It is now recommended that children with asthma who are taking long-term inhaled steroids should be assessed frequently to monitor for increased risk of:

Bacteria that synthesize vitamin K is not present in the newborn’s intestinal tract. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, and newborns are at risk of bleeding problems due to their lack of vitamin K. Therefore, vitamin K is given by injection to prevent hemorrhagic disease in the newborn.

Choice A is wrong because most mothers do not have a diet deficient in vitamin K, and vitamin K deficiency in newborns is not related to the maternal diet.

Choice B is wrong because vitamin K does not prevent the synthesis of prothrombin in the liver, but rather enhances it. Prothrombin is a clotting factor that requires vitamin K for its production.

Choice D is wrong because the supply of vitamin K is not inadequate for at least 3 to 4 months, but rather for a few days until the newborn’s intestinal bacteria start producing it.

The child’s care should include adequate hydration and pain management. The management of an acute event of a vaso-occlusive crisis is the use of potent analgesics (opioids), rehydration with normal saline or Ringer’s lactate, treatment of malaria (whether symptomatic or not) using artemisinin combination therapy, and the use of oxygen via face mask, especially for acute chest syndrome.

Choice A is wrong because correction of acidosis is not a specific intervention for the vaso- occlusive crisis.

Acidosis may occur as a complication of sickle cell disease, but it is not the primary cause of the crisis.

Choice D is wrong because the administration of heparin is not recommended for the vaso-occlusive crisis.

Heparin is an anticoagulant that may increase the risk of bleeding and does not prevent or treat the sickling process.

Normal ranges for hemoglobin are 11.5 to 15.5 g/dl for children after 2 years of age.

Normal ranges for reticulocyte count are 0.5% to 1.5% for adults and 0.5% to 2.5% for children.