Air pollution from heavy traffic may be driving pregnancy complications and health concerns for infants. Researchers who matched more than 60,000 birth records with air-monitoring data found that pregnant patients living in an urban area with elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide had higher rates of preterm birth. This included delivery before 28 weeks, according to…  read on >  read on >

Raging wildfires, droughts, floods and record-breaking heat brought on by climate change are taking a toll on kids’ already fragile mental health. This is the main message from a new report by the American Psychological Association and the climate advocacy organization ecoAmerica. These effects may start before kids are born and worsen with age, and…  read on >  read on >

In rare cases, some patients may develop an autoimmune disease following a bout of COVID, Korean researchers report. Conditions such as alopecia (hair loss), psoriasis, vitiligo (white skin patches), vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still’s disease (painful skin rash), Sjogren’s syndrome (autoimmune disease), ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) and…  read on >  read on >

Teens and young adult women who survive cancer appear to have higher odds of delivering babies with birth defects, according to a new study. Knowing this, young women making decisions about pregnancy and prenatal care should receive appropriate counseling and surveillance, said study lead author Caitlin Murphy. “Concerns like the health of future children are…  read on >  read on >

Young children who are close to their parents are more likely to grow up to be kind, caring and considerate. These kids may also have fewer mental health problems during early childhood and adolescence, a new study finds. By contrast, children whose early relationships with their parents are emotionally strained or abusive are less likely…  read on >  read on >

Croup can be a scary thing for new parents to watch their babies struggle with, so here is a primer on what it is and how to best treat it. Croup is a common respiratory illness, characterized by a narrowing of the main airway (the trachea), just below the vocal cords. It can be caused…  read on >  read on >