As many as 20 million children and adolescents suffer from one or more chronic medical conditions, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics. That includes kids with asthma, diabetes, obesity, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other medical problems lasting months, years, or even a lifetime.
Chronic medical conditions pose special challenges for kids and their parents. A chronic disease management plan from the caring team at Nevada Pediatric Specialists in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, can help.
Our experienced providers are skilled in comprehensive pediatric care, including treatment management for kids with complex medical needs. If your child has a chronic medical condition, here’s how a disease management plan can help them stay healthy.
Most people understand the benefits — even the necessity — of having a disease management plan in place for adults with chronic issues, like diabetes or heart disease. But kids can also suffer from chronic medical problems, and it’s critically important for them to have a management plan in place as well.
At any age, the symptoms of chronic diseases and conditions can be far-reaching, taking a toll on everyday activities and even things like mood and concentration. In childhood, these symptoms can affect your child’s emotional, social, and physical development.
Consider one of the most common childhood ailments: asthma. The breathing difficulties associated with asthma can keep your child sidelined from sports and even from playground activities that play a big role in social development and peer bonding.
Asthma also increases your child’s risks of respiratory ailments, resulting in more missed school days and a greater likelihood of poor performance and lower grades. An asthma management plan focuses on controlling the symptoms of asthma and the effects it can have on a child’s day-to-day life.
Asthma is just one example. Our practice tailors chronic disease management plans to suit each child’s specific challenges, with the aims of relieving their symptoms and improving their physical health, emotional well-being, and quality of life.
Our team knows that even within a single disease, there can be a lot of variation in the way the condition affects a child’s life. Some kids have more severe forms of a disease than other kids, and the effects of chronic diseases also tend to vary with a child’s age and developmental stage.
Chronic disease management takes these variations into consideration so you can feel confident that your child’s needs are being met as they grow and develop. Every management plan is based on each child and:
Each plan begins with a physical exam, a review of your child’s symptoms and their lifestyle, and, typically, lab work or imaging to provide more in-depth information about their health.
Once your child’s plan is in place, regular checkups ensure your child’s treatment remains optimized for their health. Visits can be made in person or online through our secure telemedicine portal.
In addition to adjusting their treatment plans as needed, regular exams give you and your child a chance to discuss any concerns about symptoms, treatments, or other health-related issues that could have an impact on your child’s well-being.
Chronic disease can take a toll on your child’s physical and emotional health, their growth and development, and their ability to perform in school, socialize, and just enjoy being a kid. By establishing a responsive chronic disease management plan during childhood, you and your child’s doctor set the stage for better health and wellness all the way through the adult years.
To learn more about how our team can help you and your child manage any chronic health needs, call Nevada Pediatric Specialists at 702-457-5437 or book an appointment online.
