An analysis of more than 3,000,000 children and adolescents from diverse geographic regions of the United States found that the prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increased significantly between 2001 and 2009.

Although, by international standards, the UK has very low rates of deaths in children, within western Europe the UK has a higher rate of deaths in children than nearly every other country in the region.

The mortality rate in the UK for children under five is 4.9 deaths per 1000 births, more than double that in Iceland (2.4 per 1000 births), the country with the lowest mortality rates. 3800 children under five died in the UK in 2013, the highest absolute number of deaths in the region.

The findings in The Lancet come from a new study coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

Chronic constipation is a disorder that affects approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population. Symptoms can be burdensome, leading to a reduction in patients' quality of life. 

An oral capsule that vibrates as it moves through the digestive tract has shown notable promise as a non-pharmacological treatment for constipation, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week.

In the pilot study, the vibrating capsule was found to nearly double the weekly bowel movements of patients suffering from chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome (C-IBS). 

ADHD stimulant medications are being shared among high school and college students with peers who don't have the condition, to try to improve their academic performance, 

Two recent studies examined physicians' perceptions and knowledge of diversion of stimulant medications for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as practices physicians use to prevent diversion among their patients prescribed these medications.

All games are good for kids whereas television isn't. And many touchscreen games are more like TV than board games, at least when it comes to verbal development.

A recent study by pediatricians from the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York concluded that infants 0-3 years old who used touch-screen devices to play non-educational games using touch-screen devices had lower verbal scores on tests.

The results also showed that although the majority of parents cited in the study believed their children received educational benefits by using smart phones, readers and tablets, there was no statistical difference in developmental scores in children who played educational games versus non-educational games.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder defined by impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. The exact causes are unknown and so a range of genetic and environmental risk factors are associated with it. 

A new study  using Swedish national health registers found that children with a brother or sister with autism are 10 times more likely to develop autism; 3 times if they have a half-brother or sister; and 2 if they have a cousin with autism, providing much needed information for parents and clinicians for assessing individual risk.