Five Common Kids’ Health Issues
As parents, all of us are very concerned about the health of our kids and we try to take the best care of them. However, despite all our efforts and precautionary measures, there are some common kids health issues that cannot be prevented. As parents we need to accept the fact that kids will be sick and that we need to deal with that more often. Most of the common kids health issues are not serious in nature but as parents it is always good to have some basic awareness about them.
There are several common kids health issues. But today we will be discussing only five of these that are more common in nature and usually affect almost all kids.
- Fever: If the body temperature is more than 100.4 º F and higher, it is known as fever. Fever is apparently not dangerous as it is the body’s normal reaction to invasion of foreign germs. But if the fever doesn’t subside by itself and develops some additional symptoms like lethargy, low appetites and vomiting tendencies then take the kids to the pediatric doctors for consultation.
- Coughs and Colds: Coughs and colds are mostly caused by viruses that infect the nose and throat. Apart from sneezing, running nose and bouts of cough there may be additional symptoms like fevers, sore throats, headaches, fatigue and low appetite. Usually there are no immediate cures for coughs and colds. Most kids get better in two-three days without complications but there can be possibilities of some “secondary bacterial infections”. These may include ear infections, pneumonia etc. If the kids have constant cough and colds for more than four weeks, drowsiness, chest pains, fast or noisy breathings and persistent high fever, then consult pediatric doctors immediately.
- Diarrhea and Vomiting: Diarrhea and vomiting are common kids health issues that happen mostly due to irregularities in bowels or stomach such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis. Only vomiting can also happen due to fever or mental anxiety. These usually get cured automatically with little or no medical help. But if the kids show symptoms of only diarrhea followed by a high temperature, then the possibility of urinary infections cannot be ruled out. Then you have to take advice of the pediatric doctors.
- Rashes or Common Skin Infections: Rashes are mostly caused by viral infections. Usually rashes are not harmful themselves; rather they can be symptoms of chicken pox or measles. However, sometimes rashes can be caused due to life threatening diseases like meningitis. Immediate medical interventions are required in such cases. Some other common skin infections in kids are diaper rashes, sunburns, blisters, acnes, bites and stings by animals and insects etc. None of these are serious and can be easily treated by the pediatric doctors.
- Obesity: One of the most common kids health issues in recent years is obesity. Kids who are overweight have high risk of contracting number of health problems. These include high cholesterol level, high blood pressures, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleeping disorders etc. Also, kids suffering from obesity are prone to various psychological disorders like low self esteem, depression, fear of being disliked and bullied by others etc. All these can eventually have disastrous effects on the physical and mental developments of the kids. If your kids are suffering from obesity then it is very important to have timely medical interventions.
We are now aware of five most common kids health issues that may affect them in their formative years. However, it is very important that regular health checkups and timely medical interventions from pediatric doctors are continued for the kids. After all, which parents would want to endanger the life of their kids because of ignorance?
