Rashes and fevers are among the most common complaints seen in the pediatrician’s office. The differential diagnosis is often large and ranges from entities the pediatrician sees commonly such as erythema infectiosum to the less common diseases such as Kawasaki syndrome, to more potentially serious conditions such as vaccine preventable illnesses and everything in between.
As a pediatrician accompanying friends, family, or youth groups, or because of coincidental proximity to accidents, we may be looked on to provide initial medical care for injured or sick children (or adults) in a wilderness setting far from our usual practice, and far from our usual comfort zone.
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health disorder that is often first diagnosed during young adulthood or adolescence. Symptoms of the illness, however, also can appear in early childhood.
Children born by acute or elective cesarean delivery are more likely than infants delivered vaginally to develop respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection requiring hospitalization.
In an unusual move, the Obama administration has put the force of the White House behind a push to preserve the power of antibiotics, including plans for wide-ranging impact on healthcare.
Improvements in air quality have positive effects on lung development.
Readers discuss some inconsistencies that they discovered in the February Puzzler, and the authors respond.
Adolescents of all ages have been getting less sleep during the past 2 decades than teenagers in earlier years, according to a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of 272,000 youngsters from 1991 to 2012.
Eating peanuts in the first year of life dramatically reduces the likelihood that an infant at moderate risk for peanut allergy will develop the allergy, a randomized controlled trial in the United Kingdom showed.
The parents of a healthy 12-year-old boy bring him for a second opinion. He was diagnosed with pityriasis rosea 6 months ago, and new lesions, which are occasionally a little itchy, keep coming. What is causing these new lesions?
In my many years as a pediatrician, I have identified a number of “pearls,” or words of wisdom, that can help in the clinical setting.
Children with long QT syndrome need not miss out on the fun and health benefits of recreational and competitive sports, according to a new study that recommends loosening restrictions on participation.
Injected measles vaccine stimulates a significantly stronger immune response than inhaled vaccine, a new study reports.
Personal health records and electronic health records don’t meet the privacy and confidentiality needs of adolescents and their parents and will require significant changes to do so.
More adolescent girls are using long-acting reversible contraception-intrauterine devices and implants-although the rate of use remains low among girls aged 15 to 19 years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fewer than half of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were receiving behavior therapy just before the American Academy of Pediatrics released clinical practice guidelines in 2011, according to the first national study of behavior therapy, medication, and dietary supplements to treat ADHD in children aged 4 to 17 years.
“Insufficient evidence” exists to recommend for or against screening for iron-deficiency anemia in asymptomatic children aged 6 to 24 months, the US Preventive Services Task Force states in a draft recommendation.
A new 9-valent vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) has shown nearly 100% efficacy against 5 additional strains of the virus when compared with quadrivalent HPV vaccine, and it is now recommended for routine vaccination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Children of minority ethnic groups-Hispanic/Latino, African American, and American Indian-are more prone to gain weight earlier in life than children of European descent, according to research findings presented at the American Heart Association’s March Scientific Sessions in Baltimore, Maryland.
The reduction of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children in the United States over the past 4 decades is a great public health success. There are, however, groups of children who are at higher risk for lead exposure.
A healthy 2-month-old boy presents with a 4-day history of diaper dermatitis unresponsive to barrier creams. The infant has developed “red spots” that started on his cheeks, then spread to his trunk and diaper area. He is a bit fussy but feeding well.
“Perhaps” is the short answer to this question, according to results of a survey of more than 800 parents to determine how various types of menu labeling affect what parents order for their children in fast-food restaurants.
Teenagers who eat at least 1 meal a week with their families are less likely than those who never eat with their families to be overweight or obese when they reach their 20s or 30s, according to a large longitudinal study.
Adolescents who are advised to observe 5 days of complete rest immediately after concussion do not derive any benefit over those who receive usual care, a randomized trial in 88 patients showed.
Sleep coaches are a burgeoning pediatric provider group.
Despite our best efforts, pediatricians have little success in encouraging our patients to eat a healthy diet and get the recommended amount of daily physical exercise.
Although nearly 80% of mothers initiate breastfeeding, only 50% of mothers are still breastfeeding at 6 weeks, and less than 15% are exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months.
New dietary guidelines from 2 federal agencies call for a paradigm shift in healthcare and public health toward prevention and integration with food systems, including incentivizing nutrition professionals, healthcare providers, and others in counseling patients for healthy lifestyles.
Pediatrician Randal C. Christensen, MD, MPH, medical director of Crews’n Healthmobile, says he has the best job in the world. “I literally spend my clinical time taking care of homeless children and teens. I don’t have to ask for insurance cards or wait for them to come and see me. I go and see them,” he says.
