• Asthma in children: Remember the number 38!

    It is important to have a discussion about asthma in children; its prevention, treatment strategies, new research and the complexity of managing asthma and allergies together. Every year during the back-to-school season, there is a significant spike in the number of hospital treatments required for children as a result of asthma attacks. The “September epidemic…

  • Asthma risk in children with antibiotic use during infancy

    Antibiotics play a pivotal role fighting pathologic bacterial infections. However, there use is being redefined for some conditions. For example, the standard of care in some countries for treating middle ear infections in children is to treat the pain and wait a few days because it can resolve on its own. This prevents bacterial resistance…

  • Swimming safety for children

    We sometimes hear about tragic reports of children drowning in swimming pools during the summer months. What should parents do to ensure their child can be a kid and enjoy the summer swimming season? The 11th Annual Safe Kids Week this year is focusing on drowning, the second leading cause of death of Canadian children,…

  • Childhood obesity may lead to joint replacements at younger ages

    Alberta children may have joints worn beyond their years by middle age and may need hips and knees replaced sooner and in far greater numbers than the previous generation unless obesity rates are reversed, the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) said today. “Rising rates of obesity in our children are an alarming omen…

  • Children’s Mental Health Week

    Children’s Mental Health Week runs from today to May 12th. A Leger Marketing Survey conducted between April 13 and 18, 2007 of 1500 Canadian adults reveals that the stigma of mental illness remains a potential obstacle to prompt assessment and management of childhood mental illness. Dr. Laurel Johnson, psychologist with Kinark Child and Family Services.

  • Risk of recurrent head injuries in children

    What is the risk of a child who suffers a head injury to suffer a subsequent head injury? A study, published in the April, 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics, sought to answer this question? Dr. Bonnie Swaine, PhD., Associate Professor, Physiotherapy Program, School of Rehabilitation in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of…

  • Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children

    Cardiovascular disease risk research continues to forward our understanding about how we can prevent the progression of heart disease and stroke by keeping tabs on various reversible risk factors. With that goal in mind, the first-ever Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children recommends that waist…

  • Prevalence of injuries in young athletes increasing

    With increasing numbers of children participating in a greater variety of organized sports, injury patterns seem to be following a pattern seen in professional sports venues. New research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery in San Diego, finds that serious injuries in young athletes are happening more frequently, and…

  • Teen cancer survival rates dismal when compared to those for youngsters and older adults with the disease

    McMaster University pediatric cancer specialist Dr. Ronald Barr says the teen gap in cancer care has been overlooked for far too long. Statistics show that gains in survival rates for teenagers and young adults (age 15 – 29) with cancer are dismal when compared to those for youngsters and older adults with the disease. Barr…