Regular visits to a pediatrician are important not only when your child is sick, but also in preventing them from becoming ill in the first place, Dr. Erika Basil, a pediatrician at Knox Community Hospital, told the Mount Vernon News.
"Not only do we want to help improve our patients’ lives through diet and exercise, we also want to catch things early before they become dangerous,” she said. “We may be able to catch them early enough to prevent long-term problems."
A pediatrician can help patients maintain a healthy weight, which can prevent health problems down the road, such as diabetes and liver disease, Basil said.
"At the time a patient's weight is spiking, we might be able to identify it on the growth chart even though the child doesn't look like they are gaining a lot of weight," the physician said. "We can catch it early on and monitor that."
Pediatricians can also help patients control asthma, a condition common in children.
"We actually see patients with asthma in the hospital quite frequently because it becomes overwhelming for their bodies," she said. "That situation is preventable if we have good control with using inhalers. By seeing your pediatrician on a regular basis, we help to identify those symptoms early on. The patient may be coughing a few more times a week. That may not mean a lot to the parent, but it means a lot to us so we can modify medications and prevent them from having a hospital experience."
Controlling asthma can also help ensure that patients enjoy a regular childhood.
"A lot of asthma patients unfortunately can’t keep up with their friends when they are playing outside, which may lead to obesity and other problems," Basil said. "We want to help them live their lives to the fullest. In identifying those symptoms early, we essentially allow them to be a normal kid and play with their friends."
At Knox Community Hospital, pediatricians start counseling children on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse at the age of 12.
"We give precautions and encourage them to be able to stand up for themselves," Basil said.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatricians try to help detect any mental health problems a patient may be experiencing. In her practice, Basil uses screening tools to detect mental health challenges so that patients can receive help in overcoming them.
She also screens for autism and other conditions that might cause learning disabilities.
"Every pediatrician will ask about how school is going," she said. "A lot of times, if school is not going well, it could be an underlying issue that needs to be medically diagnosed."
