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Bacterial Endocarditis in Children What is bacterial endocarditis in children? Bacterial endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of the heart (endocardium), or the heart valves. It doesn't occur in children very often. But when it does, it can cause serious heart damage

Cardiomyopathy and Your Child What is cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy is disease of the heart muscle. It makes it harder for the heart to pump blood. There are different types of the disease. Each of these can cause the heart muscle to get larger, thicken, or become stiff

Breast Self-Awareness Your breasts change as you go through different stages of your life. It's important to learn what is normal for your breasts. This is called breast self-awareness. The key to breast self-awareness is knowing how your breasts normally look and feel. This

Birthmarks What are birthmarks? Birthmarks are areas of discolored or raised skin that are seen at birth or within a few weeks of birth. Birthmarks may be made up of malformed pigment cells or blood vessels. Medical experts don’t know what causes birthmarks. But most of them are

Hepatitis in Children What is hepatitis in children? Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can damage and destroy liver cells. What causes hepatitis in a child? Hepatitis in children can be caused by many things. Your child can get hepatitis by being exposed to a virus

Viral Hepatitis Overview What is hepatitis? Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. The liver is located in the upper right part of the belly (abdomen). Hepatitis can be caused by a virus that leads to damage of liver cells. Hepatitis has 2 types: Acute hepatitis. This type

Common Variable Immunodeficiency in Children What is common variable immunodeficiency in children? Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is an immunodeficiency problem that causes a child to have a low level of antibodies and a decreased responsiveness to some vaccines. This

Beta Thalassemia in Children What is beta thalassemia in children? Beta thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. This means it's passed down through a parent’s genes. It's a form of anemia. Anemia is a low red blood cell or low hemoglobin level. Hemoglobin is part of red blood

Inguinal Hernia What is an inguinal hernia? An inguinal hernia is when part of your intestine pushes through a weak spot in your lower belly (abdominal) wall. This area is called the groin. The hernia creates a lump in your groin. Over time, the hernia may get bigger. Most

Chickenpox What is chickenpox? Chickenpox is a common childhood disease. It causes an itchy, blistering rash and is easily spread to others. Until the varicella vaccine for chickenpox became available in 1995, chickenpox infection was very common. Almost everyone had been