Exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA)-found in baby bottles, plastic containers, food and beverage cans, and dental sealants-may be contributing to the nation’s obesity epidemic. Researchers found recently that higher urine BPA levels are associated with overweight in young and adolescent girls, particularly those in the vulnerable 9- to12-year-old age range.
The United States Food and Drug Administration approved a new quadrivalent version of a flu vaccine. At present, it is the only quadrivalent vaccine available for children as young as 6 months.
Researchers have identified the genetic mutation responsible for central precocious puberty. Experts say the finding may help unlock the mysteries surrounding the timing of puberty and make it possible to identify those at risk of early onset.
Breastfeeding exclusively for at least the first 3 months of life, as opposed to exclusively formula feeding or using a combination of breast milk and formula, seems to make children smarter, and the differences are clear much earlier than previously thought.
An educational intervention, which includes periodic feedback to pediatricians, reduces inappropriate outpatient prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics to children with respiratory infections by about half, according to a new randomized trial.
There’s good news for premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD): treatment with hydrocortisone does not seem to adversely effect brain growth, meaning that hydrocortisone may provide a safer alternative to dexamethasone.
Imagine if a quick, easy, noninvasive test that kids actually found fun could predict which among them will develop such problems as type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease later in life.
When it comes to concussions, children with histories of multiple or recent concussions are more likely to have prolonged symptoms than those without any history of traumatic brain injury.
Night terrors and other parasomnias in children may coexist with other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, according to the preliminary findings of a new study.
New research shows that almost one-third of children aged between 4 and 8 years who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Formula-fed infants are about 2.5 times more likely to be obese by age 2 years than those who are breastfed for the first 6 months of life, according to a recent study.
New guidelines underscore the need for earlier detection of motor delays among children and posit an algorithm for use in the primary care setting.
A recent clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines how pediatricians can best meet the unique health and mental health needs of children in US military families.
Children who are bullied are almost 5 times more likely to harm themselves when they become adolescents than those who are not bullied, reports a recent study.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is beginning its new effort to stimulate research on treatments for neonates in the wake of last year’s legislation, the FDA Safety and Innovation Act.
The world is a much different place since the iPhone was released this month just 6 years ago in 2007. Because of our smart mobile devices, we talk, text and tweet, shop wisely, travel expediently, and socialize even when alone.
I have been thinking recently of a special patient whom I cared for during my residency. It has been 13 years since this happened, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.
Since the days of Edward Jenner, the father of smallpox vaccine, there have been parents who have been vaccine hesitant, and at times vaccine refusers. After Benjamin Franklin’s son died of smallpox, he lamented the fact that he had prohibited his son from getting the smallpox vaccine due to his concerns over safety.
A recent investigation found that compared with healthy-weight children, those who are obese show significantly less brain activation in regions associated with cognitive control after viewing familiar food logos, such as McDonald’s “golden arches.” This suggests that obese children may be more responsive to food advertising than their normal-weight peers.
More than 90% of pediatric subspecialists who diagnose and manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in young children deviate from current recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry regarding treatment of pediatric ADHD.
New research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center suggests that both under-the-tongue drops and injections work well to alleviate the symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in children.
Preliminary data from a randomized, double-blind trial reveal that giving preterm babies daily supplementation of 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D reduces vitamin insufficiency that may lead to softening and weakening of their bones.
Intellectual disability (ID) is a condition with a prevalence of 1% to 3%. As a result, most pediatricians will be required to address and manage this condition on a regular basis.
With rapidly increasing access to mobile devices and the Internet, adolescents spend increasingly less time communicating in person and more time communicating electronically. Health care providers may be in a position to harness the power of novel mobile and electronic technologies to improve communication with adolescent patients and potentially enhance their health outcomes.
You are called to the emergency room to evaluate a healthy 2-year-old boy with black spots on his legs that were noted yesterday evening. His younger brother developed similar black spots this morning. The boys are healthy, and the lesions are not symptomatic and appear to be superficial.
Children and adolescents who undergo a diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scan are 24% more likely to develop cancer in their lifetimes than patients who do not receive the testing, new research has found.
Infants who share a bed with their parents during the first 3 months of life are at a 5-fold greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who share their parents’ rooms and sleep in their own beds, according to a British study.
Feeling the pressure to succeed academically, 10% of teenagers are using someone else’s prescription stimulant medications-“study drugs”-to do better in school. Surprisingly, only 1% of parents are aware that their children are abusing these medicines.
Homelessness can have a lifelong impact on children’s health. New recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provide pediatricians with a plan to address the adverse health effects of housing insecurity on homeless children and their families.
After several 5 mg doses of clonidine, this 5 kg boy became extremely lethargic and hypotensive. What went wrong?
