AAP News strove to keep pediatricians and families up to date this year on issues impacting all facets of children’s health, with articles detailing new research, practice recommendations and advocacy efforts.
In case you missed any of the biggest headlines of 2017, here is a look at the Top 10 most-read stories on our website, http://www.aappublications.org/. Click each headline to read the full article.
1.New guidelines detail use of ‘infant-safe’ peanut to prevent allergy
AAP-endorsed guidelines recommend early introduction of peanut protein for infants who are at increased risk of developing the allergy. The guidelines came in response to the landmark Learning Early About Peanut trial.
2.CPT code changes for health risk assessments take effect Jan. 1
The second of twoarticles details Current Procedural Terminology code changes for 2017 and includes new codes for patient-focused and caregiver-focused health risk assessments.
3.How to code for influenza vaccine in the 2017-’18 season
Coding for influenza vaccine depends on the vaccine product and whether patients are receiving other vaccines or services at the same time.
4. Weighing in on fruit juice: AAP now says no juice before age 1
A new AAP policy recommends some children consume less juice than previously advised and emphasizes the importance of fresh fruit. Juice may provide some vitamins for children over age 1 but lacks the fiber and protein critical for growth.
5. New table among changes to 2017 immunization schedules
The 2017 recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedules include revised footnotes for eight vaccines and a new table addressing which vaccines may be indicated for people ages 0 through 18 years who have a specific medical indication.
6. AAP issues new pediatric hypertension clinical practice guideline
New blood pressure tables and streamlined recommendations are among the changes in new pediatric hypertension guidelines that can help pediatricians identify and address this generally asymptomatic and often-unrecognized chronic disease.
7. Handheld screen time linked with speech delays in young children
New research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting suggests young children using smartphones, tablets and other handheld screens may be at higher risk for speech delays.
8. Parent Plus: Water-absorbing beads can be harmful if swallowed, put in ear
Non-toxic water beads are tiny hard plastic balls that can grow up to 200 times their size when placed in water. Children who put them in their ears or mistake them for candy and swallow them can experience serious internal blockages.
9. Report recommends changes in screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip
A new AAP clinical report on the evaluation and referral for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in infants includes important recommended changes in DDH surveillance for the pediatrician related to risk factors that may prompt an imaging study. It also encourages hip-healthy methods of swaddling.
10. PANDAS/PANS treatments, awareness evolve, but some experts skeptical
The term Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS) was coined in the 1980s by Susan E. Swedo, M.D., FAAP, after she discovered a link between abrupt-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder and group A Streptococcus. It is a subset of Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).
