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.

Pediatrics Training

Pediatric Skin Conditions

Subspecialties of Pediatrics

Pediatrician: Role, Education, Training, Subspecialties

Infections in Childhood

A Brief History of Pediatrics

Child and Adolescent Sports Injuries

Importance of Sensory Stimulation for Babies

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

How Fast Food Affects Children's Health

Mental Health Disorders and Children

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Effects of Passive Smoking on Children's Health

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Experimental cancer drug could make thinking easier for individuals with Rett syndrome

An experimental cancer drug could make thinking easier for individuals with Rett syndrome, a rare disorder linked to autism, according to new research from the University of California San Diego -; a discovery that could lead to therapies for patients with other neurological conditions.

25 Jul 2024

Breakthrough gene therapy restores dystrophin protein in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have made a significant breakthrough in developing a new gene therapy approach that restores full-length dystrophin protein, which could lead to new treatments for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

24 Jul 2024

Breakthrough research identifies fibrin as key factor in preterm brain bleeds

Mark Petersen, MD, has seen firsthand the devastating effects of brain bleeds in premature babies. It's an exceedingly common condition that affects up to 20 percent of infants born before 28 weeks of gestation, bringing an increased risk for developmental delays and autism.

24 Jul 2024

More types of lung cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 than previously thought, scientists report

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys, University of California San Diego and their international collaborators have reported that more types of lung cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 than previously thought, including those without known viral receptors.

23 Jul 2024

Financial incentives boost meal replacement therapy success in severely obese adolescents

Adolescents with severe obesity who received meal-replacement therapy plus financial incentives experienced a greater reduction in body mass index compared to those who received meal replacement therapy alone, according to recent findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.

23 Jul 2024

Study offers insight into incarceration's toll on youth health

Researcher Samantha Boch has studied the impact of incarceration on child and family health for more than a decade.

19 Jul 2024

Collaborative grant program boosts health research across Tennessee

Researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine-Knoxville; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Office of Research understand the challenges affecting the health and wellness of Tennesseans.

19 Jul 2024

Study uncovers how OTX2 drives aggressive childhood brain cancer

In a report published in Nature Cell Biology, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, the University of Manitoba and collaborating institutions revealed an unexpected way in which the protein OTX2 drives the progression of medulloblastoma – the most common aggressive childhood brain cancer.

18 Jul 2024

Siblings of autistic children face increased autism risk, new research confirms

Siblings of autistic children have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves -; about seven times higher than the rate in infants with no autistic siblings.

17 Jul 2024

Early detection of specific microRNAs may help predict preeclampsia in pregnant women

Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant contributor to the increase in maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, with particularly alarming numbers in the United States, where it affects about 2–8% of pregnancies, resulting in premature birth with associated morbidities for their infants as well.

16 Jul 2024

New guidance for assessing muscle-building supplement use in teens and young adults

A commentary published in the Journal of Adolescent Health concludes that the use of muscle-building dietary supplements among adolescents and young adults, particularly boys and young men, is widespread and driven by pressures to adhere to the muscular and lean body ideal.

15 Jul 2024

Testing the effectiveness of youth activism as a mental health intervention

Three hundred Black and Latinx teens in Chicago will be recruited to participate in the first clinical trial to measure the potential health benefits of youth-driven racial justice activism. The five-year study, funded by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, will assess whether activism can lower depression symptoms in minoritized teens, as well as alter physiological factors known to be increased with exposure to racism, such as blood pressure and markers of stress and inflammation in the blood.

13 Jul 2024

Study finds early, unnecessary opioid prescriptions for teen surgery

A multi-institutional study found that 1 in 6 youths fill an opioid prescription prior to surgery, and 3% of patients were still filling opioid prescriptions three to six months after surgery, indicating persistent opioid use and possible opioid dependence.

12 Jul 2024

CD22-targeted CAR-T therapy shows promising results in relapsed large B-cell lymphoma

CAR-T cell therapy, which targets a specific protein on the surface of cancer cells, causes tumors to shrink or disappear in about half of patients with large B-cell lymphoma who haven't experienced improvement with chemotherapy treatments.

11 Jul 2024

Advocate Health selected for CMS GUIDE Model aimed at advancing dementia care

Advocate Health has been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, aimed to support advanced dementia patients and their caregivers in bridging the gaps associated with inequalities in dementia care.

10 Jul 2024

Stem-like cells found to drive growth of aggressive pediatric brain tumors

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions has identified and located a population of stem-like cells that initiates and maintains Group 3 medulloblastoma (Gr3-MB) in the developing brain.

9 Jul 2024

Study uncovers disparities in boarding rates of children with severe mental health symptoms

A new study led by researchers at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Cambridge Health Alliance, has uncovered concerning disparities in boarding rates of children and adolescents with severe mental health symptoms in emergency departments.

9 Jul 2024