the problem is located.

Fever Skin

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is a critical reason for abdominal pains. The abdominal pains are located in the whole abdomen and intensify when the child walks runs or jumps.

Asthma/Asthmatic Bronchitis

Children can be allergic to different things such as dust, pollen, fur-bearing animals or food. When the child gets in contact with the allergy-causing subject, this can lead to allergy illnesses such as asthma, child-eczema and hay fever. Small children often catch a cold. Some of them cough for weeks and have wheezing breathing – […]

Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s foot is caused by a fungal infection in the skin. The children infect each other. Itching and smarting between the toes are typical signs of

Bedwetting

Bedwetting appears with every fifth child who is more than 6 years old and disappears before far most enter their teens. The condition is hereditary. Why some

Chickenpox

Chickenpox is a highly contagious childhood disease you only have once in a lifetime. Chickenpox appears as fever and a rash consisting of spots, blisters and

Child-Eczema

Child-eczema is a very common skin disease. It usually starts before the child is 1 year old and disappears with most children as they grow up. Child-eczema is

Cold Sore

Cold sore is a contagious illness caused by a viral inflammation (Herpes simplex). Often, the illness starts with redness and an unpleasant prickly sensation in the skin where the blisters appear later. After a few days, small blisters filled with fluid develop which quickly bursts and become sores. The sores are covered by a crust […]

Colic

An infant with prolonged screaming that does not go away if the child is offered food, has its diaper changed or is comforted is called infantile colic. 1 in

Common Cold

A common cold can, with small children, cause rise in temperature up to 40ºC. By raising the bedhead and use nose drops you can prevent the cold from

Constipation

Fever and scratches in the rectum may lead to constipation. Laxatives are recommended. If your child vomits, you must call the doctor immediately.

Cough

Cough cleans the child’s lungs for slime. Cough medicine is rarely necessary. The child sleeps better at night, if you raise the bedhead. If the child coughs

Croup

Croup is indicated by hoarseness and a dry barking cough that sounds just like a sea lion. A common illness with children less than 7 years old. The cough has

Diarrhoea and Vomiting

Fever, diarrhoea and vomiting indicate a gastrointestinal infection. Give the child plenty of fluid with salt, sugar and lactic acid bacteria. If the child is

Eye Inflammation

Many children with common cold get an eye inflammation with yellow gobs in the eyes. This kind of eye inflammation does not need treatment with eye drops. In

Fever

Fever is not dangerous; if the child’s general condition is good. A child with fever should be undressed and have plenty of fluid. You should call the doctor

Fever Cramps

Fever cramps is a shocking experience to most parents. A child with fever cramps is unconscious. At first, the child’s body gets stiff and later on fast

Genital Warts

Genital warts are caused by a viral infection in the skin. Genital warts are infectious and can be sign of sexual contact. However, genital warts can also

Growing Pains

Many children and parents have experienced being bothered by growing pains. Typically the child wakes up crying during the night and complains about pains in

Hand, Foot and Moouth Disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a mild viral infection. The child has blisters on hands, feet and in the mouth. Some children have a light fever, headache and

Hay Fever

Hay fever is the most common allergy occurring with children. Hay fever appears as itching in nose and eyes, a lot of sneezing and a running nose. Even though

Headache

Both tension headaches and migraine can be taken care of with regular painkillers bought over the counter, for example paracetamol. Pay attention to the fact

Headache

Headaches are very frequent with children that go to school but rarely with children less than 5 years old. Tension headaches are the far most frequent form.

Hoarseness

Sudden hoarseness is often caused by an ordinary viral infection, for example a common cold that passes in the course of a week or so. However, children can

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV is a cold virus. With larger children RSV causes a regular common cold while a lot of children, less than three years old, develop asthmatic bronchitis.

Impetigo

Impetigo is very contagious and is caused by a bacterial infection in the skin. The bacteria gest under the skin through small scratches. Impetigo starts as a

Infectious Mononucleousis (Mono)

Mono is caused by a viral infection and appears especially with children less than 5 years old. Far most parents do not even know that their child has mono

Inflammation of the Middle Ear

In most cases of inflammation of the middle ear, you do not have to treat your child with penicillin. You can help your child by using a decongestant, raise

Influenza

Influenza begins with a rise in temperature and pains everywhere. The fever disappears in 3 to 4 days. If your child is drowsy or has trouble breathing, you

Lacrimation

Lacrimation with new borne children is often caused by the tear ducts not being fully developed thus leaving no passage between the lacrimal sac and the nasal

Lice

Head lice can become a plague in many schools and kindergartens. It is very difficult to find the lice while the nits are easier to find. The nits look like

Limp

Calve-Legg-Perthes Disease (CLPD) is often seen with children in the age of 3 to 12 years old. 4 out of 5 cases are boys. The pains in hip, thigh or knee are

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection. Measles is similar to common cold but with a red rash. The illness lasts one week and disappears by itself. If

Meningitis

Meningitis is a serious but rare infection with children. High fever, headache, neck pains and stiffness in the neck or back together with little dot-shaped

Missing Testicle from the Scrotum

With a small number of boys one or both testicles are missing from the scrotum. If the boy is more than one year old and the testicle is still not to be found

Nettle Rash

Nettle rash is a pinkish and violently itching rash that strikes many children. The nettles last for 2 to 3 hours then disappear and may reappear a different

Pain

Ignorance about children’s pains has literally hurt many children. All children, including new-borns, feel pain. Assertions about children’s nerves not being

Pain in the Knee

Osgood-Schlatter is seen with children in puberty. Pain, soreness and swelling at the tip of the shinbone sneak up and are enhanced when the leg is stretched

Phimosis

Phimosis is a common condition where the foreskin of the penis cannot be drawn back far enough for the head of the penis to appear. Only rarely are boys

Pneumonia

Pneumonia especially occurs during the winter. Coughing, fever and troubled breathing are typical symptoms of pneumonia. All children – except for infants less

Rash

Children with fever and a rash will usually be infected with a virus. A rash that does not diminish when exposed to pressure can be a sign of meningitis.

Red Bottom

When the skin under the diaper is exposed to irritating chemicals – from urine, faeces and the diaper – it reddens and risk for eczema and inflammation arise.

Ringworm

Ringworm is an infection in the skin caused by fungi. Ringworm, usually, does not bother a child. The illness is contagious. One or two ringworms can be

Scabies

Scabies is caused by a mite that digs into the child’s skin. The illness appears by a strongly itching rash, especially on the child’s feet, scalp and face.

Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever consists of tonsillitis, a rash and raspberry tongue. The child can only have the rash once in a lifetime. Scarlet fever begins with sudden high

Slapped Cheek Syndrome

A mild children’s disease you only contract once in a lifetime.

Squinting

Many infants squint but most grow out of it. Squinting can lead to reduced vision on one eye. This is why you should contact your doctor if the child is six

Stammer

The cause of stammer is unknown, but nothing is wrong with the child. With far the most children, stammer disappears in the course of a couple of years. It is

Stomatitis

Stomatitis is caused by a virus. The illness starts with a fever. After a few days, blisters appear in the mouth. Later, grey-yellow blisters around the lips

Teething

Teething is not a disease. The child will have its first milk tooth when it is 4 to 8 months old and the last tooth will have erupted when it is about 3 years

Threadworm

Threadworm often does not give any discomfort beyond an itching near the rectum. The threadworms looks like 1-2 cm long with “sewing threads”. You should treat

Three-Day Fever

A mild childhood disease you only contract once in a lifetime. After three days of fever, the child gets a rash. If your child is drowsy, you must call the

Thrush

Thrush is an infection in the oral cavity caused by fungi. The disease is very common during the first months following the birth. Thrush appears as milk white

Tick Bite

A tick can transfer the bacteria Borrelia to your child. Therefore the tick must be removed instantly. You can remove the tick by yourself. Contact the doctor

Tonsillitis

Most cases of tonsillitis are viral and should not be treated with penicillin. Some cases of tonsillitis are bacterial, for example Scarlet Fever and should be

Trigger Finger

Trigger Finger is seen in children and middle-aged. It is discovered when a finger is locked in a bent position, or only with difficulty can be straightened

Urinary Tract Infection

Children less than one year old are particularly often struck with urinary tract infection. The typical symptoms are prolonged fever, lack of appetite,

Walking Pneumonia

All children with walking pneumonia have a fever. Walking pneumonia mainly strikes children more than 5 years old. Walking pneumonia starts like a common cold

Warts

Warts are caused by a viral infection in the skin. Most warts appear on hands or feet. Warts are infectious. In the course of 1-2 years, far the most warts

Water Warts

Water warts is a frequent viral infection in the child’s skin. The illness is contagious. Water warts are little white spots. They appear on the child’s chest,

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is caused by infection with the pertussis bacterium. At first the child has a common cold for a few weeks and hereafter the typical violent