Pediatrics

Pediatrics

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the health and medical care of infants, children, and adolescents from birth up to the age of 18. A paediatrician is a child's physician who provides not only medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill but also provide preventive health services for healthy children. A paediatrician manages physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the children under their care at every stage of development, in both sickness and health.

Paediatricians diagnose and treat several conditions among children including:-

• Injuries.
• Infections.
• Genetic and congenital conditions.
• Cancers.
• Organ diseases and dysfunctions.

Paediatrics is concerned not only about immediate management of the ill child but also long term effects on quality of life, disability and survival. Paediatricians are involved with the prevention, early detection, and management of problems including:-

• Developmental delays and disorders.
• Behavioral problems.
• Functional disabilities.
• Social stresses.
• Mental disorders including depression and anxiety disorders.

Paediatrics is different from adult medicine in more ways than one. The smaller body of an infant or neonate or a child is substantially different physiologically from that of an adult. So treating children is not like treating a miniature adult. Congenital defects, genetic variance, and developmental issues are of greater concern to pediatricians than physicians treating adults.