Our specialties

Severe infections with high fever, very sick behaviour, hardly eating or drinking and/or a lot of pain, and/or very passive behaviour require an emergency consultation.

We can also help with persistent infections that do not heal within the normal time and with the normal medication, infections that keep returning and unusual clinical pictures.

Immaturity causes the gastrointestinal system of children to become unbalanced more easily. This can have various causes: an infection, allergy, intolerance, inflammation, congenital defect, nutritional deficiency... Complaints that may indicate gastrointestinal problems include lack of appetite, cramps, excessive crying, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain... During a consultation, your child's symptoms will be listened to carefully first and foremost, and your child will be examined thoroughly.

Additional examinations that may take place in addition to lab, urine and stool tests, radiological examination or ultrasound (sometimes CT scan):

• pH-metry;
• lactose breath test;
• fructose breath test;
• skin prick tests.

If necessary (rare), specialised treatments such as tube feeding or supervision of adapted diets can be initiated in consultation with the dietitians.

Does your child suffer from (lingering) respiratory or lung problems? Reduced immunity, chronic infection or asthma may be at the root of this. Shortness of breath is always a reason for an emergency consultation!

During the consultation, your child's symptoms will be listened to carefully first and foremost. We would like to know what medication your child has been given already. We try to find out its impact on the course of the disease, helped by the information from your GP.

If necessary, the following additional examinations are available: lab tests, radiological examination, a lung function test, allergy tests, sweat test, pH-metrics.

During treatment, paediatricians will help you use an inhaler (spraying medication through the mouth and/or nose), puff with spacer and others correctly, adapted to the child's age. For severe shortness of breath, oxygen can also be administered with HFNC (High Flow Nasal Cannula) on admission to hospital.

A growing child can develop a lot of allergies such as eczema, asthma, hay fever or food allergies (e.g. cow's milk or gluten allergy). Through some targeted tests (e.g. skin prick tests, prick-to-prick tests, elicitation tests), we can find out the cause of your child's allergic reaction. The allergy is then controlled by individual and specialised treatment tailored to the child:

• oral desensitisation;
• managing anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction);
• supervising diets.

Children with toilet training problems have repeated accidents (e.g. bedwetting, bowel incontinence, wet underwear). Toilet-training problems often have an emotional component. A quick solution is required for the general welfare of the child.

A lot of factors can affect a child's toilet training process. This is why we collaborate with the urology and radiology departments of St Vincent General Hospital in Deinze for investigations into the cause of toilet-training problems. Specialist treatment is then initiated with medication, a bedwetting alarm or TENS (electrical neurostimulation).

Each child develops in its own way. You can come to us if you have concerns about your child's motor or mental development, or with concerns about behaviour, school problems, sleep disorders, being unhappy...

Worried about growth problems in your child? Too big, too small, too light, too heavy, too early/too late in puberty? You can contact the paediatricians at St Vincent General Hospital for this too.

Share your concerns with our paediatricians in case of e.g. headache, high fever, exertion problems, fainting, shortness of breath, convulsions, chest pain, persistent fatigue, unexplained pain, sudden swelling, severe skin rash...