https://medicalxpress.com/pediatrics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Pediatrics A new study reveals that the cardioprotective drug dexrazoxane significantly reduces heart damage caused by chemotherapy in pediatric cancer patients 15 years or more after treatment ends. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-drug-dexrazoxane-heart-pediatric-cancer.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:07 EDT news705328560 Early respiratory infection burden is associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) diagnosis in childhood, according to a study published online July 29 in JAMA Dermatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-early-respiratory-infections-linked-atopic.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:07 EDT news705322095 Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a treatment for some life-threatening cancers and nonmalignant disorders. As HCT is a curative treatment, it is used to treat children where necessary. It has historically been a dangerous procedure, but advances in medicine have increased the number of long-term survivors. This increase has also revealed late effects in childhood survivors, most notably growth impairment and short stature, which are common after HCT. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-growth-hormone-therapy-childhood-stem.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:42:18 EDT news705321721 Researchers at FIU have a message for parents: If screen time is part of getting through a stressful day, find a way to make it count. The goal should be to focus less on quantity and more on quality. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-parents-stressed-kids-screen.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news705319622 Protecting children is a shared responsibility, says health and rehabilitation sciences Ph.D. candidate Meron Mengistu. As a graduate researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, her work focuses on improving childhood vaccination rates across the globe. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-expert-strategies-childhood-vaccination-uptake.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:00:06 EDT news705226862 As record-breaking heat grips communities worldwide and Australia prepares for an intense El Niño summer, new research provides the first global review linking high temperatures and heat waves to poorer mental health in children and young people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-summers-linked-poorer-mental-health.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:20:03 EDT news705220382 Medicaid spending on autism therapy quintupled in four years, climbing to $10 billion in 2025 from about $2 billion in 2021, The New York Times reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-autism-therapy-quintuples-prompting-federal.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:20:04 EDT news705154895 Whether you are first-born or second-born may be associated with your risk of developing certain diseases, according to a new study published in Nature Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-birth-disease-life.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:20:05 EDT news705146593 A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that telemedicine is becoming increasingly common for problem-based primary care, particularly for children with endocrine or behavioral health issues, where chronic needs are significant. The availability of telemedicine may also help increase appointment volume so that more patients can be seen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-telemedicine-chronic-endocrine-behavioral-health.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:24 EDT news705139261 In January this year, a team of Johns Hopkins Medicine investigators, led by pathologist Aaron W. James, MD, Ph.D., discovered that sensory neurons in skeletal tissue are constantly sensing their environment and quickly respond to injuries. In new research published in Science Translational Medicine, they describe how this response profoundly affects growth plates, the soft cartilage at the end of bones in children that support normal growth and development, and how they respond to targeted treatment in mice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-sensory-nerves-growth-plate-injuries.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:20 EDT news705068461 Researchers at the Department of Women's and Children's Health have used a novel technique to map which genes are active in different regions of the skeleton's growth plates. The findings offer new clues about how the body controls bone elongation—and why certain genetic mutations lead to skeletal disorders. The study is published in the journal Bone Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-spatial-growth-plate-tissue-bones.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:06 EDT news705148621 Mental health conditions are more common among autistic individuals than in the general population, but knowledge about how physical and mental health interact over time has been limited. In the new study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 2 million individuals born in Sweden between 1985 and 2004, including more than 58,000 people diagnosed with autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-childhood-physical-illnesses-linked-mental.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news705148185 Children born with a pathogenic variant in the TP53 gene, known as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, have a markedly increased risk of developing various types of cancer, often at a young age. Therefore, they undergo regular surveillance from early childhood, typically every three months. In a new study, researchers examined how well such surveillance programs function in practice and what consequences they have for children and their families. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-regular-sustain-high-children-inherited.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:15 EDT news705139741 Self-reports from more than 23,000 high school students in 15 states for a school-based survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a strong association between firearm carrying and the risk of suicide by any method, according to a new study by Michael A. Lindsey of New York University and other mental health experts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-firearm-suicide-high-school-students.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news705068041 Look at a group of kids, and you're going to see many different shapes and sizes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-aerobic-teller-brain-health.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:40:05 EDT news705134042 Backpacks can be fashionable and functional, but they can also be too heavy—weighed down by digital devices, musical instruments, sports equipment and more. Some kids carry home a laptop or tablet and textbooks, too. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-school-backpack-overload-heavy-bags.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:39:48 EDT news705116357 A new UC Davis Health study published in Psychological Medicine suggests that when it comes to helping adolescents succeed in school and maintain healthy friendships, sleep may matter more than screen time, exercise or diet. This was particularly true for youth experiencing anxiety, depression or other mental health challenges. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-good-night-adolescents-school-friends.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:40:01 EDT news705068101 Nearly one in five teenagers has suicidal thoughts, and suicide is the second most common cause of death for that age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social bonds and social recognition, however, could reduce the risk of adolescent suicide, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-social-bonds-recognition-linked-suicidal.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:20:04 EDT news705064442 Four in 10 children who attend Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Scotland go on to attend specialist psychiatric services as adults, according to new research. This figure increases for teenagers, with half of those attending CAMHS as teens going on to access adult mental health services by their early 30s—far more than previous research has suggested. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-child-mental-health-patients-adult.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:00:01 EDT news705048507 A new study led by Swansea University has laid bare the devastating impact that soaring infant formula prices are having on the health, finances and mental well-being of UK parents and their children. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-devastating-impact-high-infant-formula.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705071120 Congenital heart disease affects approximately two in every 100 newborns globally. But why does it occur? An important part of the answer may lie in a previously unknown mechanism on the surface of our cells. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen identified this mechanism in a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-uncover-hidden-mechanism-congenital-heart.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news704993941 Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center are zeroing in on less toxic and more targeted strategies to combat Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive and rare pediatric cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-biochemists-strategy-combat-pediatric-bone.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news705055262 The question is no longer whether young people are using AI for mental health care, but the soundness of the advice they receive, health officials say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-qa-ai-surging-mental-health.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news705052621 A study of nearly 61,000 women in Denmark finds that women who had a body mass index (BMI) trajectory in the overweight or obesity range during childhood were less likely to have children than women with a normal (average) BMI trajectory. This effect on childlessness was already apparent in their mid-20s. The study is published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-overweight-obesity-childhood-childlessness-adulthood.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:00:10 EDT news705059609 Digital technologies have profoundly transformed how adolescents acquire information and interact with each other outside school. Numerous preteens and teenagers worldwide access social media platforms daily to read posts, view images, watch videos, post content and communicate with their friends. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-social-media-algorithms-expose-adolescents.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news704987432 A prospective study led by researchers at Children's National found that onabotulinumtoxinA (ONA), commonly known as Botox, reduces headache frequency and headache-related disability in children and young adults with chronic migraine, providing important evidence to support its use in a pediatric population where treatment options remain limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-botox-pediatric-chronic-migraine-headaches.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:40:02 EDT news705036542 Currently, the U.S. health care system is very reactive, mainly treating people, including children, after they become sick rather than preventing illness. School nurse expert Erin Maughan and colleagues in the American Academy of Nursing's (AAN) Child, Adolescent and Family section believe a stronger focus on prevention could improve children's health throughout their lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-nurses-focused-approach-child-health.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:20:01 EDT news705036362 The United States is in the middle of a well-documented adolescent mental health crisis. Because Medicaid provides medical coverage for roughly half of all children in the country, the program has an essential role in responding to that crisis. Increasingly, that response runs through a small number of large corporations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-corporations-adolescents-medicaid.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:00:01 EDT news705036001 When tweens and young adolescents bring or pour drinks for adults, they may perceive that their parents approve of underage drinking, increasing the risk of early drinking initiation and later harmful alcohol use. Findings from a new study help clarify that this family practice may have unintended negative consequences. Certain well-intentioned parenting practices, including permitting children to taste alcohol, are strongly linked to later teen drinking—though why and how are not well understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-children-adults-problematic-alcohol.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:40:08 EDT news704978462 QIMR Berghofer researchers have found how breast milk supports infant immunity via a protein called osteopontin. The study also identifies a potential way of mimicking this protective effect in baby formula. The findings, published today in the journal Cell, reveal osteopontin triggers a cascade of biological signals that support immune cell development in a baby's liver and lungs and help protect against potentially deadly respiratory infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-breast-protein-osteopontin-shield-infants.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news704986561