What is Pediatrics?

Kids are not just little adults. Dealing with a disease or disorder in children will often have unique approaches and challenges. It is recommended that care, or at least a second opinion, be obtained from a physician specially trained to treat such a condition in the pediatric population. Often a pediatrician does not see enough cases (especially with rare diagnoses) to be aware of the best or most current treatment options.
Pediatrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the care of infants and children, from birth to 21 years of age. It is a collaborative specialty meaning that it takes many other specialists working together to provide for the total physical, emotional and social well being of a child. Many pediatricians complete several years of extra training (a fellowship) to become one of these “Sub” specialists.
Pediatricians are physicians who treat children from birth through adolescence. They are responsible for the preventative maintenance of a child’s health through regular check ups and inoculations against childhood illnesses, such as measles mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and other illnesses. Usually serving as a child’s primary care physician, pediatricians diagnose and treat infections, injuries, genetic defects, malignancies (cancers) and other types of organic disease and dysfunction. They are also involved in the child’s total well being and are often instrumental in the prevention, detection and management of behavioral and developmental problems.

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