A concussion in a child per year is a fairly common occurrence, since babies during this period actively develop and learn about the world around them, so they almost never sit still. At the same time, no matter how attentive the parents may be, they still will not be able to keep track of their child. And since traumatic brain injuries are one of the most serious, and can also be accompanied by various negative consequences, it is very important to have an idea of how the concussion appears in order to diagnose it in time and start treatment as soon as possible.
general information
Before we talk about how a concussion is manifested in a child, let's first look at the main features of this type of injury. So, a concussion is a damage to the head, accompanied by a short-term loss of consciousness, as a result of which the normal functioning of the brain is disrupted. According to doctors, the reason for this is a violation of the connections between the nerve cells responsible for the transmission of electrical impulses.
According to medical statistics, head injuries rank first. They are diagnosed in approximately 65 percent of patients who have come to the hospital for skilled care. However, most of the victims are children of different age categories.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Health, more than 100 thousand people, most of them young children and adolescents, go to the hospital with skull injuries every year. At the same time, about 95 percent of cases are concussion.
The main causes of traumatic brain injuries in one-year-old children
Let us dwell on this in more detail. Symptoms of concussion in a 1-year-old child appear almost immediately after a strong head blow. They will be discussed a little later, but now it is important to understand why the kids have a very high level of injuries, as well as what are the reasons behind the concussion.
At the age of one year, babies are just starting to take their first steps, however, the vestibular apparatus and spatial orientation are not yet very well developed, so it is not surprising that the child is constantly falling. In this case, very often the blows fall on the head. In addition, young children do not yet give an account of their own actions, so they do what an adult would never do.
Parents must constantly monitor their child so that it does not fall into any trouble, however, it is simply impossible to always be near everywhere. It is only for a moment to be distracted, as the pean is already in a hurry in search of its own adventures. It is important to understand that a concussion in a child at 1 year old is very serious, since the mental system and all internal organs are not fully developed, so even small injuries can significantly affect their functioning.
Clinical manifestations
What should you pay attention to first of all? What are the symptoms of traumatic brain injury in young children? This question worries every parent, so it needs to be dealt with in great detail. If trouble happened with your baby and he was injured, then the first thing to do is to carefully examine his head for abrasions and bruises. If at the same time you find a bump, then do not immediately panic, because it is not yet a cause for concern. An alarm is worth beating in the presence of certain clinical manifestations that accompany head injuries.
The very first signs of a concussion in a child are as follows:
- pallor of the skin of the face;
- nausea and vomiting;
- loss of appetite;
- restless sleep;
- general weakness;
- moodiness;
- tearfulness;
- nosebleeds;
- violation of eye refraction;
- excessive sweating;
- rapid or slow heartbeat;
- confused breathing;
- lack of reaction of pupils to bright light.
It is worth noting that this is far from complete symptomatology accompanying concussion. In severe injuries, causeless loss of consciousness may occur. If this happens to your baby, you should seek help at the hospital as soon as possible.
TBI temperature
Can she rise? Many people mistakenly believe that the temperature during concussion in children will certainly be elevated, but this is far from the case. Moreover, it has nothing to do with traumatic brain injuries, so if your baby has a fever, then its cause is the presence of an inflammatory process or some kind of disease. Therefore, there is absolutely no point in giving the child a thermometer after he fell and hit his head hard.
Diagnostics
What is she like? If you notice any symptoms of concussion in a child of 1 year old, you should immediately contact a medical institution, since only a qualified specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a thorough examination of the baby and after passing certain laboratory tests.
Standard analysis includes the following procedures:
- reception at the traumatologist and neuropathologist;
- measurement of intracranial pressure;
- X-ray of the head;
- CT scan;
- echoencephaloscopy;
- neurosonography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- Ultrasound of the head.
In some cases, spinal puncture may be prescribed as additional diagnostic methods. Only after the doctor has the results of all the laboratory tests listed above, will he be able to confirm or deny with a 100 percent probability a concussion in the child. The treatment is carried out exclusively in-patient, under the continuous supervision of a doctor using various medications and procedures.
The main methods of therapy
Let's dwell on them in more detail. After an accurate diagnosis is made, the most optimal treatment is selected. Concussion in a child is a very serious problem, which can have many negative consequences, so it is very important to begin to provide professional medical care. At the same time, you should understand that it is forbidden to take any actions on your own. This also applies to the treatment of bleeding wounds.
The treatment program is selected individually for each patient, depending on his condition, test results and individual characteristics of the body. If necessary, a traumatologist and a neuropathologist can refer you and your child to a consultation with other specialists to obtain additional information that may be required to select the most effective treatment.
In most cases, drug therapy is prescribed based on the use of the following drugs:
- diuretic drugs - "Diacarb", "Furosemide";
- potassium preparations - Asparkam, Panangin;
- psycholeptics - "Phenazepam", tincture of valerian;
- antiallergic medicines - Diazolin, Suprastin;
- painkiller - "Baralgin", "Sedalgin".
To increase the effectiveness of treatment, vitamin complexes, drugs that improve brain enrichment with nutrients, as well as sedatives, can also be prescribed.
With a mild concussion of a traumatic brain injury, drug therapy is not necessary. As a rule, the baby is left for four days in the hospital under the supervision of a doctor, and if there are no consequences of a concussion in the child, an extract is made. But with severe TBI, things are much more complicated. With them, the minimum compulsory hospital stay is one week.
Even after completing the full course of treatment, parents should protect the child from any physical and emotional stress, as well as stressful conditions. Depends on this how quickly and well the rehabilitation process will take, which can take quite a long period of time. In the event of an exacerbation of the condition of the child or the return of symptoms, you should immediately contact your doctor.
As practice shows, in most cases the concussion can be defeated, and after about a month there are no signs of it, so the baby can return to his usual way of life. But this is only possible if the parents sounded the alarm on time and immediately showed the snot to the doctor.
Possible complications
This issue must be emphasized. Any head injuries are very serious, because very often they do not go away just like that, but are accompanied by various pathologies.
If a child is diagnosed with concussion, the consequences may be as follows:
- severe prolonged migraines that occur on an ongoing basis;
- retardation when performing even simple tasks;
- vomiting of varying intensity without a visible cause of food poisoning;
- restless sleep or insomnia;
- poor response to weather changes;
- partial or complete loss of vision;
- periodic dizziness;
- displacement of the eyeballs;
- tongue sprain;
- asymmetry of the face.
In addition, there may be changes in the behavior of the baby. For example, children who have suffered a severe head injury cease to enjoy games and other activities that they used to enjoy. At the same time, it is impossible to say for sure that complications will disappear with time or will last a lifetime. Here, everything largely depends on the severity of the TBI and the individual characteristics of a particular child. Some changes may be irreversible, therefore it is impossible to get rid of them.
Providing first aid to the injured
Earlier in this article, we examined in detail how to treat a concussion in a child. But each parent must also know what measures should be taken in case of injury to their baby before the arrival of emergency medical care.
If your child fell and hit his head hard, then you need to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- lay the baby on a flat surface and cover with a blanket;
- in case of loss of consciousness, turn it over to the right side so that the left arm and leg are perpendicular to the body;
- if the child has difficulty breathing and slows the pulse, then you need to do artificial respiration and heart massage;
- in the presence of open wounds, accompanied by bleeding, it is necessary to disinfect and treat them with special means.
It is critical to ensure that the little one is at rest before the ambulance arrives. In addition, remember or write down all the symptoms of a concussion in a child of 1 year old, and then tell your doctor about them. This will greatly simplify the diagnosis process and allow you to start treatment as soon as possible.
What does Dr. Komarovsky say about traumatic brain injuries in one-year-old children?
One of the best specialists in the field of neurology today is the doctor Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky. He worked all his life in this field of medicine and brought it to a whole new level. By studying the concussion of a one-year-old child, the doctor was able to make many discoveries, thanks to which the treatment of TBI of any complexity proceeds as efficiently as possible, and the likelihood of complications is almost completely excluded.
So, he shares with us the following information:
- Concussion is a medical term that describes a person’s condition, which is characterized by a brief loss of consciousness as a result of a strong blow to the head, which does not require any specialized treatment.
- In order for the baby to fully recover from the head injury, it is enough to provide him with peace and minimize any physical activity.
- In a child’s body, metabolic processes are much better than in an adult, so they do not need to be forced to stimulate with medications.
- To date, modern medicine does not know any methods that would completely eliminate or at least reduce the likelihood of complications after a traumatic brain injury. It all depends on how quickly the victim received medical care. Therefore, if you notice any signs of concussion in a child of 1 year old, immediately contact the hospital.
Thus, taking into account all of the above, we can conclude that, on the one hand, head injuries are very serious, but on the other hand, one should not inflate the panic too much, because with minor injuries the child’s body can quickly recover from them. But this does not mean that the help of doctors can be neglected. In any case, it is recommended to show them the baby to make sure that everything is normal and there is no threat to the health and life of the child.
Conclusion
This article examined in detail the symptoms of concussion in a 1 year old child, and also talked about the treatment of this type of head injury. At the current level of development of modern medicine, almost any disease and injury can be cured without any special consequences. Nevertheless, it is better not to allow them, so you should constantly monitor and take care of your child. Never leave him unattended, even for a short period of time, as this can be fraught with very serious consequences. Only you and no one else are responsible for your child. Do not forget about it for a second. Under any circumstances, take care of your baby.