https://medicalxpress.com/pediatrics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Pediatrics The proportion of people diagnosed with and treated for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is growing. Prescription rates have increased 11-fold in 20 years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-safeguard-overdiagnosis-gps-adhd.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:00:04 EDT news696059642 Sugars contained exclusively in breast milk are helping to feed an important balance of bacteria in babies' developing gut microbiomes, a new study has found. In a paper published in Nature Communications, a European research team led by Professor Lindsay Hall from the University of Birmingham used deep DNA sequencing to look at stool samples from 41 healthy babies and their mothers in the Netherlands. The study aimed to see which microbes were there and how they might interact with each other as well as with food sources introduced to the gut. The study is thought to be the first that describes how babies who are breastfed maintain a mutually beneficial co-existence of E. coli and a bacteria called Bifidobacterium, which is a key part of a healthy gut microbiome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-coli-good-bacteria-breast-baby.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:10 EDT news695920441 A study in Pediatric Investigation found that rural and urban children and adolescents tend to experience different mental health issues, with those living in the country showing more emotional problems and those in the city demonstrating more behavioral issues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-children-rural-urban-areas-mental.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:00:06 EDT news695977489 Congenital heart disease (CHD), which is a problem with how the heart forms before birth—occurs in approximately 1% of newborns. It has previously been shown that school-age children, adolescents, and young adults with CHD are more likely to display traits of autism. Now, a team of researchers in the UK has shown that preschool children with CHD are also at risk of developing behavioral problems. They published their results in Frontiers in Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-preschool-children-born-heart-defects.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:09 EDT news695980441 Pediatric lung transplant specialist Christian Benden, MD, described the future for children who need lung transplants: fewer operations overall, but more complex patients and mounting challenges for the teams who care for them. He addressed the 46th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) held from April 22–25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in Toronto, ON, Canada. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-surgeries-complex-cases-future-pediatric.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:02 EDT news695977580 A kid's toy designed for learning and play is being pulled from the market over safety concerns. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-children-cubes-recalled-hazard.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:00:02 EDT news696000370 The UCI Health Regional Burn Center is one of the only burn centers in Orange County equipped to treat the most complex burn patients 24 hours a day, including children. Orange County is not unique in that such centers are few and far between. That is a major problem, say experts in a review paper co-authored by Dr. James C. Jeng, a trauma, burn and critical care surgeon at UCI Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gaps-pediatric-experts-urge.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:00:02 EDT news695977274 Your early life may quietly set the stage for developing Type 1 diabetes, an increasingly common, lifelong condition that can significantly affect daily life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-umbilical-cord-blood-clues-child.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:00:06 EDT news695997722 Antibiotics save newborns every day, but new research shows they also leave a lasting mark on a baby's developing immune system. University of Rochester Medicine scientists found that early antibiotic exposure disrupts babies' natural gut bacterial balance and that the disruption "travels" to the lungs, fundamentally rewiring how lung immune cells are programmed and influencing lung repair and the ability to fight infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-antibiotics-babies-affect-gut-lungs.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:40:01 EDT news695996732 Despite new diagnostic methods and expanded vaccination programs, many children in Uganda continue to suffer from severe brain infections, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. The researchers' analysis highlights simple clinical signs that can help health care providers more quickly identify children at high risk of death. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-early-brain-infection-children.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:40:08 EDT news695995262 A new study finds that how high school students perceive the "costs" of sun protection and the "rewards" of tanning play a significant role in whether they practice sun-safe behaviors. The work will help inform more effective skin cancer prevention efforts during adolescence. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-teen-views-tanning-sunscreen-skin.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:00:05 EDT news695894782 A major study involving Durham University shows that a radical rethink of rural housing design in sub-Saharan Africa can protect children from the three deadliest childhood diseases. The three-year trial in Tanzania found that children living in specially designed two-story "Star Homes" had dramatically lower rates of malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections compared with children in traditional mud-and-thatch houses. The children in the Star Homes also grew taller as a result of their better health. The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-unusual-story-homes-rewriting-child.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695994577 Schools increasingly rely on testing, grading and performance accountability. In England, Ofsted inspections and school league tables sharpen the focus on measurable performance. Similar developments have taken place in Sweden, where repeated reforms have introduced earlier and more detailed assessments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-school-grades-affect-mental-health.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:40:11 EDT news695993987 Children who demonstrate pretend play ability as toddlers have significantly fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties at primary school, according to a new interdisciplinary University of Sydney study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-toddlers-play-ability-linked-mental.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:20:11 EDT news695989141 Gender-diverse adolescents who experience bullying and live in states with persistently unsupportive gender identity laws are significantly more likely to suffer escalating psychological distress compared to their peers, according to new research by UCLA Health. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, draw on one of the largest, most comprehensive adolescent brain development studies in the U.S. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-bullying-adverse-social-climate-toll.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:15 EDT news695980261 Being stuck in a bureaucratic morass is frustrating and time-consuming; known as administrative burden, this phenomenon is unfortunately a regular feature of modern life. For some, however, administrative burden is more than an annoyance; it's an obstacle to getting essential government benefits and assistance. Because the process can be so confusing, opaque, and difficult, many people end up not signing up for the help they need for themselves and their children, even though they are eligible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-benefits-application-wic-enrollment.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:40:04 EDT news695900256 Researchers at Linköping University show how two important cancer-related proteins can be prevented from collaborating with each other. The discovery shows the way toward future medications to combat, for example, neuroblastoma in children. Their study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-undruggable-childhood-cancer-protein.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:20:01 EDT news695920501 A baby's first words are a source of pride for parents, but when they're late in coming, it can be a source of worry. While most kids catch up, those whose language troubles persist may have a condition called DLD. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-child-language-disorder.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:40:05 EDT news695894689 The average age of a young fatal stab victim is now 14, indicates an analysis of the causes of death among children and teens in England between 2019 and 2024, published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-knife-deaths-average-victim-age.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:30:02 EDT news695894812 A major multi-country study has found that WHO-recommended first-line antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are likely to be effective in only one-quarter of infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The findings, presented today at ESCMID Global 2026 in Munich, highlight the growing impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-antibiotics-neonatal-sepsis-infections-middle.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:10:07 EDT news695916242 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital today report how lifesaving childhood cancer treatments leave "fingerprints" on DNA, which can lead to second neoplasms (cancers or cancer-like diseases) decades later. The discovery may provide a path toward reducing long-term risks of pediatric cancer therapy by improving surveillance and early detection of secondary disease for survivors. The findings were published today in Cancer Discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fingerprints-childhood-cancer-treatment-clues.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news695911091 A study from University Hospitals Connor Whole Health has found that pediatric patients with long-term COVID report a high symptom burden that meets or exceeds that of other chronic health conditions. The study describes patient characteristics, care delivery, and provides a novel description of symptom severity. The findings are published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-interdisciplinary-approach-pediatric-patients-covid.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:20:05 EDT news695915402 The WHO declared the global health emergency associated with the COVID-19 pandemic to be over in 2023, as most individuals had developed immune protection against the virus through vaccination and/or infection. However, even after 2023, the virus has continued to generate new variants that evade antibody responses and spread globally. This pattern may now be changing in a sustained way. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-takeover-pattern-ba32-children.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:00:07 EDT news695911810 A new online system delivered through primary schools has been shown to be significantly more effective than standard school provision in reducing anxiety among young children. The researchers say their "screening to intervention" approach, which has been trialed in 84 primary schools in England, reduces the "child anxiety treatment gap," enabling more children to get timely and effective support. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-school-based-screening-anxiety-young.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:20:01 EDT news695910339 The need for medical treatments for rare diseases such as Leigh syndrome is high. However, low patient numbers make research into treatments difficult. Together with a team from the University of Luxembourg, researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) have succeeded in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to establish a model that enables a better understanding of Leigh syndrome. In the course of this work, they succeeded in identifying new drug candidates for the treatment of the disease. The study is now published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-screening-brain-organoids-uncovers.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:20:06 EDT news695898854 A landmark study led by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and published in Molecular Psychiatry has identified a significant association between prenatal prescription of commonly utilized medications and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-millions-birth-uncover-autism-surge.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:20:01 EDT news695894900 Younger children and teens often have built-in opportunities to stay active through gym class, sports, and extracurricular activities. But after high school, those structured options often disappear. And many young adults struggle to stay active during this transition, a national poll suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-high-school-collapses-young-adults.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:10:01 EDT news695625492 Suicide prevention approaches are key to making sure conversational AI is safe for youth, argues a commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The adoption of AI chatbots by youth as a source of mental health support makes AI safety an urgent issue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-suicide-ai-young-users.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:02 EDT news695634481 Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that teenagers who begin using cannabis show slower gains in thinking and memory skills as they grow. The study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, analyzed data from more than 11,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development in U.S. youth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-largest-teen-cannabis-linked-slower.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:00:01 EDT news695575801 Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)—segments of DNA that help bacteria survive the effects of antibiotics—can be present in newborns within the first hours of life, according to research presented at ESCMID Global 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-antibiotic-resistance-genes-newborns-hours.html Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news695625449