Who is a pediatrician?
Pediatricians are certified doctors specializing in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions affecting children, from infancy to adolescence, up to the age of 18 years. Pediatricians understand children's rapid physical and mental development as they grow. They are trained to assess the child's health per the standard parameters corresponding to their age. They can diagnose various medical conditions in children and provide appropriate care that doesn't interrupt their growth and development.
Pediatricians conduct regular children's health checkups. They also provide recommended immunizations. They even monitor a child's development to ensure they meet behavior, skills, growth, and developmental milestones. Pediatricians answer questions or clear doubts about a child's growth and development. They can even refer the child to a specialist or collaborate with one for optimum child care.
What are the different types of pediatricians?
Many pediatricians may work as primary care doctors who perform regular health and wellness checkups. They may also diagnose and treat various general health conditions, provide vaccinations, and offer appropriate health guidance to young people and their parents/caregivers.
Other pediatricians may specialize in treating specific medical disorders or age groups. These subspecialties include the following:
- Adolescent medicine specialists focus on providing care to adolescents from ages 11 to 21 years old.
- Child abuse pediatricians have specialized training, knowledge, and skills to evaluate a child who may have experienced abuse or neglect.
- Critical care pediatricians facilitate teams of healthcare specialists who treat children in precarious or critical health conditions. They typically work in hospital-based intensive care units (ICUs).
- Developmental behavioral pediatricians assess the behavioral and learning development of children and teenagers.
- Neonatal-perinatal pediatricians treat infants before, during, and after delivery. They also provide care for premature and critically sick newborns.
- Pediatric cardiologists diagnose and treat various heart diseases in children. Many work closely with heart surgeons to decide the best treatment plans.
- Pediatric endocrinologists focus on the endocrine system and the hormones produced by it. They treat various illnesses in children, including diabetes.
- Pediatric gastroenterologists focus on the health of a young person's digestive system.
- Pediatric nephrologists specialize in treating disorders affecting a child's urinary system, including urinary tract infections and kidney disease.
- Pediatric neurologists treat and manage neurological disorders in children. Neurological conditions that present during childhood may persist through adulthood. They oversee their patients' care from diagnosis through adolescence.
- Pediatric oncologists diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer in children.
- Pediatric pulmonologists specialize in diagnosing, treating, and managing children with breathing problems and lung diseases.
- Pediatric rheumatologists focus on treating children and adolescents with musculoskeletal disorders, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain.
What are the common childhood illnesses and conditions?
Pediatricians are qualified to treat various illnesses and injuries in children. Some of the common childhood illnesses and conditions include:
Viral infection in the upper respiratory tract usually causes the common cold and flu. Its symptoms include a running nose, cough, and nasal congestion, and it could last up to ten days. Pediatricians examine the child and prescribe appropriate medications to cure the condition.
Sinusitis occurs due to bacterial infection in the sinus area of the nose. It is often detected when daytime cough, nasal discharge, and other cold-like symptoms last more than ten days. Pediatricians may prescribe appropriate antibiotics to treat the cold-like symptoms and relieve bacterial sinusitis.
Sore throat is a common condition among children. A viral infection often causes it and can even be painful. An early diagnosis and treatment help cure the symptoms and prevent the condition from becoming a significant complication. Pediatricians may recommend appropriate medicines or antibiotics depending on the child's age.
Ear pain is a common childhood health condition and is mainly caused due to an ear infection. It may also occur due to the common cold or sinus infection and tooth pain radiating from the jaw to the ear. Accurate diagnosis is crucial to determine the correct treatment. You must take your child to the pediatrician immediately if you notice ear pain symptoms in your child.
Skin infections can be caused due to multiple internal and external factors and can affect children of any age. Pediatricians conduct a thorough skin culture test for an accurate disease diagnosis and to prescribe appropriate treatment.
Pneumonia is a severe lung condition caused due to viruses, fungi, or bacterial infection. Its symptoms include difficulty breathing, fever, and cough. If left untreated, pneumonia can be fatal in children. If your child shows any of the above symptoms, you must see the pediatrician immediately for a thorough diagnosis and treatment.
Meningitis is identified as membrane inflammation surrounding the spinal cord and brain, caused by bacterial or viral infection in the brain. Meningitis can be severe and fatal. A routine, well-child health checkup at the pediatrician helps detect and treat the condition early and prevent major complications.
When should you take your child to see a pediatrician?
You should never delay seeing a pediatrician if you notice a health issue in your child. The top reasons to take your child for a pediatrics visit include the following:
Children need a variety of vaccines right after birth until they reach 18 years of age. Prominent among them are the polio vaccine, chicken pox vaccine, hepatitis A& B, measles vaccine, diphtheria, and tetanus vaccine. You can get all these vaccinations done at the pediatrician.
Some children may be underweight or weak at birth and miss developmental milestones per their age. Pediatricians can check children's developmental delays, nutrition issues, or growth disorders and prescribe appropriate care and treatment. They can monitor a child's progress to ensure it achieves every key development milestone.
Fever is the most common condition among all growing children. Any fever with a body temperature of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit is a cause of concern. Pediatricians help with quick diagnosis and treatment most suitable for the child's age.
Children are more susceptible to infections and allergies than adults. In most cases, diseases spread more rapidly in children and may even cause severe symptoms. A visit with a pediatrician can help understand and treat the condition. They can even teach the best practices to prevent the reoccurrence of such complications.
Some children may have behavior issues, like bed-wetting, discipline issues, or learning difficulties. Pediatricians can comfort the child, understand their behavior issues, and offer proper guidance and care.
How do you find the best pediatricians near you in Missouri City, Texas?
Pediatricians play a crucial role in a child's overall health, growth, and development. But how do you find a trustworthy pediatrician for your child's healthcare needs? The answer is simple: Log in to Zocdoc.
With Zocdoc, you can easily find the best pediatricians near you in Missouri City, Texas, for your child. The process is simple. First, create a free account on Zocdoc. Next, select your specialty or condition, location, date, and insurance plan. Once you enter your search criteria, you can see a comprehensive list of highly qualified pediatricians in your area.
Our pediatricians have unique profiles where you can know their educational qualifications, board certifications, clinical interests, expertise, experience, and spoken languages. You can even find doctors who accept your insurance plan. Choosing an in-network provider can help save you money if you already have a health plan.
We ask patients to leave a review after a successful appointment. These updated and verified reviews can help you choose the most suitable pediatrician in Missouri City, Texas. Furthermore, you can even filter the search results by gender. You can also perform an area-specific search on Zocdoc to locate licensed and qualified pediatricians near you.
Zocdoc also allows you to book a video appointment before an in-person visit to understand your provider better. Look for a purple video icon on pediatricians' profiles or filter the video appointment selection. Now, you can even book real-time appointments with the best pediatricians near you who accept your insurance plan.
All bookings on Zocdoc are simple, secure, and free!
Statistics on pediatricians, immunizations, well-child visits, obesity, asthma, anxiety, and depression in Texas, U.S.
According to the May 2021 data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, America had about 33,620 practicing pediatricians. Texas ranked third among all states, with approximately 3,130 practicing pediatricians.
According to the 2018-2020 data published by America's Health Rankings, almost 65.9% of children in Texas received all recommended doses of the combined seven vaccine series by the age of 24 months, lower than the U.S. average of about 70.5%. The seven vaccine series include:
- The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
- Poliovirus vaccine
- Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and varicella vaccine
As per the 2020-2021 (two-year estimate) data published by America's Health Rankings for Texas:
- Approximately 72.9% of children in the 0-17 age group reported one or more preventive well-child visits in 12 months, lower than the U.S. average of about 76.7%. Children in the 0-2 age group reported more well-child visits (89.7) than children in the 3-17 age group (70.2%).
- Nearly 39.5% of children in the 10-17 age group were overweight or obese relative to their age, higher than the U.S. average of approximately 33.5%.
- Roughly 7.1% of children in the 0-17 age group have asthma, almost similar to the U.S. average of about 6.9%.
- About 6.7% of children in the 3-17 age group had anxiety problems, lower than the U.S. average of nearly 9.2%.
- Nearly 3.3% of children in the 3-17 age group have depression, lower than the U.S. average of almost 4.2%.
Sources
WebMD
Medical News Today
Ridgecrest Regional Hospital
Healthgrades
HealthyChildren.org
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
America’s Health Rankings
