Health Library A to Z

F

• Blood Circulation in the Fetus and Newborn
During pregnancy, the fetal lungs are not used for breathing - the placenta does the work of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide through the mother's circulation. With the first breaths of air the baby takes at birth, the fetal circulation changes.

• Cuts and Wounds of the Face
Most minor cuts or wounds to the face can be handled at home with simple first aid treatment. But there are also times when these injuries need medical care. Here's what you need to know.

• Factors That May Lead to a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD)
In most cases of congenital heart defect, the cause is thought to be a combination of genetics and environment.

• Facts About Poisons
Medicines are the leading cause of poisoning in children. Poisoning by makeup and personal care products is the next most common cause.

• Failure to Thrive (FTT) in Children
Failure to thrive (FTT) is slow physical development in a baby or child. It's caused by a baby or child not having enough nutrition.

• Falls
Detailed information on falls and preventing injuries and death in children

• Feeding Guide for the First Year
It's important to feed your baby a variety of healthy foods at the correct time. Learn more with this helpful guide.

• Female Growth and Development
Detailed information on female physical development

• Female Physical Development
Detailed information on female physical development

• Female Teen Athletes: At Risk for Injury?
Teen girls who are athletes face unique obstacles when it comes to their bodies and how well they perform.

• Femoral Anteversion in Children
Femoral anteversion is an inward twisting of the thighbone (femur). This health problem causes a child's knees and feet to turn inward. The child may have a pigeon-toed appearance.

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
A baby born to a mother who drinks alcohol during pregnancy can have many problems. This is called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

• Fever in Children
Read on to learn all about fever and children--from symptoms and treatment to how to take your child's temperature.

• Fibromyalgia in Children
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain in muscles and soft tissues all over the body. It is an ongoing (chronic) condition. It can affect the neck, shoulders, back, chest, hips, buttocks, arms, and legs.

• Fifth Disease in Children
Fifth disease is a viral illness that causes a rash. It occurs most often in the winter and spring.

• Finding the Best Daycare for Your Child
Finding good daycare for your child doesn't have to be difficult, if you follow this advice.

• Fire Safety and Burns
Detailed information on fire safety and burns and preventing injuries and death in children

• Fire Safety and Burns Overview
Know the types of burns you can get and how to keep you and your family safe.

• Fire Safety and Burns—Identifying High-Risk Situations
Children are at increased risk for serious fire and burn injuries and death because they have thinner skin than adults. This results in burns at lower temperatures.

• Firearms
Detailed information on firearm safety and preventing injuries and death in children

• First Aid for Poisonings in a Child
Sometimes accidental poisonings can be treated in the home under the direction of a poison control center or your child's healthcare provider. At other times, emergency medical care is necessary.

• First-Degree Burn in Children
A burn is damage to tissues of the body caused by contact with things such as heat, radiation, or chemicals. A first-degree burn affects only the outer layer of skin (epidermis).

• Flat Head Syndrome (Deformational Plagiocephaly)
Flat head syndrome (deformational plagiocephaly) is when a baby's head develops a lasting flat spot. The flat spot may be either on one side of the head or on the back of the head. This happens when a baby sleeps in the same position most of the time or because of problems with the neck muscles.

• Flossing and Children
Flossing should be started when your child is about 2 to 3 years old, under the direction of your child's dentist. Read on for helpful tips, including step-by-step flossing directions.

• Fluoride and Children
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay, strengthens tooth enamel, and reduces the harmful effects of plaque.

• Folliculitis, Furuncles, and Carbuncles in Children
Bacteria on the skin can cause an infection of one or more hair follicles. A hair follicle is the base or root of a hair.

• Food Allergies in Children
A food allergy is when your child’s body has a bad immune reaction to a certain food. This is different than a food intolerance which does not affect the immune system. This is true even though some of the same signs may be present.

• Foreign Bodies in the Ear, Nose, and Airway
Children usually place things in their ears because they are bored, curious, or copying other children. Some objects may cause no symptoms, but other objects, such as food and insects, may cause pain in the ear, redness, or drainage.

• Foreign Bodies in the Eye in Children
A foreign body in your child’s eye is any object that isn’t supposed to be there. The foreign object may be in the conjunctiva. This is a thin membrane that covers the white of the eye. Or it may be in the cornea. This is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the colored part of the eye and the pupil.

• Fractures in Children
A fracture is a partial or complete break in the bone. When a fracture happens, it is classified as either open or closed.

• Fractures of the Orbit in Children
An orbital fracture happens when one or more bones around one of your child's eyes is broken. The orbit is the bony structure around the eye.

• Frostbite and Frostnip in Children
Frostbite is damage to parts of the body from freezing. It occurs when ice crystals form in the skin or in deeper tissue. Frostnip is a mild form of frostbite. It does not cause permanent tissue damage.

• Fungal Infections
Detailed information on fungal skin infections, including Candidiasis, Tinea Infections, and Tinea Versicolor

• Help Your Babysitter Prepare for Anything
When you're looking for a babysitter, give yourself enough time to be selective.

• Herpes Simplex Virus (Cold Sores) in Children
Cold sores are small blisters around the mouth caused by the herpes simplex virus. Once a child is infected with the virus, the virus becomes inactive (dormant) for long periods of time. It can then become active at any time and cause cold sores.

• Hydrops Fetalis
Hydrops fetalis is severe swelling (edema) in an unborn baby or a newborn baby. It is a life-threatening problem.

• Infant Feeding Guide
How much, what, and when to feed your baby can seem daunting. But this cheat sheet will give you the information you need to start your baby on the right nutritional path.

• Infant Nutrition
Choosing how to feed your baby is an important decision that has life-long effects for your baby and for you.

• Nutrition and Fluids in the NICU
When your baby is in the NICU, your main concern is getting them healthy and home. That means feeding your baby and having them gain weight. But feeding babies in the NICU is quite different from feeding healthy babies. Here's what you need to know.

• Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever is a complex disease that affects the joints, skin, heart, blood vessels, and brain. It occurs mainly in children between the ages of 5 to 15.

• Splinters
A splinter is a sharp sliver of wood, glass, or other debris that is lodged underneath the skin. Removal of small, superficial splinters can usually be done at home. Read on to learn how.

• Syncope in Children
Syncope is a brief loss of consciousness and muscle tone caused when not enough blood gets to the brain. Syncope is commonly called fainting. In most children, it’s usually harmless. But in a few children, syncope is serious. This is usually because of a heart problem, or less often a neurological problem.

• Tilt Table Test for Children
The tilt table test is done to find the cause of fainting (syncope). Tilt table testing is done with a special table or bed that changes a child's position from lying to standing. Their blood pressure and heart rate are checked while they're in the different positions.