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.

Pediatric Skin Conditions

How Fast Food Affects Children's Health

Pediatrics Training

Pediatrician: Role, Education, Training, Subspecialties

Infections in Childhood

Subspecialties of Pediatrics

Importance of Sensory Stimulation for Babies

Child and Adolescent Sports Injuries

Mental Health Disorders and Children

Effects of Passive Smoking on Children's Health

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

See more featured articles »

A Brief History of Pediatrics

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Research opens new avenues for treating asthma and other inflammatory diseases

For decades, scientists have thought they understood the biochemical machinery that causes asthma-inflammation in the lungs that constricts airways and makes it hard to breathe.

23 Oct 2025

Can introducing peanuts early prevent allergies? Real-world data confirms it helps

Using data from over 120,000 U.S. children, this Pediatrics study found that the prevalence and risk of peanut and other IgE-mediated food allergies declined significantly after the 2015 and 2017 guidelines promoting early allergen introduction. The findings support these policies as effective public health measures to prevent food allergies in real-world settings.

22 Oct 2025

Updated CPR guidelines provide expanded recommendations for managing choking and opioid overdose

The "2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)," published today in the Association's flagship journal, Circulation, marks the first full revision of lifesaving resuscitation guidance since 2020.

22 Oct 2025

Researchers highlight ethical implications of clinical trial terminations

The termination of thousands of federal grants that fund clinical trials threatens to reverse substantial progress in understanding and treating the health challenges of marginalized populations, particularly children and adolescents who are already underrepresented in research.

22 Oct 2025

Stressful life factors early in life may triple the risk of developing psoriasis later

New longitudinal research reveals that severe stress caused by changes in family structure like divorce or separation experienced during the first year of life may triple the risk of developing psoriasis later in life.

21 Oct 2025

Food allergy diagnoses plummet after guideline implementation

Peanuts represent one of the most common causes of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated, or anaphylactic, food allergies in children, yet a landmark study found that early introduction of peanut to infants may lower their risk of developing this allergy.

21 Oct 2025

Blood biomarkers forecast long-term blood pressure improvement after adolescent bariatric surgery

A groundbreaking study published in Hypertension, the journal of the American Heart Association, has identified a set of blood-based biomarkers that can predict improvements in blood pressure five years after adolescents underwent metabolic bariatric surgery.

20 Oct 2025

Smartphone app for muscle relaxation reduces migraine disability in ED patients

A smartphone app for muscle relaxation significantly reduced migraine-related disability in patients visiting the emergency department, a new study shows.

16 Oct 2025

Experimental gene therapy restores immune system function in children with genetic immune disorder

An experimental gene therapy developed by researchers at UCLA, University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital has restored and maintained immune system function in 59 of 62 children born with ADA-SCID, a rare and deadly genetic immune disorder.

15 Oct 2025

Ancient lead exposure may have shaped human evolution and language

A groundbreaking international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon.

15 Oct 2025

Study provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve lung cancer screening rates

Lung cancer screening might be the best-kept secret in health care today. Only about 16 percent of those who are eligible in the U.S. get screened for lung cancer, but a study coming out in NEJM Catalyst on Wednesday provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve those numbers.

15 Oct 2025

Nemours neurologist wins major NIH award to study hippocampal dysfunction in brain disorders

Rodney Scott, MBChB, MRCP, DipStat, PhD, Division Chief of Neurology, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley, has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Award.

15 Oct 2025

Researchers explore the use of virtual reality to reduce stress in young adults with diabetes

Researchers at Wayne State University and Johns Hopkins University are exploring the use of virtual reality (VR) to reduce stress in young adults suffering from diabetes.

15 Oct 2025

New research aims to develop targeted therapy for hard-to-treat osteosarcoma

For children and young adults diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a common type of bone cancer for that age group, the odds of survival can be devastatingly low (20-30%) when the disease spreads to the lungs.

15 Oct 2025

Mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in preemies’ brains

Hearing the sound of their mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in a premature baby's brain, according to a new Stanford Medicine-led study.

14 Oct 2025

Study validates AI models for preemptive sepsis care in pediatrics

Sepsis, or infection causing life-threatening organ dysfunction, is a leading cause of death in children worldwide. In efforts to prevent this rare but critical condition, researchers developed and validated AI models that accurately identify children at high risk for sepsis within 48 hours, so that early preemptive care can be provided.

13 Oct 2025

UCLA scientists uncover the role of DGRs in structuring the infant gut microbiome

Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body.

10 Oct 2025

Non-standard baby formula linked to faster infant growth

The use of non-standard infant formulas is associated with higher growth rates in the first year, necessitating further research on long-term health effects.

8 Oct 2025

Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado started revamping its vaccine policies in the spring

As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dismantling of federal vaccine policy continues to roil the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some Democratic-led states have struck out on their own, setting up new systems to help them assess the science and maintain immunization access for their residents.

7 Oct 2025

Researchers develop a powerful new tool to sharpen the accuracy of genetic testing

Researchers at Texas Children's Neurological Research Institute (NRI) and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a powerful new tool within the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) to sharpen the accuracy of genetic testing – a breakthrough with direct implications for patient diagnoses and care worldwide.

6 Oct 2025

Pediatrics

Overview

Pediatric Skin Conditions

How Fast Food Affects Children's Health

Pediatrics Training

Feature Articles

Pediatrician: Role, Education, Training, Subspecialties

Infections in Childhood

Subspecialties of Pediatrics

Importance of Sensory Stimulation for Babies

Child and Adolescent Sports Injuries

Mental Health Disorders and Children

Effects of Passive Smoking on Children's Health

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

A Brief History of Pediatrics

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Research opens new avenues for treating asthma and other inflammatory diseases

Can introducing peanuts early prevent allergies? Real-world data confirms it helps

Updated CPR guidelines provide expanded recommendations for managing choking and opioid overdose

Researchers highlight ethical implications of clinical trial terminations

Stressful life factors early in life may triple the risk of developing psoriasis later

Food allergy diagnoses plummet after guideline implementation

Blood biomarkers forecast long-term blood pressure improvement after adolescent bariatric surgery

Smartphone app for muscle relaxation reduces migraine disability in ED patients

Experimental gene therapy restores immune system function in children with genetic immune disorder

Ancient lead exposure may have shaped human evolution and language

Study provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve lung cancer screening rates

Nemours neurologist wins major NIH award to study hippocampal dysfunction in brain disorders

Researchers explore the use of virtual reality to reduce stress in young adults with diabetes

New research aims to develop targeted therapy for hard-to-treat osteosarcoma

Mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in preemies’ brains

Study validates AI models for preemptive sepsis care in pediatrics

UCLA scientists uncover the role of DGRs in structuring the infant gut microbiome

Non-standard baby formula linked to faster infant growth

Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado started revamping its vaccine policies in the spring

Researchers develop a powerful new tool to sharpen the accuracy of genetic testing

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics

Pediatrics

Overview

Feature Articles

Pediatrician: Role, Education, Training, Subspecialties

Infections in Childhood

Subspecialties of Pediatrics

Importance of Sensory Stimulation for Babies

Child and Adolescent Sports Injuries

Mental Health Disorders and Children

Effects of Passive Smoking on Children's Health

Supporting Children with Mental Health Disorders

A Brief History of Pediatrics

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics

Newsletters you may be interested in