1. Cold and Flu Slideshow: Treating Your Child's Cold or Fever
2. Children's Illnesses Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the ADHD Quiz

Medical Author:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Introduction
• Children's growth and development
• Children's illnesses
• Children's injuries
• Children's behavior
• Children's mental illness
• Family health and children
• Community health and children
• Health care for children
• Find a local Pediatrician in your town
• Children's Health Index

Unfortunately, even the healthiest baby can get sick. It is worth knowing the signs and symptoms of the common childhood illnesses as well as the treatment and prevention of these illnesses. There are a number of common childhood conditions such as ear infections and even tonsillitis, which may be unavoidable. But children are also subject to other preventable diseases such as the serious infectious diseases prevented by immunizations, and dental caries (tooth decay) which can be prevented by ongoing oral care and fluoride treatments.

Children may be born with health problems. For example, a cleft lip or palate is evident at birth. But some equally common birth defects, such as some heart malformations, may not be immediately apparent. Birth defects of all kinds are a consequential concern for children and their parents. It is estimated that between 2%-3% of all children are born with birth defects.

It may not be possible to prevent a specific birth defect or an illness, but it should be possible to protect a child from an accident and injury, such as from common cuts and burns. Considerable progress has been made in the safety arena such as in the rapid recall of dangerous toys. The mandated uses of car seats, safety belts, and bicycle helmets are also examples of advances in child safety.

But other major areas of safety concern remain -- such as the all-too-frequent drownings of children in swimming pools, their accidental swallowing of household cleaning products, their being burned by a hot stove or heater, or being accidentally shot with a firearm. The list is endless. All of us must exercise continued vigilance and make every effort to be sure that a child's environment is made as safe as it possibly can be.