https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health Many children who develop type 1 diabetes, the inability to produce insulin and process blood sugar, do not know they have the condition until symptoms arise. These symptoms are often driven by a severe and sometimes fatal condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. As insulin levels drop and blood sugar rises, the body generates molecules called ketones, which are toxic in high concentrations. Children with DKA can experience organ failure and other serious issues, but why these complications occur is not well understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dka-trigger-lingering-inflammatory-surge.html Fri, 22 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news698680048 A new oral antiviral drug candidate has been developed for the treatment of diseases caused by orthoparamyxoviruses, such as measles and croup syndrome, according to a study published by researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State University. The paper in Science Advances identifies clinical candidate GHP-88310 for urgently needed, improved orthoparamyxovirus disease management in rodent and non-rodent animal models of infection. Orthoparamyxoviruses, such as human parainfluenzaviruses, measles virus and emerging henipaviruses, pose a significant threat to human health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-daily-pill-aim-measles-croup.html Fri, 22 May 2026 14:00:10 EDT news698671678 Thanks to special 3D-printed scaffolding trays designed by experts at Cincinnati Children's, researchers can now produce larger versions of functional human gut organoids twice as fast as previous methods—and these organoids grow their own nerve cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-3d-trays-human-gut-organoids.html Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:03 EDT news698673181 The overall death rate of children and adolescents in the United States increased 6.6% between 2020 and 2023, researchers reported on May 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Many of the top causes of death in young people—including firearms, car accidents, and poisoning—lead to injuries that are treated in emergency departments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-child-death-states.html Thu, 21 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news698588281 For ten years, the Fr1da study, coordinated by Helmholtz Munich, has been investigating whether early stages of type 1 diabetes in children can be detected in routine pediatric care. The latest evaluation shows that the screening program is sustainably feasible and identifies most children who will later develop stage 3 (clinical) type 1 diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-early-diabetes-children-feasible-routine.html Thu, 21 May 2026 16:10:01 EDT news698597221 A lightweight robotic device that facilitates neuromuscular recovery in children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), helping them to stand unassisted, is published in Nature this week. Improved function persists after discontinuing training, demonstrating the potential for enduring recovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-wearable-knee-robot-children-muscle.html Thu, 21 May 2026 14:40:04 EDT news698581801 New research from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute suggests that an unhealthy diet during adolescence could have long-lasting effects on how the brain makes decisions about food—even after returning to a healthy diet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-teenager-food-choices-life.html Thu, 21 May 2026 12:20:08 EDT news698577782 Researchers have worked out how girls' sweating patterns change as they grow, establishing that the age of 14 is a critical turning point. Their findings can inform better sportswear designs for teenagers, and be used to encourage more teenage girls to take part in sport. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-patterns-girls-older.html Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:16 EDT news698582582 Extremely preterm birth (before 28 weeks of gestation) places infants into the world at one of the most extraordinary moments in human development. The brain at this stage is not simply growing; it is folding, organizing, and laying down the networks that will eventually support language, memory, attention, and learning. It is doing all of this in the dark, in the warmth, protected. When birth happens this early, all conditions change in an instant. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rewiring-early-life-extremely-preterm.html Wed, 20 May 2026 17:40:04 EDT news698487406 More than one in 10 children with medical complexity had an incident reported by home care agency staff, according to a multi-state study recently published in JAMA Network Open. Half of reported events were safety related and a quarter caused harm to the child. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-home-incidents-affect-children-medical.html Wed, 20 May 2026 16:20:03 EDT news698509921 Adrenarche—an early, puzzling transition between childhood and adolescence—has long been clouded by inconsistent terminology across pediatrics, endocrinology, and puberty research. A new call for precision aims to change that in a Viewpoint paper by Lauren Houghton, Ph.D., assistant professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health published in JAMA Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-clarity-littleunderstood-stage-childhood.html Wed, 20 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT news698500024 Université de Montréal psychiatry professor Laurent Mottron has spent his career studying the cognitive processes of people with autism. Rather than viewing autism as a deficit, he sees it as a different way of processing sensory and social information. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-children-autism-worse-differently.html Wed, 20 May 2026 10:40:05 EDT news698491110 Cutting recess doesn't just shortchange kids on playtime. A Syracuse University researcher says it can have real consequences for their health and development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-school-recess-health-necessity-reward.html Wed, 20 May 2026 09:20:10 EDT news698486402 Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a condition in which the kidneys suddenly lose their ability to filter waste from the blood. Developing within hours or days, AKI can cause dangerous waste accumulation and disrupt the body's fluid balance. It is a frequent and serious complication among hospitalized infants and children, often linked to higher mortality rates, prolonged hospital stays, and an increased need for mechanical ventilation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-kidney-crisis-childhood-shadow-health.html Wed, 20 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news698487345 A new study led by Murdoch University has found that children of parents with severe mental illness are more likely to experience cognitive difficulties. The study, "Cognitive performance in offspring of parents with severe mental illness: a meta-analysis," is published in the journal Psychological Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-children-parents-severe-mental-illness.html Wed, 20 May 2026 07:40:09 EDT news698473862 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in behavior, social interactions, communication, and sensory perceptions. Some autistic individuals find communicating and connecting with others more challenging than others, yet how these differences in social functioning emerge remains poorly understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-autism-social-differences-emerge-early.html Wed, 20 May 2026 07:40:01 EDT news698420043 A new Penn Nursing study suggests that the specific sedatives used during critical illness in early childhood may have long-term implications for a child's neurocognitive development. Martha A.Q. Curley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health, and the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, co-led the study with R. Scott Watson, MD, from Seattle Children's Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-sedative-choice-pediatric-intensive-term.html Tue, 19 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news698429641 A longitudinal study tracking children over a period of seven years has identified distinct brain-wave patterns emerging from age 9 that can forecast a child's vulnerability to anxiety or depression by age 13. These predictive markers reveal divergent, hemisphere-specific neurodevelopmental trajectories. Anxiety is linked to activity on the right side of the brain, while depression is tied to the left. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-brain-patterns-age-anxiety-depression.html Tue, 19 May 2026 17:40:01 EDT news698427241 A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that different SSRI medications affect metabolic processes in developing nerve cells in distinct ways. Alterations in energy metabolism, oxidative stress and lipid profiles suggest that these drugs are not biologically equivalent. The findings provide new insights into biological mechanisms but do not show that SSRIs cause autism, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ssris-affect-metabolism-early-brain.html Tue, 19 May 2026 16:20:03 EDT news698423041 Children who take more risks on the playground make safe decisions more quickly when crossing a busy street. That's the central finding of a new study by researchers from UBC and Queen Maud University College in Norway, and it may give parents a reason to let kids climb a little higher or roam a little farther. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-kids-play-faster-smarter-decisions.html Tue, 19 May 2026 15:20:09 EDT news698413382 A study led by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson showed that giving the antibiotic azithromycin did not help preschool children seen in the hospital emergency room with bouts of severe wheezing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-antibiotic-ineffective-wheezing-young-children.html Tue, 19 May 2026 12:40:15 EDT news698410441 The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father's DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dna-protein-insight-infertility-ivf.html Tue, 19 May 2026 12:00:03 EDT news698409961