Children are fascinating beings. Watching them grow right before your eyes into independent young adults is every parent’s milestone. A child’s health and well-being are a priority of every parent. Finding a medical specialist is important to aid us in taking care of our child.
Pediatrics is a specialized medical practice aimed at managing an overall child’s health. This includes physical, behavioral, and mental health issues. Pediatricians provide comprehensive care from birth to early adulthood. They diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses, disorders, and ailments that occur specifically in infants, children, and teenagers.
Pediatrics, like in West Jordan, Utah, also help educate and guide parents on the importance of diet, healthy physical and mental exercise, hygiene, and routine check-ups. They monitor physical and mental growth development and prescribe immunizations and vaccines to prevent illnesses or disorders.
Reasons to go to a pediatrician:
- They are properly trained in managing children’s health.
- They have a lot of experience in identifying and treating childhood illnesses.
- If a child is premature, has congenital problems, or has a health condition that needs to be monitored closely, then a pediatrician can offer more specialized care.
- They help control the spread of infectious disease among children and also helps children and adolescents with chronic health conditions.
Also, here are some of the common illnesses that children can experience. A young child’s immune system is susceptible to many infections as they haven’t been exposed to it before. They are more prone to illnesses than older kids and adults who already have built up immunity to many germs.
It is better to know how or what ailments our children may experience so that we can be prepared for it. A visit to a pediatrician is also advisable, as they can properly diagnose and help relieve children of these illnesses:
Common cold
Consult a pediatrician if a child is under 6 months old. Medication is available, but it’s best to know which ones are better for a child. Most kids recover from a cold within 5-7 days
Respiratory syncytial virus
RSV affects the lungs, and in most cases, the symptoms are relatively minor and can be mistaken for a cold. But it is serious for children with a compromised immune system, congenital heart condition, or chronic lung disease. It can cause infection in small airways in the lungs or pneumonia.
Call a pediatrician immediately if a child is wheezing, breathing very fast, struggling to breathe, lethargic, or starts to develop a bluish tinge on lips or on the mouth.
Roseola
It causes discomfort in children below the age of 2. Symptoms can be minor; however, some kids can experience high fever, congestion, coughing, and patchy rash that starts from the chest and spreads. Contact a pediatrician if a fever spikes or if it lasts longer than 3 days.
Gastroenteritis
Better known as stomach bug; this causes vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. It can be uncomfortable for children and can cause dehydration. Make sure that children don’t get dehydrated or they don’t take too much liquid at once. Ask pediatricians for help because it can vary from children to children.
Hand-foot-mouth disease
Usually occurs during summer, the coxsackievirus is highly contagious and can easily be passed from kid to kid through physical interaction, cough, sneezed and fecal matter. Children can experience red blisters on hands and soles of the feet that lasts 7-10 days.
Pediatricians are a parent’s partner in their child’s growth and development. Knowing our kid is healthy gives us peace of mind, and it also keeps them happy. Children need the best medical care so that they can grow up healthy.
