It's a sad fact that children with chronic pediatric medical conditions are often at an increased risk for illness than their peers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kids with asthma, heart disease, diabetes, liver disorders and a wide variety of other conditions are more likely to catch the flu than other children. During the last flu season, the CDC discovered that 53 percent of children hospitalized for the disease had previously existing health problems.
The CDC researched the long-term medical conditions possessed by the hospitalized children and found that asthma (20 percent), brain and nervous system disorders (13 percent) and non-asthma based lung diseases (6.3 percent) were their most frequently occurring medical conditions.
As if their preexisting medical condition and increased chance to be affected by the flu weren't enough, the CDC found that the flu can also make their chronic health problems even worse. The organization noted that asthma and congestive heart failure are particularly affected.
To combat the flu and avoid further health complications in kids with chronic pediatric medical conditions, the CDC recommended that they receive flu shots to ensure the children's health and wellness. The organization stressed that immunizations should not be delivered by a nasal spray.
Further preparation
Along with obesity, asthma is one of the most common chronic pediatric disorders in the U.S., and the Standard Speaker recently noted that it affects 7 million children. Along with flu shots, parents of these kids should also alert the local school system to the condition, as asthma is one of the most significant causes for hospitalization in children and they are also 39 percent more prone to asthma attacks than adults.
Handling chronic medical conditions often means finding ways to persuade kids to take their treatment or live a healthy lifestyle that won't worsen their condition. One way parents can achieve that is with flavored medication that they enjoy taking rather than avoid taking.
