Children's Most Common Health Issues

It is part of a mother's job description to worry about her children's health. There are three particular children's health conditions that are presenting in doctor's consulting rooms with alarming regularity and parents should be aware of what they are and how best to deal with them.

Asthma

Asthma is a common health issue for millions of children throughout the world. It is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the airways causing shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, to varying degrees depending on the severity of the condition. Widely considered to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors, asthma has been on the increase since the 1970s.

A child suspected of having asthma should be thoroughly assessed by a doctor so that the appropriate treatment is prescribed. Asthma is usually controlled by a combination of treatments including the use of an inhaler that relieves immediate symptoms, and other drugs aimed to reduce the symptoms over a longer period. It is quite common for children to have grown out of the condition once they reach adulthood. External environmental factors such as traffic fumes, tobacco smoke and pet hair can trigger asthma attacks; parents should reduce their child's exposure to such things wherever possible.

Obesity

In developed countries a poor diet and sedentary lifestyles are creating more obese children than ever before. Common health conditions caused by excess weight include joint and skeletal problems and high blood pressure; heart disease and type 2 diabetes, which is increasingly presenting in teens. Obesity is the result of an imbalance between the calories taken in and the energy used through physical exercise. Parents can head off problems by ensuring their child takes regular exercise and eats a balanced, healthy diet with sensible amounts of sugar and fats, plenty of fiber and fruit and vegetables.

Eczema

Eczema is a dry skin condition that can be triggered by a number of things, such as pollen, soap, animal hair, dust mites and many more. The discomfort and itchiness caused by eczema can make a child feel miserable. Help ease the symptoms by keeping skin well moisturized with emollients. Use fragrance and color-free creams for best results. A doctor may prescribe topical steroid creams if the problem persists, and if scratching leads to infection antibiotics can be prescribed. Diet can influence eczema and foods such as eggs, dairy, peanuts and citrus fruit are often the culprits. Keeping the child cool and dressing him or her in loose, natural materials will minimize discomfort.

These are just three common health issues effecting children. As parents, the primary focus is on keeping them fit and healthy from day one so that they lead happy lives. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep informed of medical developments that have a direct impact on their lives. Increasingly, expectant parents are discussing the option of banking umbilical cord blood for its possible use in protecting their child from health problems. Although not yet a cure for the common ailments discussed above, cord blood stem cell treatment can help tackle serious childhood illnesses and may end up saving a child's life.

Conditions such as leukemia, cancer, blood and metabolic disorders can be successfully treated utilizing the advances made in stem cell medicine. Parents naturally want to do the best for their children by banking cord blood for the future, thus ensuring that a precious offspring will get the best treatment if the worst should happen.