Children are prone to getting frequent infectious and injury-related issues. But, some chronic diseases might have either hereditary or environmental roots. Asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, cerebral palsy (CP), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are all common chronic illnesses affecting children.
Children suffering from chronic health disorders may only be able to do certain limited activities, may experience chronic pain or discomfort, and exhibit abnormal growth and development. Also, they would require more frequent hospitalizations, doctor’s visits, and other medical interventions than children without chronic ailments. Severe physical impairments include delayed language skills, hyperactivity, movement, etc. Often lead to children missing out on educational and social opportunities.
Children in different stages of development differ in reactions to chronic health conditions. Some chronic conditions in children manifest in infancy, affecting their development differently than in adolescence. The inability to attend school and interact socially with peers may impact children the most.
Growing up, children may struggle due to their incapacity to attain independence if they need support from parents and others for many of their everyday requirements. This demands parents promote self-reliance for children while they are near adolescence.
In this piece, we’ll discuss some major chronic diseases children may face growing up.
Asthma
Asthma is different from COPD which stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is a group of lung illnesses that make breathing hard and limit airflow. Refractory (severe) asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis are all disorders that fall into this category. Asthmatics seldom progress to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and vice versa.
One of the earlier research shows a link between family structure and asthma incidence, which found that children with asthma were more likely to live in a single-parent home compared to children without chronic diseases. Parents believe asthma affects the “physical” parts of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), such as the physical summary scale, physical functioning, and body discomfort.
Asthma is a common chronic disease in children, and its symptoms may be severe enough to disrupt a child’s everyday activities. Uncontrolled asthma in children may lead to fatal asthma episodes, requiring consistent medicines.
While childhood asthma and adult asthma are no different, children with asthma encounter certain special problems. This is a critical illness that will have parents visit ER frequently, longer stays in the hospital, and remain cut off from social life.
There is currently no treatment for chronic ailment like childhood asthma, and symptoms might persist until adulthood. However, you and your kid can keep symptoms at bay and avoid harm to developing lungs with the help of appropriate medication.
Obesity and diabetes
While it may not be one of the chronic ailments among children, obesity can lead to many other diseases. Adult and pediatric obesity pose serious health risks to the community. Overweight and obese children may remain overweight as adults, putting them at risk for various health problems. Keeping a healthy diet and regularly exercising are two of the best ways to avoid developing diabetes. Therefore, it is ideal to take obese children to the doctor regularly so that any signs of an illness can be identified and treated early, reducing the risk of complications.