Inflammatory and infectious diseases rarely go unnoticed by the body. After them, doctors often diagnose reactive pancreatitis. In children, the symptoms of this disease indicate damage to the main organ of the digestive system - the pancreas. However, discomfort in the abdomen, belching and heartburn do not always indicate an inflammatory process. If the child complains of pain, you should immediately call a doctor. Self-treatment can result in a complication of the pathological process.
What you need to know about the disease?
Pancreatitis is one of the most common pancreatic diseases. It happens in both adults and children. The clinical picture and the nature of the pathological process determine its form - acute or chronic. This condition is very dangerous. If you do not take timely steps to eliminate the cause of the disease, you will have to follow a strict diet throughout life.
Reactive pancreatitis in a child is somewhat different from the main form of the disease. Its development begins with inflammation of the pancreas. As a result, the work of the body is disrupted, and the functions assigned to it are not performed in full. Enzymes that take part in the breakdown of food cannot pass through the inflamed ducts. They remain in the pancreas and begin to literally digest it from the inside.
Causes of the inflammatory process
Recently, reactive pancreatitis in children is being diagnosed more and more often. Doctors explain this trend by a change in the taste preferences of the population. Today, a child’s diet consists mainly of products that contain a large number of preservatives, dyes and flavorings. These substances negatively affect the work of the pancreas. They provoke a spasm of the ducts of the organ, as a result of which the enzymes do not enter the digestive tract. The inflammatory process gradually develops.
Reactive pancreatitis in a child may occur as a result of recent infections. For example, acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections often act as a trigger for the pathological process. Another cause of the disease is antibiotic therapy. The use of "Metronidazole" or "Furosemide" in the treatment increases the risk of developing the disease.
In rare cases, reactive pancreatitis develops against a background of congenital pancreatic diseases. These include lactase deficiency, cystic fibrosis, an abnormal change in the passage of the duodenum. Such patients from an early age know about health problems, so they follow a special diet and take medications. The likelihood of inflammation in the pancreas is negligible, but still exists.
The first manifestations of the disease
The signs of reactive pancreatitis in children are practically no different from the symptoms of the disease in adults. The development of the pathological process is accompanied by severe pain in the epigastric region. The clinical picture is supplemented by nausea, impaired stool. Attacks of diarrhea give way to constipation. With diarrhea, the stool is liquid, and feces are covered with a brilliant coating. Children often complain of dry mouth, extreme thirst. Appetite worsens, and some babies refuse to eat at all.
The disease is often accompanied by symptoms of general malaise. The child becomes lethargic and lethargic, loses interest in everything that happens. He constantly wants to sleep, and the high temperature does not allow him to do usual things.
The severity of the symptoms of the disease depends on the age of the patient. The older the child, the stronger the signs of the disease. In newborns, abdominal pain is expressed by moodiness and increased motor activity. Reactive pancreatitis in young children is also accompanied by severe discomfort in the navel. However, they cannot show the exact location of the pain. Older children usually complain of severe nausea and vomiting. All of these symptoms can serve as the basis for immediate medical attention.
First aid for an attack of pancreatitis
When symptoms of reactive pancreatitis appear, immediately call a team of medical professionals. Before the arrival of help, you need to carefully lay the child on a sofa or bed, to ensure him complete peace. On the abdomen, you can put a cold heating pad. It is not recommended to give the patient analgesics or other medications, as they can lubricate the overall clinical picture. Reactive pancreatitis in children, whose symptoms are often taken aback by parents, is a transient disease. Therefore, his treatment should be taken with all seriousness and responsibility.
Diagnostic Methods
Before proceeding with the treatment of the disease, the young patient must undergo a complete medical examination.
- A complete blood count is required for white blood cell counts. The number of these elements increases with pancreatitis.
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs shows compaction in the gland, as well as other pathological changes in the organ.
- A biochemical blood test allows you to assess the level of enzymes produced by the pancreas.
- With the help of gastroscopy, the doctor can take the material for cytological examination in the laboratory.
If the tests confirm reactive pancreatitis in the child, the treatment of the disease begins immediately.
The basic principles of therapy
Treating inflammation in the pancreas requires an integrated approach. It usually includes medication and a strict diet. The choice of specific medicines for treatment depends on the condition of the patient and the characteristics of his body. The patient must be placed in a hospital. During the first few days he should ensure complete peace. The hospital regime during the period of exacerbation of the disease allows you not to worry about the question of what should be the menu for reactive pancreatitis in children.
Parents need to strictly adhere to the doctor's recommendations, because he wants the child only a speedy recovery. Therefore, all dietary restrictions cannot be considered a whim of a doctor, as many may think. If a small patient has already had an attack of reactive pancreatitis, its symptoms have manifested, a strict diet is an integral part of therapy. Otherwise, relapse may occur.
Diet for pancreatic inflammation
What needs to be changed in the diet with a diagnosis of reactive pancreatitis? A child’s diet should not be embarrassing. He should consider it part of the usual way of life, because the main restrictions apply only to harmful products. This list includes fatty and spicy dishes, smoked meats and fast food. It is also recommended to exclude chocolate, cocoa and concentrated juices. The remaining dietary rules are listed below.
- It is necessary to provide the pancreas with functional rest. First of all, all irritants should be excluded from the diet of a small patient. Products cooked or steamed should be served crushed at room temperature.
- It is important to take care of maintaining the energy and nutritional value of the diet. There is no need to feed the baby exclusively protein food. The diet should be as diverse as possible and also include carbohydrate foods.
- It should be eaten in small portions, but often. It is recommended to recall the principles of fractional nutrition. The interval between meals should not exceed four hours.
To prevent new outbreaks of the disease, you need to constantly monitor your diet. Any experiment with food can lead to a new attack and the need to take medicine.
What should be the nutrition for reactive pancreatitis?
Children with signs of inflammation are primarily placed on a starvation diet. For two days, patients are allowed to drink only ordinary mineral water. From the third day of treatment, the diet is supplemented with homemade crackers and tea without sugar, oatmeal on the water. Then you can include jelly, dairy products, stale white bread. On the fifth day of therapy, simple vegetable broths or mashed potatoes are allowed. After another five days, subject to positive dynamics, patients can eat lean meat, steam cutlets. Fresh vegetables and fruits should be introduced into the diet gradually, preferably the very latest. A complete list of permitted dishes at each stage of the diet should be determined by the attending physician.
Treatment of reactive pancreatitis with medicines
The use of drugs in this disease allows you to stop its progression and stop symptoms. All medicines included in the standard course of therapy can be divided into two conditional groups:
- Antispasmodics. This group includes “pure” medications (“No-shpa”) and drugs that include painkillers (“Analgin”, “Paracetamol").
- Enzymatic agents. Their action is aimed at improving the digestion process. In this group, the drugs are divided into two categories: those containing enzymes (Mezim, Pancreatin) and containing bile (Festal, Ferestal). It is not necessary to abuse drugs, because the body can get used to such artificial assistance. Preparations from the second group give a good therapeutic effect, but their use is contraindicated in cholelithiasis and exacerbation of gastritis.
To enhance the therapeutic effect of medicines, doctors recommend additionally taking antacids. They help to reduce the acidity of the stomach, thereby increasing the beneficial effect of drugs.
Treatment with folk remedies
Reactive pancreatitis in a child cannot be cured without the use of drugs. However, to stop the symptoms, you can resort to the help of recipes of folk doctors. Before starting a course of therapy, you should consult your doctor.
One of the popular products in the treatment of pancreatitis is royal jelly. It can only be used if the child is not allergic to honey. The duration of the course of therapy is 2-3 months. Then you need to take a short break for several days. Taking royal jelly is recommended for a teaspoon three times a day. It’s better to slowly dissolve the sweet treat, and not swallow it whole.
You can also make homemade kvass from celandine. To prepare it, you need 3 l of whey. If you cannot find it, you can replace it with plain water. The liquid must be poured into a vessel, add a teaspoon of sour cream and sugar. Half a glass of celandine grass should be poured into a gauze bag, lowered into a jar of water or whey. For two weeks you need to stir kvass daily. If you clearly follow the instructions presented, on the 10th day the drink should begin to foam. Take kvass for a week in a tablespoon three times a day.
Preventive measures
Not always parents can protect their child from factors contributing to the occurrence of reactive pancreatitis. That is why they must explain to the child the seriousness of the disease, talk about the need to follow a special diet.
Many children are sweet tooth. It is cakes and pastries that cause the most severe blow to the pancreas. One of the measures to prevent the disease is to limit the consumption of sweets. The role of their substitute can be the most ordinary honey. However, with this delicacy it is important not to overdo it. Two tablespoons of this product are enough for the baby, provided that there is no allergy. Another important rule is not to overeat. The child should get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger.
Another way to prevent the disease is the timely treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies, gastrointestinal diseases. Very often, against the background of such problems, reactive pancreatitis in a child develops. Only through competent therapy can self-destruction of the pancreas be avoided. It should be noted that any medications for treatment should be prescribed by a doctor. Self-selection of medicines is strictly prohibited.
To summarize
Reactive pancreatitis in children, the symptoms and treatment of which are described in this article, is considered a dangerous condition. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is urgent to seek medical help. Ignoring the pathology can lead to unpleasant consequences. Among them, the most alarming is the self-destruction of the pancreas. Due to the untimely visit to the doctor in the future, the child may develop diabetes mellitus.