4 health problems in children under two years old that parents easily ignore

The first two years of life are a period of rapid physical, brain, motor and language development for children. Periodic health check-ups for children to monitor growth and early detect many potential diseases. MSc.BSc.CKI Nguyen Huu Dung, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, points out children’s health conditions that parents easily miss.

Anemia due to iron deficiency

Children with mild anemia often have no specific symptoms. The baby is pale, anorexic, fussy, easily tired or slow to gain weight, so parents can easily mistake it for a picky eater.

Iron is necessary for hemoglobin formation and brain development. Prolonged iron deficiency in the first years of life can affect children’s cognitive abilities and behavior. Doctors usually screen children for anemia from about 12 months of age and evaluate them sooner if there are risk factors. When iron deficiency anemia is determined, children are given the correct dose of iron and their diet is adjusted accordingly.

Congenital heart disease

Many children with atrial septal defects, small ventricular septal defects or patent ductus arteriosus still feed well and gain weight normally, so they are easily overlooked.

During the exams, the doctor evaluates skin color, heart rate, breathing rate, growth rate, and listens to the heart. If the baby breathes rapidly for a long time, sweats a lot when feeding, feeds intermittently, has purple lips, slow weight gain or has an abnormal fetal heart rate, an echocardiogram and necessary tests will be prescribed to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.

Impaired vision and hearing

Some children’s eyes do not look straight, are misaligned, have nystagmus, have unusually white pupils, and are not startled by loud sounds… but parents often think “when adults will know”.

Newborns need to have their hearing screened. During subsequent visits, the doctor continues to ask about hearing ability, response to sound, history of ear infections, and language development. When there are risk factors or suspicious signs, children need to have their hearing measured using age-appropriate methods.

For vision, the doctor checks the eyes, red light reflex, pupillary response, ability to focus, follow and align the eyes.

Early detection helps children receive intervention at the right time, limiting the impact on their ability to see, hear, develop language and communicate. With some eye diseases, early treatment also helps reduce the risk of amblyopia and improve treatment effectiveness.

Congenital surgical defects

Undescended testicles, inguinal hernia, hip dysplasia or tongue tie are surgical defects that cause little pain and are easily overlooked.

In boys, regular health checks help detect undescended testicles, bulges in the groin area, and hip joint abnormalities. Early treatment will reduce the risk of complications and limit the need for complicated surgery for children.