The United States lags well behind many other countries in preventative healthcare. Only 21% of children receive annual analyses for development delays, and only 14% receive preventative care for dental problems.
The US Department of Health and Human Services encourages parents to schedule at least six well-child visits before their newborns turn one. These well-child examinations are essential for the baby’s healthy growth and development.
This blog will help you understand the value of preventative care and the common problems you can successfully fix if you give it the attention it deserves.
1. Cold and Coughs
The most typical respiratory infections in newborns that cause colds and coughs are upper respiratory illnesses. Viruses like influenza and rhinoviruses are to blame for these colds. These viruses can result in symptoms such as fever, runny nose, and sore throat.
After the initial illness, babies may also experience a dry cough that lasts for a few weeks. Regular checkups will help keep track of viruses attacking your child’s body and recommend ways to manage it before the situation gets out of control due to their weak immune systems.
2. Developmental Delays
Up to the age of 21, pediatricians are concerned with a child’s physical, behavioral, and mental development. They are specialists in a range of pediatric medical conditions. Preventative care helps you take care of your child’s medical needs from birth till adolescence and track their developmental milestones.
3. Ear Pains
Ear pain is another typical pediatric ailment to watch out for. This could be brought on by ear infections, tooth pain, a cold, or sinus infection. These later conditions include acute or chronic otitis media, which affects the eardrum, and swimmer’s ear, which affects the ear canal.
Adequate preventative care will ensure pediatric doctors determine the underlying causes of ear discomfort. They ensure that colds and sinus infections are treated before they lead to ear aches.
4. Pneumonia
Contrary to many common misconceptions, pneumonia is not a contagious disease. It is a specific lung infection brought on by an overgrowth of mucus or fluid inside the lungs. Your air-sacs work too hard to fill up with air, which reduces their effectiveness.
Asthma and other respiratory conditions, viral infections, and bacterial infections can all result in pneumonia. Adequate preventative care can help ward off pneumonia for your newborns. The pneumonia vaccine is a highly effective defense against the illness.
Maintaining hygiene by cleaning hands and household items, giving up smoking, wearing masks to block out smoke, and other lifestyle modifications may help ward off the sickness.
5. Baby’s Growth
When a baby is born, many of their body parts are immature and frail. During routine well-child checkups, a pediatrician looks at the infant’s physical growth and checks for anomalies to ensure the youngster is healthy and progressing as expected.
The doctor looks for rashes or allergies on the baby’s lips, ears, eyes, and skin. Hip dysplasia is one of several conditions that can benefit from early detection. Preventative healthcare is necessary to rectify abnormal bone developments in infants.
6. Chickenpox
Anyone who has had chickenpox never forgets the experience! It’s also accurate because children cannot stand the rashes and itching. Children regularly contract the common and dangerous infection known as chickenpox.
The culprit is the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The duration of chickenpox is four to seven days. The typical symptoms are rashes that begin on the chest, neck, and back before spreading to the rest of the body, along with fever in a few cases.
The small, fluid-filled blisters form can be very painful. However, getting your child vaccinated as a part of preventative healthcare can help protect them against the disease. Children who have received the chickenpox vaccine may only develop a mild case of the illness, whereas children who have not may develop a more serious disease.
Get Reliable Preventative Care at A Thru Z Pediatrics
Whether it’s a major illness or a minor one, no childhood ailment should ever be ignored! Preventative care and routine checkups at a pediatric clinic can help in early identification, diagnosis, and treatment.
A Thru Z Pediatrics in Schertz has the best pediatricians on board to keep your child fit and healthy. We understand you want to protect your child from diseases at all costs, and we want to help you with that.
Our newborn pediatricians provide regular immunizations that help to protect your little ones against seasonal illnesses. We also provide well-child visits and testing for ADHD testing Schertz, as well as the areas of Live Oak, Cibolo, and San Antonio.
Contact us today to learn more about our preventative care services.