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Health
A kidney infection, also called pyelonephritis, is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI). In most cases, UTIs are not serious and easily treated with antibiotics. However, frequent kidney infections can cause permanent damage to the kidneys. In...
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Blog
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your child got the measles? As pediatricians, I know my husband and I never did. Despite receiving medical training in different parts of the world, neither one of us had actually ever even seen a...
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Pregnancy
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a virus that can be spread by sexual contact, as well as through contaminated blood, saliva, or urine. While this infection doesn’t usually lead to major problems in adults, it is the most common infection mothers pass to...
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Health
Two out of three children aged 3 and under will get at least one ear infection. An ear infection occurs when the inner ear fills with fluid because of a previous bacterial or viral infection, such as a cold. It is difficult for the fluid to drain...
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Health
Helicobacter pylori is a common bacteria found in the stomachs of many children. In fact, some studies suggest that up to 50 percent of the world’s population carries this bacteria. In the industrialized world, however, the incidence is much lower....
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Health
Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a species of bacteria normally found in the intestines of people and animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless, but others can make you very ill. One specific strain called O157:H7 causes severe diarrhea and can...
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Health
Most infectious illnesses are caused by either viruses or bacteria. Both can be spread by coughing, sneezing, and contact with infected people or contaminated objects. Both bacterial and viral illnesses can cause mild or serious conditions,...
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Blog
As pediatric residents, we would mark off each season of the year for the diseases we encountered. The cooler fall weather and the viruses shared at the beginning of school triggered the asthmatics to begin coughing. Wintertime inevitably brought...
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Health
Parents may worry when they feel swollen glands in their child’s neck. It should come as a relief to know that swollen glands, or enlarged lymph nodes, are a very common and often normal finding in a child who is fighting off an infection. Lymph...
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Health
Yeast is a type of fungus that is normally found in a healthy human body. However, under certain conditions, yeast can begin to multiply, resulting in a yeast infection. Candida albicans is usually the most common culprit, typically causing...
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Health
Due to recent outbreaks covered in the news media, many parents have concerns about Adenovirus. With misunderstanding comes fear, so here is what you need to know to keep you informed and your children safe. Adenoviruses are a family of viruses...
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Parenting
There are many benefits to having your child exposed to animals, but what happens when your child is injured by a cat or dog? While many people worry about animal bites from strays or stranger pets, the fact is that the majority of animal bites are...
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Health
Children are notorious for getting bumps, cuts, and bruises. In rare cases, a serious infection of the underlying bone, known as osteomyelitis, can develop. There are two primary ways a bone can become infected: Direct infection. When a child has...
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Parenting
Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) occurs when the outer part of the ear and the canal leading to the eardrum becomes inflamed and painful. Swimmer’s ear is different from the more common ear infections that occur in the middle ear, or otitis media...
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Baby
Having a premature baby in the NICU is a difficult situation for any parent — and it’s unfortunately common. Approximately one out of every 10 babies are born prematurely each year, keeping the NICUs around the country very busy. While it’s natural...
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Health
Sepsis is a very dangerous medical condition that results from infection, usually by a bacteria, but a virus or fungus can also be a cause. Sepsis occurs when the infectious agent spreads from its initial area of infection into the bloodstream....
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Health
Your baby’s cough isn’t getting any better. In fact, it sounds worse — wetter and full of gunk — especially at night. You begin to question, is it pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection inside the lungs. Babies with pneumonia have difficulty...
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Health
Many parents are surprised to learn that children are at risk of infection from a parasitic disease. However, these parasites are not just found in developing countries, but are present right in your child’s playground, daycare or preschool, or...
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Health
Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, staphylococcus bacteria cause more than 90 percent of cases, while streptococcus bacteria cause most of the remainder of impetigo cases. Impetigo infection can...
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Health
Outbreaks of diarrhea are extremely common among kids who spend time in childcare settings, but many parents don’t realize that these outbreaks are often caused by a parasite. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Giardia...
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Health
Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are fairly common, affecting about 3 percent of children in the US each year. They are more common in girls, who have about an 8 percent risk of contracting a UTI, compared to a 2 percent risk in boys. In most...
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Health
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , is a bacteria that causes many different types of infections in children. Children can be exposed to MRSA in situations where they come into close contact with many other people, such as...
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Blog
You worry about every hiccup and sneeze as a new parent, but what should you REALLY worry about (as opposed to those things you don’t really have to worry about)? Below is a list of 10 potentially serious things you don’t want to miss in your...
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Blog
Your baby’s first cold can be unsettling, but there are steps you can take to hold this first brush with infection off as long as possible. First, if at all possible, keep your young infant away from sick people (especially their mucus!)....
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Health
The human ear is composed of three parts: the outer ear (the fleshy part that sticks out from your head, as well as the ear canal); the middle ear (the eardrum, the three small bones that convey sound, and the eustachian tubes that run to the back...
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Health
It used to be common practice that if a child suffered from an ear infection, antibiotics were given to clear it up. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently changed its position on the treatment of acute otitis media (the medical term...
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Health
Sore throats are one of the most common complaints seen in a pediatric office, but did you know your doctor cannot simply look in your child’s mouth and tell whether the sore throat is caused by a virus or a bacteria? In fact, a recent study...
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Health
Meningitis, or inflammation of the protective membrane that surrounds the brain or spinal cord, ranges in severity from mild to a life-threatening emergency. Because of this wide range, it’s important to recognize the early symptoms of...
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Health
You know the drill: a red, uncomfortable ear, crying in the middle of the night, and probably a fever. It’s another ear infection. If your child is prone to getting painful ear infections and you spend some time on the Internet looking for home...
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Health
Rotavirus vaccine is designed to reduce your child’s risk of contracting a serious gastrointestinal illness after infection with the rotavirus. It is the only orally administered vaccine. Two or three doses of the vaccine are given in between the...
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Health
Pink eye—also called conjunctivitis—is the most common eye problem among children. Pink eye occurs when the lining of the eye and eyelid become irritated or infected, resulting in redness and inflammation. Both eyes are often affected at the same...
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Health
Scarlet fever is an infection caused by a bacteria called Group A Streptococcus. This bacteria is the same bacteria that causes strep throat. While scarlet fever was previously a serious childhood illness, modern antibiotics have made the condition...
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Pregnancy
Chicken pox (varicella) is a highly contagious herpes virus that is transmitted by respiratory droplets. While the incidence of chicken pox has decreased dramatically in recent years thanks to the varicella vaccine, the virus is still risky to...
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Health
Scabies is a skin infection caused by tiny mites known as Sarcoptes scabiei. They burrow under the top layer of the skin, causing a very itchy rash. In addition to infecting children, scabies can affect people of all ages. After infection with...
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Health
MRSA is a serious infection that affects about 90,000 Americans annually, claiming 20,000 lives. In the past, MRSA affected mostly those with weakened immune systems, but there has been a rise in the number of healthy people infected with MRSA,...
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Pregnancy
Chorioamnionitis is when an infection develops in the uterus during labor. This condition complicates 1-4 percent of all deliveries. Also known as intra-amniotic infection, the diagnosis is made when a mom develops a fever during labor and no other...
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Health
Parents want to know if their child can be around a friend or classmate who has recently been diagnosed with an ear infection. What causes an ear infection? Ear infections occur when fluid builds up in the middle ear, behind the ear drum. When a...
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Health
Similar to lice, pinworms are parasites that spread through the transfer of eggs. A typical pinworm infection is characterized by the presence of small, white roundworms approximately the size of a staple found near the child’s anus. The most...
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Baby
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease—and in many cases, women who have chlamydia don’t suffer from any symptoms. If symptoms are present, they can include vaginal discharge, bleeding after sex, or itching and burning during...
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Baby
Group B Strep (GBS) is a normally harmless bacteria commonly found in the human digestive tract. But this little bug has a darker side: in pregnant women, it can migrate to vaginal region where it can cause serious complications in a newborn after...
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Health
Tonsils are oval-shaped tissue located on both sides of the throat. They are made up of lymphatic tissue, which is responsible for helping the body to fight infection. The size of tonsils can vary from person to person. However, they can become...
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Health
When your child gets a cold, it is often nothing more than a bother for a few days. But if your child begins to wheeze, you may become concerned that something more serious is going on. There’s a chance your child has developed bronchiolitis....
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Health
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a condition that generally occurs in children as a result of infection from a toxic strain of bacteria called Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. This infection commonly begins as diarrhea (which is often bloody)....
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Health
Burns in children are one of the most common household accidents. In 2010, more than 60,000 children ages 4 years and under were treated in emergency rooms for burns. It’s no wonder burn injuries are so common: burn hazards exist in just...
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Health
Any parent would be concerned if their child suddenly developed weakness and drooping on one side of the face. Bell’s palsy is one of the most common reasons for these symptoms to develop. Bell’s palsy is a weakness that affects only one side of...
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Health
Thrush is a common infection of the mouth found in babies and young toddlers, as well as on the nipples of nursing mothers. Thrush appears as sticky white patches that line the mouth, inner lips, and gums. In nursing moms, thrush may appear as...
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Health
The sinuses are air-filled pockets around the nose and face that are lined with mucus membranes. When those membranes become swollen or inflamed, it can lead to sinusitis. The most common causes of sinus inflammation are colds, allergies and...
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Pregnancy
One of the less glamorous symptoms of pregnancy is an increase in vaginal discharge. This can happen at any time, but many women notice it more in the second and third trimesters. However, not all discharge is created equal, and knowing what is...
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Pregnancy
Streptococcus agalactiae, otherwise known as Group B Strep (GBS), is a bacteria that approximately 20-25 percent of pregnant women have in their vagina and rectum. Carrying this bacteria does not mean that you acquired a sexually transmitted...
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Baby
Do your newborn’s eyes look watery or crusty, even when they aren’t actually crying? Excessive tearing or the presence of mucous in your baby’s eyes may indicate a blocked tear duct, medically known as nasolacrimal duct obstruction. More than 5...
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Health
Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Children (and adults) who are diagnosed with bacterial meningitis are admitted into the hospital for treatment. At the hospital,...
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Health
Protection against Haemophilus influenza type b is included in your infant’s first set of vaccines at age 2 months. Hib, as it’s better known, is a bacteria that can cause severe invasive diseases, including meningitis, blood infections, and...
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Health
“My tummy hurts.” What parent hasn’t heard this complaint from their child from time to time? It can be difficult to know when it is just a stomachache and when you should seek out medical care for your child. Look for some of these symptoms that...
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Health
Pneumonia, a general term for an infection in the lungs, is classified into two types: bacterial and viral. Either type occurs when bacteria or viruses found in the nose and throat infect a baby’s lungs. Infants younger than 2 weeks old typically...
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Health
If you’re pregnant, you’ve likely heard of toxoplasmosis and heard that you can catch it from cats. But what is toxoplasmosis, and how can it be avoided during pregnancy? Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common food-borne illnesses in the world....
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Health
Antibiotics are one of the most commonly prescribed medicines in a pediatrician’s office. While they cannot be used to treat viral infections, like the common cold, COVID-19, or the flu, they are used to treat many common bacterial infections...
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Health
Nail disorders are common among infants and children. Usually these are simply a cosmetic problem and no need for concern. Here are a few of the most commonly seen disorders: 1. Beau’s lines. These appear as indentations that run across the nails....
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Baby
The most common fungal infections in infants are yeast diaper rash, thrush, and ringworm (which, despite its name, is actually caused by a fungus, not a worm). Athlete’s foot is another fungal infection that is sometimes seen in older...
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Health
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been worrying parents of young infants for decades. This infection has long been characterized as dangerous and even deadly. It can cause severe breathing difficulty and is one of the most common causes for...