What are some of the most common pediatric chronic illnesses?
There are many chronic illnesses of childhood. Some of the most commonly seen chronic illnesses of childhood include asthma, a variety of types of cancer (brain tumors, leukemias and lymphomas and solid tumors), cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), lupus and sickle cell anemia. The way that these diagnoses impact individual children may vary greatly. For example, one student may not evidence significant breathing problems with a diagnosis of asthma, where another may have very serious difficulties that require close monitoring and interventions. Similarly, some children with sickle cell anemia may rarely have a sickle cell crises, while others may have frequent crises with serious complications or stroke. Therefore, it is extremely important to find out how each individual student is impacted by his/her diagnosis.
