Children's Health

Patient UK (this website) has information leaflets on a wide range of child health topics and an extensive directory of patient support and self help groups. In addition, our extensive web directory lists many other sites which provide information and support on specific illnesses and issues. Below are links to large or general sites that cover many child health related topics.

 Children First for Health

The first national children's health and hospital website for children. Providing comprehensive health information along with information about hospital, it is aimed at children and young adults from three to 18.

 Contact a Family

Helping families who care for children with any disability or special need. "The CaF Directory" has information nearly 2000 conditions. CaF houses disorders, and sometimes contact families, for conditions where no support network presently exists. Contact the Parent Advisers and Information Officers at CaF.

 Your Child's Health

A portal of links to various health websites that have been chosen by an NHS paediatrician - aimed at parents patients and doctors who wish to find out more information about conditions. Each link is checked every six months. Hundreds of conditions covered.

 National Healthy Schools Programme

An initiative that promotes the link between good health, behaviour and achievement. Offering close support and guidance to primary care trusts, local authorities and their schools, this programme helps equip children and young people with the skills and knowledge to make informed health and life choices and to reach their full potential. Core themes include PSHE, healthy eating, physical activity and emotional wellbeing.

 HandsOnScotland

An online resource for anybody working with children and young people. This website is designed to help you make a difference to children and young people's lives, by giving you tools to respond helpfully when they are troubled. It is a one-stop shop for practical information and techniques on how to respond helpfully to children and young people's troubling behaviour, build up their self-esteem and promote their positive mental wellbeing. This website was developed by Playfield Institute (NHS Fife) in partnership with Barnardo's and the University of Dundee. Topics include:

 British Society of Paediatric Endocrinologists

A professional organisation but includes lots of factsheets on childhood hormone related conditions on their patient information section. Includes factsheets on:

• Achondroplasia
• Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
• Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS)
• Congenital Hypothyroidism
• Coeliac Disease
• Delayed Puberty
• Diabetes Insipidus
• Grave's Disease (Thyrotoxicosis)
• Growing Pains
• Gynaecomastia Hypopituitarism
• Hypothyroidism
• Klinefelter's Syndrome
• Labial Adhesions
• Marfan's Syndrome
• Overweight
• Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS)
• Precocious Puberty
• Steroid Replacement Steroid Treatment
• Tall Stature
• Turner's Syndrome

 British Paediatric Surveillance Unit

Aimed at health care professionals, but may be of interest to the general public. The BPSU coordinates the surveillance of uncommon childhood disorders and writes reports on them.Current studies include:

• Cerebral vascular disease, stroke; like illness
• Congenital cytomegalovirus
• Congenital rubella
• Congenital toxoplasmosis
• HIV/AIDS infection in childhood
• Invasive fungal infections in low birthweight infants
• Internal abdominal injuries in children under 14 years
• Progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration in children (PIND)
• Suspected fatal adverse drug reaction
• Thrombosis in childhood
• Varicella (chickenpox) complications
• Vitamin K deficiency bleeding

Completed studies include

• Acute Flaccid Paralysis
• Acute Rheumatic Fever
• Adverse neonatal outcomes of delivery or labour in water
• Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome
• Biliary Atresia
• Cerebral oedema / death following DKA
• Chemistry set poisoning
• Congenital brachial palsy
• Congenital cataract
• Congenital dislocation of the hip
• Congenital syphilis
• Congenital toxoplasmosis
• Drowning and near drowning
• Encephalitis in early childhood
• Fatal severe allergic reactions
• Galactosaemia
• Group b streptococcal disease
• Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
• Haemorrhagic disease of the Newborn
• Haemorrhagic shock encephalopathy syndrome
• Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
• Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
• Higher order births
• Insulin dependent diabetes melitus
• Inflammatory bowel disease in under 20-year olds
• Invasive Haemophilus influenzae infection
• Insulin dependent diabetes in under fifteens
• Juvenile dermatomyositis
• Kawasaki disease
• Long term parenteral nutrition
• Lowe syndrome
• Measles, mumps, rubella-meningococcal meningitis
• MCAD
• Neonatal Herpes
• Neonatal meningitis
• Neonatal necrotising enterocolitis
• Non-accidental poisoning/ Munchausen syndrome by proxy
• Pyrodoxine dependent seizures
• Rett syndrome
• Reye's syndrome
• Severe visual impairment / blindness
• Subacute sclerosing panecephalitis
• Subdural Haematoma / effusion
• Transient and permanent neonatal diabetes
• Vitamin K deficiency bleeding
• X-linked anhydrotic ectodermal dysplasia

 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health provides extensive information for health professionals and the general public.

Further sources / more detailed information

Some non-UK sites

The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.

• Non-UK disease / illness sites
• Non-UK self-help / support group sites

More detailed medical information

The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.

• PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
• Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
• Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, etc.
• Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
• Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
• Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.