Department of Pediatrics

All of medical diseases in childhood and adolescence are educated and studied in the Department of Pediatrics. Although the most common diseases of children are infectious diseases, pediatricians must examine various diseases including kidney diseases, hematologic diseases, neoplastic diseases, allergic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine diseases, metabolic disorders, neurologic diseases represented by epilepsy, collagen diseases, inflammatory diseases, and neonatal care. And we are engaged in psychosomatic disorders and developmental disorders, except for medical diseases. Moreover, we support the healthy development of children by medical examination, and try for the prevention of infectious diseases by vaccination.

We investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various diseases through routine medical care. In the clinical study, we attend multicenter collaborative studies of infectious diseases, hematologic disease, neoplastic diseases, allergic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc , and try to improve the treatment outcome of various intractable diseases. We perform medical care and clinical study that attached great importance to quality of life (QOL) of the patients and their family and long-term follow-up, with policy that the pediatricians have to understand the psychological situation of the patients and their family on the occasion of medical care and research. Moreover, we are now researching about regenerative medicine by transfusion of the umbilical cord blood for children with cerebral palsy.

To provide national top-level medical care in Kochi prefecture, we study a field of specialty in medical centers and research institutes in Japan (i.e., National Center for Child Health and Development, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, National Cancer Center, Osaka Women's and Children's Hospital, etc.), and make efforts to proceed with high-level clinical research.

1.） Infectious diseases

1. The investigation to evaluate the effects and adverse effects of pneumococcal vaccine and Hemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine to prevent purulent meningitis
2. The investigation to evaluate the effects and adverse effects or rotavirus vaccination
3. The epidermological survey of pertussis

2.）Hematologic and Neoplastic diseases

1. Multicenter collaborative study by in children with leukemias, lymphomas and solid tumors

3.）Kidney diseases

1. Multicenter collaborative study in children with kidney disease according with diagnosis, treatment, and complications
2. Evaluation of transitional medicine from childhood to adulthood
3. Evaluations of kidney biomarkers in children

4.）Neonatology

1. The study of developmental disorders of very low birth weight infant
2. The study on the development of infants born to mothers with mental disorders

5.）Endocrinology and Metabolic diseorders

1. The study of adrenal function in premature babies
2. The study of the therapy and the quality of life of type 1 diabetes mellitus(multicenter study)
3. The study involved the positive predictive value in extended newborn screening

6.）Allergic diseases

1. Infectious diseases associated with asthma exacerbation
2. The education for school, nursery school, and kindergarten staff about the management of students with anaphylaxis
3. The education for patients with allergic diseases
4. The study of the association between allergic disease and sensitization, and Helicobacter pylori infection.
5. The study of promoting preparation for patients with allergic diseases and their families meeting disaster.

7.）Child-care support, and adolescent support

1. The establishment of early diagnosis system and treatment for developmental disorders

8.）Cardiology

1. The investigative research on liver and biliary tract diseases. (Multicenter collaborative study)
2. Elucidation of the pathogenesis of pediatric-onset pulmonary hypertension based on pathological exploration. (Multicenter collaborative study)
3. Examination of pre-diagnostic school electrocardiogram findings in pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. (Multicenter collaborative study)

9.）Otheres

1. Japan Environment and Children’s Study（JECS）
2. Regenerative medicine by transfusion of the umbilical cord blood