Blog | Page 35 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Help your child prevent myopia with two simple steps

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Health and Parenting

Myopia — also known as nearsightedness, or the inability to see things far away — is becoming more prevalent in children. Although myopia can be triggered by genetics, it can also develop because of environmental factors such as limited time spent outdoors and increased time indoors doing activities such as activities on electronics. Dr. Kimberley Chan, an optometrist ... Read More

Tagged: ophthalmology

Emmie’s journey with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Veronica Giarla | Patient Stories

Tags: advocacy, celiac disease, diabetes

Emmie knows more about her own medical history than most children her age. Her journey to finding answers started when she was just 4 years old. She woke up one day looking “like I ate a bunch of blueberries or blackberries — my lips were turning blue,” explains Emmie, now 7. Her mom, Amanda, wasted ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, celiac disease, diabetes

DADA2: Working together to unpack a rare mystery illness

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Patient Stories, Research

Tags: orphan diseases, rare disease, research, rheumatology

When Vanessa was a few months old, a mysterious red, bumpy rash appeared on her arms and legs. It would go away when she was sick with a virus, then come back. Although the rash disappeared for good just before she turned 2, Vanessa became anemic and increasingly fatigued. “She was fading away, losing weight, ... Read More

Tagged: orphan diseases, rare disease, research, rheumatology

Which children in status epilepticus are most at risk?

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: epilepsy, neurology, primary care, seizures

Status epilepticus, a prolonged, potentially life-threatening seizure, is epilepsy’s most severe manifestation. Patients known to have refractory status epilepticus are more likely to need ICU care if initial treatment is delayed. But what about the broader population of children who come to the emergency room in status epilepticus? Are there any early indicators to predict ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, neurology, primary care, seizures

Get a jump on potential eye conditions by having your child regularly tested

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Health and Parenting

Tags: amblyopia, ophthalmology, strabismus

It can be surprising to learn your child has an eye condition. Children don’t always outwardly show symptoms of nearsightedness, a lazy eye, or another vision problem. That’s because children are adaptive. If one of their eyes doesn’t function well, they learn to adjust with the other one, according to Dr. Ryan Gise, an ophthalmologist in ... Read More

Tagged: amblyopia, ophthalmology, strabismus

Breaking records and setting goals: Grant charts his own course with Bockenheimer syndrome

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: hemangioma, vascular anomalies

Grant Pierce has his sights on premed when he arrives at the University of Illinois this fall. He hopes to become a reconstructive surgeon and help people with injured or ill limbs enhance their mobility. Grant’s field of study is a personal one, as he’s spent his life in and out of the hospital receiving ... Read More

Tagged: hemangioma, vascular anomalies

Zika study reveals how infection can cause microcephaly

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Alice McCarthy | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: brain malformation, genetics and genomics, global health, infectious diseases, microcephaly, neuroscience, pregnancy, zika virus

Prenatal exposure to viruses capable of infecting the fetal brain, particularly in the first trimester, can cause a range of developmental defects in the baby. The Zika epidemic in Brazil during 2015-2016 posed an extreme case, causing hundreds of babies to be born with microcephaly, or an abnormally small head. Although cases have waned significantly, ... Read More

Tagged: brain malformation, genetics and genomics, global health, infectious diseases, microcephaly, neuroscience, pregnancy, zika virus

Studies pinpoint risk factors for complications of pediatric intestinal failure

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: intestinal rehabilitation, short bowel syndrome

Pediatric intestinal failure occurs when patients lack the amount of intestine necessary for growth and development. As advances in treatment have led to better survival rates for children with short bowel syndrome and other forms of intestinal failure, the team at Boston Children’s Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation (CAIR) is studying factors that affect quality ... Read More

Tagged: intestinal rehabilitation, short bowel syndrome

How Josie’s bad day turned into a campaign to help kids with scoliosis

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: orthopedics, scoliosis, spine division

Josephine DeFilippi (Josie) describes the day of her scoliosis diagnosis as the hardest day of her life. Right when she was looking forward to middle school, ten-year-old Josie was shocked to learn she had a condition she’d never even heard of before. On that same day, however, an unexpected gift from someone she’d never met ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, scoliosis, spine division

Tackling an aggressive, treatment-resistant lymphoma where it lives

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cancer, cellular and molecular medicine, lymphoma

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is the most common aggressive lymphoma in children. Chemotherapy and radiation fail to cure about 30 percent of cases. When tumors are driven by the oncogene ALK — which is the case for the majority of children — kinase inhibitor drugs like crizotinib are very effective ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, cellular and molecular medicine, lymphoma