Pediatrics (also spelt paediatrics) is the branch of medicine that
deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The
upper age limit ranges from age 14 to 21, depending on the country.
A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is thus known as a pediatrician (also spelt paediatrician).
Differences between adult and pediatric medicine
Pediatrics differs from adult medicine in many respects. The obvious
body size differences are paralleled by maturational changes. The
smaller body of an infant or neonate is substantially different
physiologically from that of an adult. Congenital defects, genetic
variance, and a host of other issues are of greater concern to
pediatricians than they often are to adult physicians.
Some
diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis are more often
treated by pediatricians because only recently did the majority of
these patients survive into adulthood. Issues revolving around
infectious diseases and immunizations are also dealt with primarily by
pediatricians. Put simply, treating a child is not like treating a
miniature adult.
Childhood is the period of greatest growth,
development and maturation of the various organ systems in the body.
Years of training and experience (above and beyond basic medical
training) goes into recognizing the difference between normal variants
and what is actually pathological.
Another major difference
between pediatrics and adult medicine is that children are minors and,
in most jurisdictions, cannot make decisions for themselves. The issues
of guardianship, privacy, legal responsibility and informed consent
must always be considered in every pediatric procedure. In a sense,
pediatricians often have to treat the parents and sometimes, the
family, rather than just the child. Adolescents are in their own legal
class, having rights to their own health care decisions in certain
circumstances only, though this is in legal flux and varies by region.
