News

A growing number of adolescents are smoking hookahs instead of cigarettes, and users are more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status, a new study reports.

Don’t prescribe 2% oral viscous lidocaine to relieve teething pain in infants and children, the US Food and Drug Administration cautions health care providers in a new safety announcement.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely than their peers to develop problems with substance abuse, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in a new clinical report that outlines strategies for reducing the risk.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has taken the unusual step of recommending nasal spray vaccine over flu shots for healthy children aged 2 to 8 years.

In its first policy statement on literacy, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises pediatricians to encourage parents to read to their children beginning in infancy and continuing until at least entry into kindergarten.

Children who eat a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet are 15% less likely to be overweight or obese than children who don’t, researchers reported at the 2014 European Congress on Obesity.

Although skin and soft tissue infections can be deadly, most heal by themselves without antibiotics, say new practice guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

To enhance understanding of the association between infection with Clostridium difficile and disease caused by this bacterium, investigators conducted population-based C difficile infection (CDI) surveillance in children aged 1 to 17 years residing in 10 US geographic areas during a 1-year period.

Smoke-free legislation improves perinatal and child health outcomes.

A study in more than 6500 youngsters aged 10 to 14 years from across the United States found that having a bedroom television confers an additional risk for obesity.

The worried parents of an 8-year-old girl bring her to your office late Friday afternoon for evaluation of a generalized, rapidly progressive, blistering eruption that started 24 hours earlier.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) refers to a heterogenous group of all forms of chronic arthritis in childhood with no apparent cause that begins prior to age 16 years and lasts for more than 6 weeks.

Much has changed in research about children with irritability in recent years, notes Ellen Leibenluft, MD, chief of the Section on Bipolar Spectrum Disorders at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

In 2007, a joint statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association endorsed the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) concept and described how the PCMH can optimize care for patients.

Mark Olfson, MD, MPH discusses the recent study by Lu et al on black box warnings for antidepressants and suicide attempts in young people.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looked at what’s lacking in research on drugs in children and discovered that much more information is needed on how various medications affect bone health.

It is widely accepted in the medical community that the presentation of pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes in children aged younger than 3 years is rare and does not require treatment because there is no risk of rheumatic heart disease.

A roundup of letters about chronically ill teenagers and sexual self-management, voice recognition software, and treatment for acute appendicitis.

Do we all need to wake up to the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep deficits in our patients?

In a new position statement, the American Diabetes Association has recommended a lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) target for children with type 1 diabetes and made the target uniform across all pediatric age groups.

Suicide attempts among teenagers rose almost 22% after US Food and Drug Administration warnings about antidepressants led to a drop in prescribing the drugs, new data reveal.

Children who spend less time in structured activities show improved self-directed executive function, enabling them to better set and pursue their own goals without parental intervention, a new study suggests.

Babies exposed to pet and rodent dander, cockroach allergens, and household bacteria are less likely to develop allergies, wheezing, and asthma, but only if the exposure occurs before 1 year of age, a new study reports.

Teenagers’ rapidly developing brains put them at high risk of harm from marijuana use, a review of the drug’s adverse effects emphasizes.

Teenagers with a mental disorder who see a school psychologist first are more likely to go to their pediatrician or family doctor for subsequent care, but few seek out a mental health specialist, a recent analysis finds.

Pediatric practices could suffer significant financial disruption and administrative errors during the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 procedural and diagnostic codes, a study reports.

Physical activity in youth leads to stronger bones later on, but inactive teenagers, including most girls, may lose out on the gains, a study shows.

One in 8 children in the United States will suffer maltreatment-neglect or abuse-before they turn 18 years old, a recent study estimates.