Atopic dermatitis is a type of skin disease, or rather, an allergy, popularly called diathesis. When potentially hazardous substances enter the body, an allergic reaction develops, which is accompanied by the appearance of dermatitis.
Atopy in Greek means "alien." The disease often develops with a genetic predisposition to the active production of immunoglobulin E. Inflammatory skin lesions cause the child severe discomfort. And since allergens most often enter the body along with food, there is a certain diet and diet for atopic dermatitis in children. The menu will be presented in this article.
Types of disease
In nature, there are several varieties of similar skin diseases, among which are especially common:
- atopic;
- seborrheic;
- contact.
In children, the most often diagnosed is the atopic form of dermatitis.
Terminology and Useful Information
Atopic dermatitis often affects babies aged 5 months to one year. Usually this disease does not bypass families whose members suffer from allergies. This is a chronic ailment that is diagnosed in 9 out of 1000 people.
There are many terms for allergic dermatitis. Doctors call it eczema and neurodermatitis. In the people, this disease is called exclusively diathesis.
Atopic dermatitis is dangerous, because it can contribute to a variety of infectious skin lesions. In addition, inflammation sometimes affects the eyeball of a person, which negatively affects vision, especially when it comes to a child. Of particular importance in the treatment process is the diet for atopic dermatitis in children. The menu will be presented below.
The main forms of dermatitis
Dermatitis can conditionally be divided into 3 groups depending on the age of the patient:
- infant - up to 2 years;
- children - from 2 to 12 years old;
- teenage - from 12 years old.
Dermatitis can manifest itself in completely different ways. The infant phase lasts from the moment the baby is born and up to 24 months. The main places of damage are the face, surface of the limbs and abdomen. The main features are crusting and dry skin. Very often, dermatitis occurs during the introduction of the first complementary foods.
The children's phase lasts from 2 years to 12. Most often, a rash appears on the surface of the limbs and on the neck, a variant of its occurrence on the skin of the abdomen is possible. The main signs are dry skin and the appearance of cracks in the hands and soles, which are very worrying for small patients. There is pigmentation in the eye area, wrinkles of dry skin under them may also appear.
The senior group of patients is also allocated - up to 18 years. At this age, the rash can both disappear, and, conversely, go into a more severe form by increasing the area of damage. Tissues on the face become inflamed, rashes appear in the decollete, on the hands, elbows. This complication of dermatitis often occurs at an older age. Regardless of the form of the disease and the age of the patient, all these types of ailments are characterized by the appearance of dry skin, which is accompanied by severe itching and peeling.
By the way, the main symptoms are just rashes and itching, other signs of dermatitis are not manifested in all patients. Quite often, this disease is confused with scabies, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. During the activation of the disease, a properly selected diet helps. With atopic dermatitis in children, the menu should be carefully thought out.
The main causes of diathesis
In fact, scientists cannot agree on the main causes of this disease. But there are certain factors that contribute to its appearance:
- genetic predisposition;
- environmental impact;
- the occurrence of toxicosis in the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy;
- the use of drugs during the period of bearing the baby;
- improper diet of a pregnant and lactating mother;
- allergen products that are often eaten by a pregnant or nursing mother, such as eggs, milk, caviar;
- artificial feeding, intolerance of the mixture selected for the baby.
The child needs to be fed as doctors advise. Any experiment with nutrition can harm the baby. Artificial nutrition can be different, and for each baby a certain mixture is suitable. Some cereals contain large amounts of sugar, which can cause fermentation in the intestines and skin rashes.
Cows milk often causes diathesis, as many children have an increased sensitivity to the protein components of this product. The cause of diathesis may be a deficiency of vitamins, as well as viral infections, vaccinations, weakened immunity. There are many factors that can provoke atopic dermatitis. Treatment of the disease must necessarily include a correction of the diet.
Menu of a one-year-old baby with atopic dermatitis
As you know, many babies in their first year of life are breast-fed. In such cases, the mother should carefully monitor her diet. For example, you can eat oatmeal for breakfast, boiled chicken fillet with porridge and vegetables for lunch, and cottage cheese with banana or yogurt is worth dinner. Naturally, the menu can and should be adjusted. But you should refuse to eat allergens, including dairy products, kiwi, tomatoes, raspberries, pomegranate, carrots, melon, chocolate. It is useful to drink a lot of kefir and eat apples, eat lean meat.
What does the diet look like for atopic dermatitis in children? The menu for the baby for the year may include artificial mixes. You need to carefully approach the issue of selecting milk porridge - give preference to better products. As for complementary foods, after 6 months the baby can already eat some vegetables (necessarily boiled), fruits, lean meat. Do not give your baby orange or red fruits and vegetables. Cow milk, honey, sweets are contraindicated. But cottage cheese and yogurt can be introduced into the diet.
Menu for a five year old child with atopic dermatitis
Breakfast : oatmeal with sunflower oil, bran.
Lunch : mashed potatoes with cutlet and fresh cucumbers, rye bread, a drink of dried fruit.
Snack : cottage cheese with apples.
Dinner : baked mackerel and mashed vegetables.
This is how a hypoallergenic diet looks like with atopic dermatitis in children (menu). Of course, dishes need to be changed periodically, this is only an approximate daily menu.
What can a child eat?
Now you will learn about almost all the products from which you can prepare food for your child. We will analyze in detail all the ingredients that may be needed during cooking.
How is a diet for atopic dermatitis in children made up? The menu for the week is recommended to be composed of the following products:
- Cereals that do not cause allergies: buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, millet, barley.
- Sour-milk products: kefir, cottage cheese, mild cheese.
- Meat products: beef, lean pork, rabbit, chicken.
- Vegetable oils: corn, sunflower, olive.
- Fruits and berries: green and white apples, bananas, red currants.
- Vegetables: potatoes, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, turnips, rutabaga, beans, green peas, greens.
- Drinks: natural tea without various additives, any dried fruit compote, slightly diluted with water.
- Sweet: fructose.
- Salt: not more than 3 grams per day.
- Bakery products: rye bread or baked goods from wholemeal.
The diet for atopic dermatitis in children is based on this. To make a more accurate list of permitted products, you need to consult a doctor.
Menu for atopic dermatitis for a week
What to cook for a child? What does the diet look like for atopic dermatitis in children? The menu for the week (recipes can be found almost everywhere) should be tasty and varied.
From the above products, you can cook your baby healthy food that will not cause an exacerbation of the disease. For breakfast, it is better to give the child some kind of porridge - this will charge the baby with energy for the whole day. Lunch should be more satisfying. Then a light snack and the same, not too high-calorie dinner. As an option:
- Breakfast : oatmeal and some butter, stewed bread.
- Lunch : rice soup with beef, black tea with rye bread.
- Snack : cottage cheese with bananas.
- Dinner : coleslaw and patty.
Tips from a famous pediatrician Komarovsky
What Komarovsky diet is recommended for atopic dermatitis in children (menu)? 5 years is the age of the childhood stage of dermatitis. In order for the child to bear all the symptoms easier during the disease, according to the pediatrician, you need to adhere to the most basic rules:
- you need to especially carefully care for the skin of the child - during this period it requires hydration, you can use special tools for this;
- the cream moisturizes the skin much better and is absorbed faster than lotion;
- it is most effective to apply the cream to the skin after the bath;
- you need to wear your baby in especially high-quality clothing made from natural fabrics, 100% cotton is an excellent option;
- Do not take a shower using hot water;
- do not allow the child to scratch damaged areas, as this may aggravate the situation due to infection that gets through the wound;
- Do not self-medicate in any case.
An important diet for atopic dermatitis in children. Komarovsky offers a menu individually for each child. Highly allergenic products that have already been described above should be excluded from it.
Principles of Therapy
If the disease is not very neglected, the pediatrician may prescribe special creams or ointments. In a difficult case, the doctor recommends taking pills (antihistamines). The most important thing is to find out the main cause of the appearance of diathesis, and only after that choose the appropriate method for its elimination. Komarovsky does not advise self-medication and resort to traditional medicine. Each child is individual, therefore, to draw up a treatment regimen, absolutely all the features of the baby’s state of health must be taken into account.
Output
When the first symptoms appear, you must visit a pediatrician and find out the main cause of dermatitis. Parents should limit the contact of the child with the allergen. You can not self-medicate, so as not to aggravate the situation. If you carefully follow all the requirements of a doctor and, most importantly, follow a proper diet, the disease will quickly fade. Moreover, now you know what the diet looks like with atopic dermatitis in children. The menu can be adopted.