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Chronic Diseases in Children

Chronic diseases affect many children. Some linger on into adulthood, and may hamper growth and development. Asthma, cystic fibrosis, obesity complications and ADHD problems are among the chronic diseases affecting children.

  1. What are Chronic Diseases in Childern?

    • Many children often develop short-term illnesses related to many factors such as environmental sanitation, accidents, ear infections and gastrointestinal problems. Many of these ailments are treatable and go away once appropriate treatment is received. Nevertheless, there are some health conditions in children described as chronic illnesses that may linger for many years and may even last a lifetime.

    Asthma

    • The number of children with asthma continues to grow. Asthma is an inflammatory chronic condition affecting the lungs. Asthma attacks result when narrow airways inside the lungs are inflamed making it more difficult for air to pass through. Asthma cannot be cured, but can be managed. Medication may reduce the discomfort associated with asthmatic attacks. Asthma patients are advised to avoid unclean environments and use appropriate sanitary measures to keep their surroundings clean all the time.

    Cystic Fibrosis

    • This chronic ailment is an inherited generic condition affecting many children. It affects the lungs and as of now, has no known cure. It affects the secretary glands which produce sweat and mucus. Early diagnosis as well as prenatal care often makes a big difference in managing the problem. Cystic fibrosis affects the respiratory organs, liver and digestive systems, as well as the reproductive systems. In most cases the disease is obvious soon after birth, but sometimes is not detected until after several months after birth, or several years in childhood. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but its affect on the lungs liver, and digestive problems can be treated with pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical methods.

    Obesity and Overweight in children

    • Many young children are overweight or obese. Excess weight is a growing chronic problem that is often carried into adulthood and can result in health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure stroke and high cholesterol. Methods of treating obesity depend on an individual's health conditions. A combination of techniques such as diet, exercise, modification of behavior and approved obesity drugs may be applied.

    ADHD

    • ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is a chronic illness that affects many children. ADHD can pose challenges for children and present learning difficulties in reading, writing and math. Children suffering from ADHD have trouble paying attention and tend to exhibit hyperactive behavior. Children with ADHD generally have more problems in school settings than non-ADHD kids. Treatment of ADHD is done through the use of stimulants, antidepressants or other antipsychotic drugs, but some questions are often raised if these drugs are enough to deal with this problem

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