Pediatrics confusion pairs
14 Pediatrics topics students commonly mix up on Step 1, each with the fastest separator, a side-by-side comparison, and a free practice question.
- Croup vs Epiglottitis and bacterial tracheitisCroup is barking cough/steeple; epiglottitis is drooling tripod/thumbprint; bacterial tracheitis is toxic purulent airway infection.Video
- Bronchiolitis vs Pneumonia and pediatric asthmaBronchiolitis is first infant viral wheeze; pneumonia is febrile focal infection; asthma is recurrent reversible wheeze.
- Cradle cap vs Atopic dermatitis and tineaCradle cap is greasy infant scalp scale; atopic dermatitis is itchy eczema; tinea is fungal scale/alopecia.
- Roseola and erythema infectiosum vs Measles, rubella, and hand-foot-mouth diseaseRoseola is fever then rash; parvovirus is slapped cheek; measles is 3 Cs/Koplik; rubella nodes; HFMD oral/hand/foot lesions.
- Organic failure to thrive vs Non-organic failure to thriveOrganic FTT: a medical cause limits intake, absorption, or metabolism; non-organic FTT: psychosocial, with catch-up growth when fed…
- Cyanotic congenital heart disease vs Acyanotic congenital heart diseaseCyanotic disease has right-to-left shunt/desaturation; acyanotic disease is left-to-right or obstructive without early blue color.
- Vesicoureteral reflux vs Urinary tract infectionVUR is an anatomic reflux risk for recurrent febrile UTIs; UTI is the infection episode itself.
- Wilms tumor vs Neuroblastoma and hepatoblastomaWilms is kidney mass; neuroblastoma is adrenal/sympathetic catecholamine tumor; hepatoblastoma is AFP liver tumor.
- Physiologic neonatal jaundice vs Pathologic neonatal jaundicePhysiologic jaundice starts after 24 hours and is mild unconjugated; pathologic is early, rapid, high, conjugated, or sick infant.
- Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome vs Transient tachypnea and meconium aspirationRDS is premature surfactant deficiency; TTN is retained fluid; meconium aspiration is term/post-term meconium airway…
- Birth brachial plexus palsy vs Clavicular fracture pseudoparalysisPlexus palsy is neurologic weakness in a root pattern; clavicular fracture is painful pseudoparalysis with intact distal nerves.
- Reye syndrome vs Other pediatric hepatic encephalopathiesReye is aspirin after viral illness with fatty liver/encephalopathy; other hepatic encephalopathies need metabolic, toxic, infectious, or…
- Kawasaki disease vs HSP and rheumatic feverKawasaki is fever/mucocutaneous/coronary; HSP is IgA palpable purpura; rheumatic fever is post-strep Jones criteria.
- Intussusception vs Volvulus and pyloric stenosis age patternsIntussusception is episodic pain/currant jelly/target; volvulus is bilious malrotation emergency; pyloric stenosis is nonbilious…