clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The features of physical abuse may be nebulous, and sadly the health care professional must maintain a high index of suspicion in all children where an injury has occured.
Features include:
- bruising
- fractures
- burns or scalds
- bites
- the child may be afraid of a certain person, or of everyone
An important feature of physical child abuse is the history. Features include:
- inconsistent history - from one telling to the next, or from one carer to the next
- a delay between the injury and presentation
- an injury out of proportion to the alleged accident - for example a fall from a sofa to a carpeted floor being used to explain a skull fracture in a young child.
burns, bite marks and severe injuries
lacerations (cuts), abrasions and scars when child maltreatment should be suspected
cold injuries where child maltreatment should be considered
intracranial injuries where child maltreatment should be suspected
spinal injuries in a child where maltreatment should be suspected
visceral injuries in a child where maltreatment should be suspected
oral injury when child maltreatment should be considered