HomePaediatrics
Paediatrics
New antibiotics vital to stem newborn deaths
Experts have urged the development of new antibiotics after a landmark global observational study found that more than 200 000 neonates (within 60 days...
Peanut allergy breakthrough in US skin patch trial
Signalling good news for children with peanut allergies, a global phase three clinical trial found that a year-long immunotherapy through a skin patch safely...
SA and Kenya in global trial for neonatal sepsis treatment
An international clinical trial to evaluate desperately needed new antibiotic combinations for newborn babies with sepsis has begun in three public hospitals in South...
Foetal growth stunted by cannabis in pregnancy – US study
As more people use cannabis for recreational purposes, with research showing some dispensaries even recommend it to pregnant women to ease pregnancy symptoms, especially...
Noisy incubators could stunt infant hearing – Austrian study
Researchers in Vienna say while incubators might save the lives of many babies, their data suggest that the ambient noise associated with the incubator...
Early diagnosis hope with new cystic fibrosis screening programme
A new screening programme for cystic fibrosis (CF) in on the cards for South Africa which, it is hoped, will diagnose cases in newborns...
Parents too quick to medicate children's fevers – US poll
Some parents may reach for medication too quickly when children feel warm, say researchers, cautioning that while a warm forehead is often an indication...
Genetic link finding in SIDS – Danish study
Genetics may play a role in sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, according to a recent study which suggests that if one child in...
US childhood obesity guidelines now include drugs and surgery
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has released new guidelines for treating childhood obesity that emphasise a need for early and intensive treatment which, for...
Magnesium sulphate shown to reduce cerebral palsy risk in preterm babies – UK study
British researchers say giving inexpensive magnesium sulphate to women at risk of premature birth can reduce the chance of a child having cerebral palsy...
Experts punt stool testing for TB in children instead of sputum tests
These days, most tuberculosis (TB) testing relies on sputum samples coughed up from the lungs, which makes sense since pulmonary TB is the most...
Paediatric antibiotics linked to autism, asthma and others – Swiss meta-analysis
Antibiotics, the most commonly used drugs in children, can lead to a host of adverse outcomes, including autism spectrum disorders and asthma, according to...
Reducing needle anxiety in children – Australian study
Tears, tantrums and distress – when it comes to needles, many children struggle with anxiety. But with vaccinations becoming more regular, finding ways to...
Commonly used treatment for birth asphyxia linked to serious adverse events – US study
When a child is born with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, commonly called birth asphyxia – poor consciousness, not crying, not sucking, not breathing on their own...
Breastfeeding improves cognitive skills for children of poorer mothers – UK study
Children of poorer mothers who breastfeed are much better at tasks involving speaking, drawing and comprehension, a British study has found, saying they do...
Migraine in children linked to anxiety, depression – Canadian meta-analysis
Children and adolescents with migraine are about twice as likely to have an anxiety or depressive disorder as those without migraine, results from a...
Breastfeeding duration linked to cognition – Oxford study
Children who were breastfed for longer were linked to higher cognitive scores, right up to the age of 14, than those who were never...
Plant-based gels ease swallowing of paediatric pills – MIT collaboration
For most children, and even some adults, swallowing pills or tablets is difficult. To make it easier to give those medicines, researchers have created...
Early autism signs can detected by routine prenatal ultrasound – Israeli study
A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can identify early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a study by Ben-Gurion University of the...
Physical activity 72 hours post-concussion is safe for children – PedCARE trial
Resuming non-contact physical activity three days after a concussion is safe and may reduce symptoms, as well as the risk of delayed recovery, found...
Oral immunotherapy to induce peanut allergy remission in young children – IMPACT trial
In children with a peanut allergy, initiation of peanut oral immunotherapy before age-four was associated with an increase in both desensitisation and remission, found...
Major hurdles for SA's autistic children
Children with autism face huge barriers in accessing healthcare and special schools, researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) have found, and often, there’s...
Formula feeding linked to 70% higher antibiotic-resistance genes in babies
Formula feeding is associated with a 70% increase in antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) abundance in the gut microbiome of infants compared with breast milk,...
Storytelling may significantly alleviate physical and psychological pain of hospitalised children
Simple story telling to hospitalised children may help significantly to alleviate their physical and psychological pain, finds a Brazilian study reported in Scientific American.
“We...
Landmark intervention may reduce autism diagnosis rates by two-thirds
A simple video intervention for parents of at-risk babies was able to reduce the number of children diagnosed with autism at the age of...
Black South African men have been inching up over the past 30 years
Black South African men have been getting taller over the past three decades – their current adult height of black men on the 170.7cm...
Black South African men have been inching up over the past 30 years
Black South African men have been getting taller over the past three decades – their current adult height of black men on the 170.7cm...
Very preterm or very low birthweight associated with lower IQ into adulthood
The average IQ of adults who were born very preterm (VP) or at a very low birth weight (VLBW), compared to adults born full...
Clinical guide to diagnosing, in children, bruising caused by abuse
Bruising caused by physical abuse is the most common injury to be overlooked or misdiagnosed as non-abusive before an abuse-related fatality or near-fatality in...
Short-course of antibiotics suffices for children with pneumonia
A five-day course of high-dose amoxicillin will do just as well for children six months to 10 years old with common pneumonia, found research...
Kids' blood pressure measures 'substantially different' between arms
Blood pressure measurements in children and adolescents should be taken from both arms after new research showed substantial differences could be seen depending on...
SLIT associated with significant desensitisation in peanut-allergic toddlers
Peanut sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) was associated with significant desensitisation in toddlers, ages one- to four-years, with no safety issues, a US randomised trial showed.
During...
Antibiotic use in newborns linked to reduced growth in boys in first 6 years
A Finnish study in Nature Communications has found an association between antibiotic use in the first few days of life and reduced height and...
Kindergarten readiness delivers protective edge in late teens
Kindergarten readiness forecasts a later protective edge in emerging adulthood and suggests that youngsters who begin school with the right preparedness gain a lifestyle...
Early introduction of gluten may prevent coeliac disease in children
Introducing high doses of gluten from four months of age into infants’ diets could prevent them from developing coeliac disease, a study has found....
Heavy electronic media use in late childhood linked to lower academic performance
An Australian study of 8- to 11-year olds reveals an association between heavy television use and poorer reading performance, as well as between heavy...
Siblings of SIDS infants at 10-fold risk of same death
The siblings of infants who have died suddenly and unexpectedly run 10 times the risk of dying in the same way, indicates a long-term...
Screen time has little impact on kids' social skills — compulsive social networkers excepted
Researchers compared teacher and parent evaluations of children who started kindergarten in 1998 – six years before Facebook launched – with those who began...
Leaving baby to 'cry it out' has no adverse effects on child development
An infant's development and attachment to their parents is not affected by being left to 'cry it out' and can actually decrease the amount...
Breastfeeding and risks of allergies and asthma
A study has found exclusive breastfeeding for the first three months was linked with a lower risk of respiratory allergies and asthma when children...