Thursday, November 27, 2008

Who'd have thought it: hair beads can cause fractured skull

You see them everywhere. Little girls with their hair done up with pretty hair accessories, which include the hard plastic beads that come in many different colours and styles. But, surprisingly, those beads can actually cause harm to the skull if the girl falls and bangs her head - and the bead is hit.


It's absolutely not a common problem and not a cause for a "bead ban," but it is very interesting. This article, Hair Beads Spurring Head Trauma in Kids, explains that it is rare, but what makes it a bit scary is that the beads can't be seen when the girls' head is examined by a CT scan, which means it can be missed.


I guess the story here is if a girl (or boy!) presents to an emergency room after falling on the head, if the doctor sees hair beads, he or she should keep in mind that this type of injury is really possible.


Today at Help My Hurt:


Barbara Bush and the “worst pain she ever felt”


Report says this is disturbing - but is it?


Pain is in the eye of the beholder


Today at Seniors Support:


10 tips for when your parents move in


Want to travel this holiday season? Why not?


News for Today:


New Approaches Make Retinal Detachment Highly Treatable


Smoking may worsen rheumatoid arthritis in blacks


Scientists doubt utility of CT scan as heart test


3 comments:

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Hi Marjke,

Since today is Thanksgiving in America, I want you to know how thankful I am for all the wonderful information I receive here and through your links.

Terrie

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting the article about retinal re-attachment. While I'm squeamish about anything to do with eyes, I was happy to read that it's possible to re-attach retinas w/ surgery. I'm in a high-risk group (severe myopia) so it's good to know!

Marijke Vroomen-Durning said...

Hi Terriee and Kathy,

Thanks for leaving your comments. Terrie, I can always depend on you to put a smile you my face. Thanks!

Kathy, I'm glad the information was useful. I'm a bit squeamish about the eye too!

Marijke