This article will examine why there is inflammation of the salivary gland in a child.
Each in the body has three pairs of large salivary glands, namely the parotid, sublingual, submandibular, and many others grouped on the tongue, lips, palate, and the inside of the cheeks. At first glance, it seems to many that the salivary glands play a secondary role in health, and their diseases are not at all dangerous, so you should not even pay attention to them. But this is a misconception, since the normal functioning of this system ensures the health of the oral cavity.
The salivary glands play an important role in digestion, mineral and protein metabolism, as well as speaking. Thus, any problem with these glands can be an insidious source of dangerous health effects. Next, we will talk about inflammation of the salivary glands in children, find out what symptoms accompany this disease, and also find out what factors influence its development. In addition, we learn how the diagnosis and therapy of pathology is currently being carried out.
Salivary glands in children
The production of saliva occurs in babies immediately after their birth. In newborns, as a rule, about 6 milliliters of saliva are secreted per hour, and directly with active sucking, production can even increase. As children grow, their total amount of saliva is increased.
Features
In newborns, the salivary glands have some features, which largely determines the presence of a predisposition to the development of diseases:
- Small secretory ability.
- In children at different ages, the production of either thick and viscous saliva or fluid is observed. Such processes can replace each other several times.
Any ailments of the salivary glands in children are represented by pathological processes, be it mumps or sialadenitis, systemic diseases, tumors or injuries.
So, then we proceed to consider the main causes that provoke the occurrence of this ailment in children.
Causes of inflammation in children
Doctors identify four main causes of inflammation of the salivary glands in children:
- The presence of a viral infection or bacteria. The causative agent of the disease penetrates the children's body by airborne droplets, which leads to a significant increase in the size of the glands, and in addition to painful inflammation. An example is a disease such as mumps, which is often diagnosed in young children.
- Due to impaired patency of the salivary duct. Something similar occurs when it is injured or damaged, as well as in the case of the development of an ailment such as sialolithiasis.
- Due to poor oral hygiene. Irregular visits to the dentist along with poor-quality brushing can lead to the fact that the salivary ducts in the child will become a kind of "gateway" for various infections.
- The consequences of complications. Sialadenitis can form after surgery or against a background of diseases such as pneumonia, typhoid, encephalitis or due to all kinds of poisoning.
Primary inflammation of the salivary glands in children is usually caused by infections, and secondary by fungi or bacteria. The methods of infection are very different: through the salivary ducts, lymph or through the blood.
Now let's talk about the symptoms of inflammation of the salivary glands in a child and find out how the described disease manifests itself.
Symptoms of the disease
Regardless of which particular salivary gland in a child becomes inflamed, sialadenitis can be characterized by the following symptoms:
- The appearance of severe dry mouth due to a decrease in the amount of saliva secreted.
- The occurrence of pain of a shooting nature, which can be felt directly in the area of infection. At the same time, pain can be given to the ears or oral cavity.
- The appearance of unpleasant sensations and soreness when opening the mouth, and, in addition, during chewing food and swallowing products. Symptoms of salivary gland inflammation in children should not go unnoticed.
- The appearance of hyperemia of the area of the affected salivary gland along with redness of the skin.
- The occurrence of a smell from the mouth or a non-standard extraneous taste, along with suppuration in places of localization of the glands.
- Sensation of tight formation during palpation.
- A feeling of pressure in the area of inflammation, which indicates the accumulation of purulent masses.
- The appearance of weakness, fever and fever up to thirty-nine degrees.
What is the risk of inflammation of the salivary glands in children?
Disease complications
Inflammation of the parotid gland is considered the most serious along with mumps, also called mumps. The danger lies in the fact that during the disease additional glands can be affected, for example, the pancreas. Given that this disease is contagious, it is necessary to exclude contact with an infected child and take him to a doctor as soon as possible for the necessary examination and treatment. In the event that this is not done, complications of varying severity may occur, for example:
- The appearance of multiple ulcers in the area of inflammation and next to it.
- A significant increase in body temperature along with debilitating fever.
- Rupture of abscesses in the oral cavity.
- The occurrence of blood poisoning or an abscess.
- The formation of fistulas that will bring pus to the surface.
- Phlegmon of the bottom of the oral cavity along with meningitis and damage to the nervous system.
- The development of salivary gland necrosis and orchitis.
Photos of the inflamed salivary gland in children, we will not provide for aesthetic reasons.
Diagnosis of the disease
Diagnostics is carried out by a pediatrician or dentist who, when examining a child, discovers enlarged salivary glands. Given the complaints of the small patient about the pain in the gland region and the pressure in this area, as well as the results of the medical examination, they make an appropriate diagnosis. In case of suspicion of an abscess, computed tomography or ultrasound is performed.
Treatment of inflammation of the salivary gland in a child
Sialadenitis can often turn into a chronic form, which is resistant to most medical drugs, in this regard, the treatment of the child should be trusted by a professional doctor. In the event that the inflammation is noticed by the parents on time, the usual conservative therapy will be enough for the baby to recover after a couple of weeks.
Therapy of uncomplicated forms of sialadenitis is carried out at home or in the hospital, for example, the doctor may prescribe a special UHF physiotherapy. At home, you can perform therapeutic compresses.
In the early days of treatment of inflammation of the salivary glands, children are shown bed rest. Since, against the background of the disease, they need a vitamin-enriched and balanced diet, they will have to grind the food, otherwise, in the usual way, pain will prevent it from being swallowed normally and the meal will cause discomfort not only to the child, but also to the parents.
The occurrence of inflammation in the child's body always goes hand in hand with intoxication, in connection with this, the intake of a large amount of liquid is recommended. It can be juices along with nectars, decoctions of medicinal herbs and so on.
In order to regularly produce saliva from the affected glands, pediatricians advise children to hold a slice of lemon or some other citrus fruit in their mouths for some time. In addition, salivary products are products in the form of sauerkraut and sour berries, such as cranberries or currants. With saliva, as a rule, the decay products of bacteria are removed, which significantly accelerates the regeneration.
Treatment of inflammation of the salivary glands in children should be comprehensive and timely.
Painkillers
In order to save the child from the pain syndrome, the pediatrician can prescribe an anesthetic, such as Novocain, and in addition, drugs against inflammation, in this case Ibuprofen will help. In the case of a strong increase in body temperature, antipyretic drugs are additionally prescribed. In addition, a weekly therapeutic course of injections of the Taktivin solution, which serves as an immunomodulator, is prescribed.
In case of suspicion of abscess formation, strong antibacterial therapy is performed. In the event that improvement does not occur within a few days, the patient is dissected and gland is drained.
Prophylaxis
Any disease, as you know, is much easier to prevent than subsequently cured. In this regard, parents need to take care of the prevention of diseases of the salivary glands in children. To do this, it will be enough to observe only a few simple, but very important rules:
- Support for breastfeeding from birth. Thanks to mother's milk, infants receive everything necessary for proper growth and reliable protection against various pathogenic bacteria.
- Performing hardening along with proper and complete nutrition and other activities to maintain and develop the immune system. All this is a reliable protection against this ailment.
- Toothbrushing should be carried out from the appearance of the very first incisor. In addition, stomatitis, inflammatory gum disease and other diseases of the oral cavity should be treated in a timely manner.
- It is equally important that the child attends regular preventive examinations, especially after those or other transferred infectious pathologies. At the same time, it is important to examine not only the condition of the gums and teeth, but also the properties and composition of saliva.
Conclusion
Parents, and at the same time, dentists should be alert for multiple forms of caries, along with the constant dryness of the oral cavity in the child. It is worth noting that conducting timely diagnosis of pathologies will make it possible to cure the disease faster and easier and improve forecasts.
We examined the symptoms and treatment of salivary gland inflammation in children.