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History of presenting complaint

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

This is as if for any non-paediatric problem. The significant difference is that the history is often from the parent and not the child.

The usual facts must be found out about each symptom:

  • mode of onset
  • what happened since
  • precipitating factors
  • relieving factors
  • associated symptoms

Note that often the first indication that a child is ill is a loss of appetite. The child's appetite before the onset of the presenting complaint must always be queried.

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