Difference between Adult

and Child
 Introduction

• Children are not little Adults

• Children and adults differ physically and mentally
• These all impact on the way of Illness And Disease
• As a Nurse it is necessary to learn the differences to deliver the care
accordingly

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 CLASSIFICATION

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 Children Adults
New born’s head is larger & heavier aas compared to Adults head is not heavier than body
their body
Thinner skin Not as thinner as children
Cells divide rapidly Normal cell division
No tears in early infancy Tears form in eyes
No voluntary control over the environment or activity Voluntary control on body

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INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

Children Adults
Accumulation of vernix caseosa in neonates a nd infants Sweating
by sebaceous glands
Sebaceous glands are large in size Small
Tinea capitus- in early childhood and tinea pedis in Uncommon
adolescents are common
Hairs shiny and silky Not silky
Nails – soft and thin Not soft and thin

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 Tinea Capitus Tinea Pedis

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RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

CHILDREN ADULT
Respiratory tract delicate and do not produce mucus Well developed tissues
Eustachian tube – short and straight and short distance Long
between trachea and bronchi
Tonsils and adenoids are large during childhood, Smaller tonsils
involved in the production of antibodies
Resoiratory tract obstruction common because of short Less chances of obstruction
airway
Respiratory rate high-30-60 breath/min Less 16-20 breath/min
Heart rate 100-160 beats /min Heart rate 60-8- beats /min

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HEMATOLOGIC SYSTEM

CHILDREN ADULT
RBC are microcytic= mcv<80 RBC are Macrocytic = MCV >100
Life span of RBC 60-90 days 100-120 days
Blood volume 60-70 ml/kg body weight
Neonate 85ml/kg body weight

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URINARY SYSTEM

CHILDREN ADULT
Infants kidneys are immature with reduced ability to Kidneys are mature enough for proper functioning
filtrate and concentrate urine
Nephron are not grown and functioning Nephron function properly
Not under voluntary control Under voluntary control

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Gastrointestinal System

CHILDREN ADULT
GI quite relaxed in infants resulting in frequent The cardiac sphincter of stomach is fairly tight in adults
regurgitation and vomiting during infancy
GI functioning is immature & involuntary Proper GI functioning and voluntary control
Temporary teeth Permanent teeth
Stool of neonate is loose Hard
Liver size- 4% of body weight 12-13 times its birth weight

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ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

CHILDREN ADULT
The endocrine glands which secret hormones are least Properly developed
developed at birth
Homeostatic control is lacking till the age of 12- Properly matured
18months

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REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

GIRL BOY
Ovaries ina baby girl are approximately 10mm in length Testes in male baby, at birth are 1.5-2cm long and 0.7-
and 2-4mm in width 1cm wide
Functioning of ovary started at the age of 12-13 years of The size of testes increases gradually and reaches
age maturity between 13-17 years
Faulty development of ovaries leads to precocious
puberty or delayed puberty

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NEUROLOGIC SYSTEM

CHILDREN ADULT
The weight of brain of neonates is about 300-500 grams 1300-1400 grams
Reflex activities that ate present during infancy Disappear in adult as voluntary control is developed
VISION: Eyes are mature and function properly
Eyes are not anatomically mature, not able to function
HEARING:
Neonate can hear loud noise at birth Listen softer and soothing sound

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FLUID AND ELECTROLYTES

CHILDREN ADULT
Total body water in infants is 750ml/kg bodywt 550mg/kg body wt
Newborn nany composed of 75-80% water 60%
Infants have greater fluid loss Lesser loss

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MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

The sutures in skull of newborn are not united

The infants bones are neither as firm nor as brittle as of adults so fractures rarely occur in infants and if it
all they occur, healing is very quick.
In children height increases as bones grow at epiphyses whereas in adults height doesn’t increase after
certain age

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LYMPHOID AND IMMUNE SYSTEM

• The maturation of lymphoid system varies with the child’s age.

• The lymphoid tissue is small but well developed at birt
• It increase rapidly in size upto the age of 10-11 years

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PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES

NEWBORN Fear, escape and avoid strangers

INFANCY More bonding with parents. Seperation anxiety
TODDLER Negativistic behaviour
PRESCHOOLER Short attention span, easily distractable
SCHOOLER Industry vs Inferiority
ADOLESCENT Identity of peer, confusion

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PATHOLOGIC CHANGES

1. IMBALANCE OF FLUID & ELECTROLYTE

• Child loose fluid easily as compared to adults in conditions like diarrhoea, vomiting, burns etc
• Child gets dehydrate easily
2. RESISTANCE TO DISEASES
• The baby gets immunity from mother which helps baby fight against infections for 1 st 3months
of life.
3. SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE IN CHILDREN ARE DIFFERENT FROM ADULTS

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