https://medicalxpress.com/pediatrics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Pediatrics A new study from the University of Bergen shows an association between breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and a reduced risk of ADHD symptoms from ages 3 to 8. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-breastfeeding-adhd-symptoms.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news701697077 Temperatures climb to new record highs every summer. In many parts of Europe, this marks the start of the most dangerous time of year for wildfires. What begins as a natural disaster has far-reaching consequences for the health of people in affected areas. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-wildfires-pose-premature-births-birth.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:40:06 EDT news701683893 Research led by the University of Bergen (UiB) and NORCE may help pave the way for a new vaccine targeting one of the world's leading causes of severe diarrheal disease. The technology has now been licensed to the international vaccine company Valneva, which will take the work forward toward a potential future vaccine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vaccine-severe-diarrhea.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:20:08 EDT news701683561 Three out of every 10 Brazilian children and adolescents complain of musculoskeletal pain (affecting bones, ligaments and muscles). This common problem affects their lives and should not be underestimated. The condition, known as disabling musculoskeletal pain, causes children and adolescents to miss school and give up routine and leisure activities, despite having no connection to trauma, repetitive strain or any other specific cause. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brazilian-children-disabling-musculoskeletal-pain.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:00:01 EDT news701603264 In a small study in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 6-week-old infants with healthy gut microbiomes were less likely to contract malaria in their first year of life. While the study is preliminary, it suggests the possibility that treatments such as probiotics could protect against malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people a year, primarily children in sub-Saharan Africa. Potential clinical applications would require more research, however. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-healthy-gut-microbes-week-infants.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:00:05 EDT news701617214 Schools in the UK are closing as temperatures soar. If you're a parent, you might be wondering what effect the heat has on your child. If they're at school, will they be able to learn properly? If they're at home, should they be playing or attending their normal clubs? How can you help keep them cool? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-affects-children-play-sport-parents.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:20:01 EDT news701610961 Every echocardiogram is a moving story. For a baby born with a complex heart condition, the gray and black images on the ultrasound screen can influence some of the earliest and most important decisions a medical team makes: What exactly is wrong with the heart? How urgent is surgery? What should doctors watch for after repair? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-doctors-children-born-common.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:00:04 EDT news701522952 In the neonatal intensive care unit, the most fragile patients in medicine are often the most heavily wired. Premature babies, some weighing less than a pound, can be tethered to a tangle of cables, monitors and sensors. Each blood draw to check sugar levels or electrolytes means another needle, another bandage, another moment of stress for an infant whose skin is still forming. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-silk-sticker-noninvasive-babies-health.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:20:03 EDT news701531821 A newly developed open-source tool designed for rigorous reanalysis of genomic data is highly effective at detecting new rare disease diagnoses. The tool's ability to frequently and automatically reexamine stored DNA data will ensure more timely answers for hundreds of families. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-genomic-tool-highly-effective-rare.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:30:01 EDT news701525979 Very preterm infants face up to a 50% higher risk of developmental challenges affecting movement, learning, language and behavior. Today, many of those challenges are not fully recognized until later in infancy or early childhood. Doctors have lacked reliable tools to identify which infants are most vulnerable during the early neonatal period, when timely intervention could have the greatest impact. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-simple-eye-scan-preterm-infants.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:00:30 EDT news701531942 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week shared findings from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The American Heart Association has issued the following statement: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-youth-tobacco-falls-flavored-cigarettes.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news701529121 Unintentional injuries kill more than 7,000 children ages 1–19 in the U.S. each year—close to 20 deaths per day. Injuries are the leading cause of child death, and these injuries are often preventable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-car-seats-childproof-pill-bottles.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:20:07 EDT news701523244 Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, found that a year after receiving their first smartphone at age 13, teens at 14 who spent significant time on their phones were more likely to experience depression, obesity and insufficient sleep. The study is published in JAMA Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-age-limits-wont-smartphone.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:20:03 EDT news701524261 The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has released a new consensus statement providing pediatric-specific recommendations for the infection prevention and control of Candida auris (also referred to as Candidozyma auris), a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen associated with health care-associated infections and outbreaks worldwide. The research is published in the journal Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pediatric-candida-auris.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:09 EDT news701522582 As the number of adolescents from immigrant families continues to rise, researchers say a pressing question is coming into focus: What does it mean for young people's mental health to grow up navigating life between cultures? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-immigrant-youths-worlds-collide-bicultural.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:40:07 EDT news701522282 Want to give your baby the best start in life? Then tend to your heart health, both prior to and during pregnancy, a new study says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-mom-good-heart-health-lowers.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:57:29 EDT news701502886 The roots of childhood obesity may begin in the womb. New research led by the George Mason University College of Public Health found that children whose mothers entered pregnancy with obesity were 64% more likely to become overweight or obese by age 3. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy was associated with a 39% increase in that risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-maternal-obesity-linked-childhood.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:20:06 EDT news701440055 For children with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic, relapsing condition of the gastrointestinal tract, getting the right diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical evaluation, imaging, endoscopy and histopathology. Identifying reliable blood-based diagnostic tools remains an important unmet clinical need. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-blood-protein-signature-invasive-diagnosis.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:20:01 EDT news701450101 Two new studies jointly published in Nature Communications reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases—and may be promising targets for new therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gut-fungi-key-asthma-worldwide.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:20:06 EDT news701444342 In the hours following sexual assault, teens may face difficult decisions about seeking medical care and whether to undergo a forensic exam that could support a future investigation or prosecution. Understanding their ability to consent to these services can be complicated, as laws vary widely from state to state. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-state-laws-vary-widely-adolescent.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:10:01 EDT news701448722 A new Columbia University School of Nursing systematic review reveals access to fertility preservation (FP) care remains limited and unequal for girls and young women with cancer. The research article, "Fertility Preservation Access Among Female Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: A Systematic Review," was published in Cancer on June 23, 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fertility-girls-young-women-cancer.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news701438042 Every parent wants to raise healthy kids who then grow up to become healthy adults. But when a third of children in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, that goal seems increasingly elusive. A new University at Buffalo study, covering 40 years of data and more than 1,000 families in different regions in the U.S., reveals that the family-based behavioral treatment developed at UB for children and parents who are overweight or obese can prevent children from developing metabolic disease when they grow up. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-family-based-behavioral-treatment-children.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:40:23 EDT news701439768 The association between parents' body mass index (BMI) and their children's childhood BMI may be primarily due to genetic inheritance rather than any direct biological effect of parental weight during pregnancy, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine by Tom Bond of the University of Bristol in the U.K. and colleagues from the University of Queensland in Australia and elsewhere. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-link-parents-children-weight-genetic.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:11 EDT news701343182 Managing a medical supply chain in low- and middle-income countries can mean navigating a landscape prone to extreme and unexpected disruptions. In Sierra Leone, for instance, external forces ranging from an attempted military coup and an infectious disease outbreak to a widespread electricity outage can complicate public health logistics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-health-logistics-middle-income.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:40:05 EDT news701433181 Health experts warn that children's mental health in England has reached crisis levels, as a new report reveals children in the North are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than those in the South, according to a report led by the University of Manchester. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-children-mental-health-crisis-fueling.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:00:02 EDT news701427482 For decades, researchers have been trying to understand the biological roots of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a common neurodevelopmental condition that shapes how people communicate, learn and interact with the world. One of the major hurdles is that the brain's neural networks are extraordinarily complex. Existing models still lack the detail needed to capture both the brain's structure and its dynamic activity in a unified manner. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-anatomically-accurate-digital-twin-year.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:40:01 EDT news701427427 In the ongoing effort to find new therapeutics for infants born infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, an international team of investigators has discovered that babies can tolerate treatment with anti-HIV antibodies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hiv-bay-approach-explores-broadly.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:40:03 EDT news701346396 "Primary teeth provide a unique timeline of early life," Dr. Synnøve Stokke Jensen at the University of Bergen says. "They preserve information from pregnancy and childhood that cannot be captured retrospectively in other ways. This allows us to investigate environmental exposures during sensitive developmental periods with unprecedented detail." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-naturally-baby-teeth-key-early.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:20:01 EDT news701423941 New research examining almost 4,700 e-scooter-related emergency department presentations in the state of Victoria found injuries among children ages 2 to 14 rose from 64 cases in 2022 to 263 in 2025, even though children younger than 16 are prohibited from riding e-scooters on roads. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-scooter-injuries-toll-hospitals.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:00:03 EDT news701328782 Adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with and beyond cancer have unique needs and perspectives that clinicians should be aware of when providing health care. A practice article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal provides easy-reference guidance on how to support this demographic of people ages 15 to 39. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-advice-physicians-teens-young-adults.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:10:01 EDT news701017081