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Paediatrics
Bariatric surgery benefits confirmed in 10-year follow-up study
Ten years after undergoing bariatric surgery as teens, more than half of study participants demonstrated not only sustained weight loss, but also resolution of...
Watching and waiting vs antibiotic treatment for paediatric patients
A team of physicians describe a baby’s symptoms from a recent case, and proffer two treatment scenarios, the options and the supporting evidence for...
RSV deaths now preventable in SA, local experts say
South African experts say the implementation of prevention strategies, combined with public engagement and collaboration between stakeholders, could significantly reduce the high rates of...
Omega-3 cuts aggression by nearly 30% – US meta-analysis
A recent meta-analysis suggests that omega-3, available as dietary supplements via fish oil capsules and thought to help with mental and physical well-being, could...
Genetic screening of 100 000 babies under way in NHS study
More than 500 blood samples have already been taken from newborn babies at 13 NHS hospitals in a major study that will screen the...
How SA’s childhood vaccination system can become great
The two public health interventions that have had the greatest impact on the world’s health are clean water and vaccines, write Professors Susan Goldstein...
Spike in “problematic” teenage social media use – global study
A major international study, which surveyed almost 280 000 children across 44 countries, suggests there has been a sharp rise in “problematic” social media...
Virus causing paralysing illness spikes in US wastewater
A respiratory virus that sometimes paralyses children is spreading across America, raising concerns about another possible rise in polio-like illnesses, according to US health...
Scientists hope metabolic data may ultimately predict SIDS – US study
Metabolic data from babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDs, could help predict the devastating condition, research has revealed, with scientists hoping...
UK hospital reviews cases of 700 children treated by orthopaedic surgeon
London’s well-known Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is overseeing an urgent review of the cases of more than 700 patients after concerns were raised...
Screens in bed worse for sleep – New Zealand study
Parents of children and teenagers have long been warned about the dangers of screen time and digital devices before bed, the worry being that...
Liraglutide reduces six-year-olds’ weight in nine-country study
Researchers say that liraglutide (Saxenda), in combination with lifestyle intervention, helped reduce the body mass index (BMI) in obese children as young as six.
In...
US Surgeon-General flags pressure of parenting
Nearly half of all American parents feel overwhelming stress on any given day, compared with 25% of non-parents, and it's time to do something...
SA’s under-fives hungry, neglected and dying – Child Gauge 2024
One out of every 25 babies born in South Africa dies before turning five, with most under-fives facing hunger, neglect and developmental issues, according...
Antibiotics vs surgery for appendicitis
Appendicitis is nearly always treated with surgical removal of the appendix, making it the most common cause of emergency surgery in children, but growing...
Researchers uncover how paediatric MIS-C is linked to Covid
Scientists have finally unravelled one of the enduring mysteries of the pandemic – and what caused some children to develop a severe inflammatory syndrome...
Warning after six-month-old babies put on diets
An Australian obesity expert has slammed the current fixation with “ideal” weight ranges, which he warns is driving poor advice that includes putting children...
Researchers suggest PANS/PANDAS link to inflammatory condition
Researchers have suggested a new component to the long controversial diagnosis of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) – along with the related paediatric autoimmune...
What's behind the shift to earlier puberty?
The jury is still out on just why young people are experiencing puberty earlier than ever, and experts are now calling for a better...
BMA calls for pause on Cass recommendations after doctors' complaints
Nearly 900 doctors have written to the British Medical Association (BMA), expressing “dismay” and disappointment” at the stance taken by the doctors’ union on...
UK boy first kidney patient to have robot surgery
A seven-year-old boy has become the first patient in Britain to undergo robotic surgery for a kidney condition that if left untreated, can lead to loss of kidney...
Australia starts first peanut allergy programme for babies
Babies who have a peanut allergy are now being offered free and potentially life-changing treatment at hospitals across Australia in a world-first programme aimed...
Almost 120 000 girls give birth in one year
The number of young girls and teenagers having babies remains constant in South Africa, with more than 2 700 girls aged 10 to 14...
SA experts probe links between placenta and premature births
The socio-economic benefits of finding a blood test that can predict premature births – and prevent these – are incalculable, writes Professor Clive Gray...
Paediatric group flags baby tongue-tie op ‘epidemic’
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has sounded the alarm about what they believe is an over-diagnosis of tongue-tie – a condition in infants...
What declining childhood vaccine rates mean for SA
New data from the WHO and Unicef show that globally childhood immunisation coverage stalled in 2023, while in South Africa it actually decreased, writes...
First trimester Covid exposure, jab, not tied to birth defects risk
Neither Covid-19 infection nor vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of major birth defects, found a study of...
Urgent plea for action as malaria drug-resistance grows
A group of 28 leading scientists from 10 countries has warned that millions of lives are at risk unless urgent and radical action is...
Growing number of SA children hungry and dying – report
The condition of children in South Africa, particularly those under six, is worsening, according to a new report, with nearly 40% of them being...
Australia issues warning over compounded colic meds with belladonna
Australia’s health authority says it has received reports of serious adverse events in infants and children who have been given compounded wind and colic...
Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa saves its 100th life
The Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa (TCCFA), which since 2019 has been offering lifesaving procedures to South African and African children suffering from congenital...
Ending childhood stunting vital for South Africa's future prosperity
A key indicator to measure progress by government, writes Dr Edzani Mphaphuli in Mail & Guardian, is by closely monitoring stunting rates in children....
Experts call for change to skin-tone biased Apgar score
A growing body of experts is calling for changes to the Apgar score – the tool assigned to infants immediately after birth to measure...
NHLS system still faltering as cyberattacks hit global healthcare
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which had expected to restore its systems by 15 July after hackers forced it to revert to paper...
Lockdowns slashed wheezing in generation of babies – Italian study
The Covid-19 pandemic had an upside for lockdown babies: substantially less wheezing and bronchiolitis, according to an Italian retrospective cohort study, with the researchers...
Neonatal antibiotic use slashed in multi-disciplinary SA project
After a 20-week intervention involving nearly 600 neonates, researchers found that the implementation of a prospective, multi-disciplinary antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme had significantly reduced...
Boosting oxygen may save preterm infants – Sydney study
In a challenge to existing recommendations, researchers say delivery room resuscitation with high initial levels of oxygen for very preterm infants could reduce their...
Excess kilos in teen years can double later stroke risk – Finnish study
Women who were overweight or obese as teenagers or young adults had more than a twofold increased risk for stroke before 55, suggest researchers,...
Unicef report warns that 25% of SA’s toddlers face severe food poverty
A report by the United Nations Children’s Agency Unicef shows that almost a quarter (23%) of South African children under five are at risk...
SA children’s suffering in poor areas worse during pandemic
Certain categories of South African children were profoundly affected during the pandemic, research has shown, with six out of 10 being exposed to depressed...