Pediatrics

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The age limit of such patients ranges from birth to 18. In countries where the age of majority is 18, this age limit may be from birth to age 17 (such as in Canada). A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician.

What is Pediatrics?

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the health and medical care of infants, children, and adolescents from birth up to the age of 18. The word “paediatrics” means “healer of children”; they are derived from two Greek words: (pais = child) and (iatros = doctor or healer). Paediatrics is a relatively new medical specialty, developing only in the mid-19th century. Abraham Jacobi (1830–1919) is known as the father of paediatrics.

How Fast Food Affects Children's Health

Subspecialties of Pediatrics

Effects of Passive Smoking on Children's Health

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

A Brief History of Pediatrics

Pediatric Skin Conditions

Child and Adolescent Sports Injuries

Pediatrician: Role, Education, Training, Subspecialties

Mental Health Disorders and Children

Pediatrics Training

Infections in Childhood

See more featured articles »

Importance of Sensory Stimulation for Babies

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

New card deck helps children manage stress and build resilience

A Case Western Reserve University professor has developed an innovative card deck designed to help children manage stress and build emotional resilience in today's challenging world.

4 Feb 2026

Specialized palliative care shows potential to enhance well-being in pediatric cancer patients

How to reduce suffering in children with advanced cancer remains an ongoing but urgent question. A Mass General Brigham-led study examined whether systematically surveying children with advanced cancer and their parents about their symptoms and quality of life, providing feedback to children, families, and clinicians-and acting on that information by implementing personalized palliative care-could improve patients' experiences.

4 Feb 2026

Hormone therapy reduces abnormal nerve growth in chronic back pain

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide, affecting people of all ages and placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems. Many patients experience persistent discomfort that interferes with work, sleep, and daily activities.

4 Feb 2026

Estrogen levels in the brain may play a role in women’s risk of stress-related memory problems

Experiencing multiple acute stresses at the same time, as in natural disasters or mass shootings, can leave lasting memory scars.

3 Feb 2026

Targeted PICU rounds reduce the rate of healthcare-associated conditions

Rounds focused on critically ill pediatric patients at the greatest risk for developing healthcare-associated conditions (HACs) reduced the rate of specific HACs by nearly 50% at a Colorado hospital, according to a study published in Critical Care Nurse (CCN).

3 Feb 2026

Clinical trial launched to test experimental intranasal spray against respiratory viruses

Last year, at least one million people in the U.S. were hospitalized for respiratory virus illnesses like the flu or COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Feb 2026

Updated newborn screening guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis detection

An updated report on cystic fibrosis (CF) from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, in partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlights the new national guidelines on CF newborn screening that aim to detect affected babies earlier, more accurately and more fairly.

1 Feb 2026

New guide for clinicians aims to improve UTI care

Millions of times a year, Americans seek urgent treatment for painful, embarrassing urinary tract infections.

29 Jan 2026

UVA Health scientists pioneer a new way to create vaccines far more quickly than ever before

UVA Health scientists are reporting promising success as they pioneer a new way to create vaccines far more quickly, nimbly and inexpensively than ever before.

28 Jan 2026

Study reveals heart, brain, neuroimmune connections driving damage after heart attacks

Arteries become clogged. Blood flow is restricted and oxygen is cut off. The result is a heart attack, the world's leading cause of death.

27 Jan 2026

Targeted Fab fragments dismantle the allergy trigger

Allergic diseases represent a major global health burden, placing significant strain on healthcare systems worldwide. Severe conditions such as anaphylaxis, asthma, food allergy, and allergic rhinitis are driven by immunoglobulin E (IgE), an antibody that binds to immune cells, including mast cells and basophils.

27 Jan 2026

New soft robotic probe enables continuous monitoring of fetus's vital signs

Northwestern University researchers have developed the first device that can continuously track a fetus's vital signs while still in the uterus - a feat that previously has not been possible.

26 Jan 2026

New partnership aims to expand global access to sickle cell gene therapy

Caring Cross, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to improving access to advanced therapies, and Boston Children's Hospital today announced a collaboration to provide a sustainable, affordable pathway for patients to access stem cell gene therapies for the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

22 Jan 2026

Early interventions help nonspeaking autistic children achieve speech gains

After receiving evidence-based early interventions, roughly two-thirds of non-speaking kids with autism speak single words, and approximately half develop more complex language, according to a new study led by researchers at Drexel University's A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.

22 Jan 2026

Alterations in liver metabolism experienced by individuals with Down syndrome

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) have uncovered compelling evidence that individuals with Down syndrome experience significant alterations in liver metabolism, including elevated levels of bile acids in the bloodstream and other biomarkers of liver dysfunction.

22 Jan 2026

AI predicts health outcomes for premature newborns from blood samples

An artificial intelligence-based tool can predict the medical trajectories of individual premature newborns from blood samples collected soon after they are born, a Stanford Medicine-led study has shown.

21 Jan 2026

Study finds no safety or efficacy gap between paracetamol and ibuprofen for neonatal PDA

In a UK pilot randomized trial, intravenous paracetamol and ibuprofen showed no statistically significant differences in short-term efficacy or safety when used as rescue therapy for hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus in very preterm infants. The study demonstrated high feasibility but was not powered to determine clinical superiority or equivalence between treatments.

21 Jan 2026