It’s common for children to experience sickness and infections while growing up. However, in many cases, children suffer with specific medical conditions that need to be officially diagnosed and treated. This way, they can continue to live happy and fulfilling childhoods without their condition having too much of a negative impact. 

Here are five medical conditions that can affect children. If you suspect that your child is suffering from one (or more) of these medical conditions, it’s recommended you take them to your nearest healthcare practice for an examination. 

Chronic pain 

Chronic pain is a medical condition that’s usually associated with adults. Therefore, it might come as a bit of a surprise to discover that chronic pain can also affect children. This is when a child suffers from persistent and recurrent pain that never seems to go away, such as burning, tingling, and numb sensations. Naturally, this can be distressing for a child to live with, which is why chronic pain management is important for them. From aquatic therapy to therapeutic yoga, there are (thankfully) lots of available treatment methods. 

Asthma 

As of today, there are around 4.5 million children with asthma. Some of the main asthma symptoms in kids include shortness of breath, breathing difficulties, wheezing, and coughing, so make sure that you look out for these symptoms. For example, if your child is experiencing breathing difficulties on a regular basis, even when they’re not physically active, this is a strong indicator that they might have asthma. There is no cure for asthma yet, but asthma inhalers can help to keep it under control. 

Eczema 

Eczema is very difficult to deal with as a child and can lead to low confidence, poor self-esteem, and other similar problems. This is why eczema treatment is important, and there are plenty of treatment methods available. One of the best ways to treat a child with eczema is to apply emollients and creams specifically designed to prevent eczema from flaring up. As a child gets older, they’ll usually find that their eczema becomes more manageable or completely disappears. 

Diabetes

Diabetes is becoming increasingly common among children and young people, with the latest research showing that around 652,000 children worldwide have type 1 diabetes. Although diabetes can be a difficult medical condition for children to live with, it can still be treated through taking insulin injections. 

Anxiety 

Similarly, there’s also been a major increase in anxiety among children over recent years. The reason for this is not entirely known, but it’s suspected that COVID-related stressors, such as lockdown isolation, are possibly behind it. When a child has been diagnosed with anxiety, they will usually receive cognitive-behavioural therapy as a form of treatment. And in some cases, a child will be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication if they aren’t responding well to other treatments. 

Final thoughts

Do you think your child is suffering from one of the medical conditions you’ve just read about? If the answer is yes, arrange an appointment with your doctor so that they can conduct an analysis and potentially make a diagnosis.

David Radar, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.