Child health is the most important thing for parents. They worry that their child does not hurt, it is full of vitality and energy. But there are situations when a child gets sick, and this affects the whole family. In such cases, you need to contact specialists in time who can provide qualified advice. Serious diseases that require professional help to treat include chest deformity in a child. Parents should take this disease very seriously and immediately contact the clinic.
What is chest deformity?
The human chest is a kind of shield that supports and protects vital organs. It also represents a musculoskeletal framework to which ribs are attached. If a situation occurs when a child has a deformation of the chest, then this entails serious consequences. Deformation is both congenital and acquired. It negatively affects the work of all internal organs. It is worth recalling that the chest is designed to protect the heart, lungs, liver, spleen. And if there is a violation in one organ, then the whole life support system suffers.
Congenital deformity of the chest is also called dysplastic. It is important to know that such forms are much more common than acquired ones. Bone structures are disturbed, their formation in the womb, anomalies of the spinal column develop. Most often, changes are noted in the front of the chest of the child. Acquired deformities arise from a variety of diseases that can affect a person at any age.
Types of disease
All chest disorders that are known to those skilled in the art can be combined into two large groups. These are such deformations as congenital and acquired. But each group has its own classification. Also, depending on the location, in a child, chest deformation has several forms. It is believed that it can be front, side and back. By the degree of violation, the ailment is often implicitly expressed, even almost imperceptible until serious pathologies appear that affect the functioning of the heart and lungs.
Congenital deformities are divided into the following types:
- Funnel-shaped, in common people this type of disorder is called the “cobbler's chest”.
- Pieiform, or "chicken breast."
- Flat.
- Cleft.
Acquired violations are divided into:
- Emphysematous.
- Paralytic.
- Kyphoscoliotic.
- Scaphoid.
It should be noted that with congenital deformities of the chest, violations most often occur on its front wall. If this is an acquired deformation, then both the lateral and the posterior surface can be violated. It is also necessary to know that if congenital deformity of the chest in a child is present, its treatment is most often surgical.
The causes of the disease
When a child falls ill, parents try to find out the causes of the disease. In such cases, it is better to prevent the disease than to treat it for a long time. To find out why a child has chest deformity, you need to understand the etiology of the disease.
As already known, deformation is congenital and acquired. Causes of congenital deformity:
- Genetic predisposition (heredity).
- Underdevelopment of bone tissue in the womb.
These are one of the most common causes of congenital deformity. You should also know that the underdevelopment of the baby’s bone tissue can occur due to the fact that the mother suffered an infectious disease in the first trimester of pregnancy. The congenital deformity of the chest can be influenced by the lifestyle of the expectant mother, inadequate reception of nutrients by the embryo, and the presence of bad habits in the mother. The latter include alcohol, tobacco smoking and the use of narcotic substances, as well as an important factor is the untimely appeal for help to specialists.
Reasons for acquired violations
Why does an acquired chest deformity appear in a child? The reasons that provoke her are listed below:
- Musculoskeletal system diseases.
- Tumors
- Chondrosis.
- Inflammatory and purulent diseases of the soft tissues.
- Various injuries.
- Unsuccessful surgery.
- Excessive exercise.
- Metabolic disease.
- Achondroplasia.
- Anomalies of bone tissue.
- Down Syndrome.
- Asthma.
- Ankylosing spondylitis.
- Inflammatory diseases.
- Syndrome Wife.
All these diseases lead to serious consequences, and eventually deform the chest.
Funnel deformation
The funnel-shaped deformation is also called hollow chest. This is one of the common diseases that is diagnosed at birth. In newborns, doctors record about one case in four hundred children. Such a violation is several times more common in boys than in girls. Its reason is that the cartilage connecting the ribs is underdeveloped. Externally, the violation is presented as recesses in the upper and lower sternum. The chest is slightly enlarged in the transverse direction and, accordingly, the side walls have a curvature.
With the growth of the child, violations are aggravated, the ribs begin to grow and tighten the sternum inward. All this leads to the fact that the heart and large arteries continue to move and squeeze. If the child is a newborn, such a deformation is almost imperceptible. It is visible only with prolonged observation, when there is a breath. With a visual examination, changes in the chest will be noticeable only by three years of life. From this moment, the child becomes painful, he is struck by frequent colds, there are problems with pressure. The depth of the funnel can reach ten centimeters.
Disease onset
If a child has a deformation of the chest, and it manifests itself at an early age, doctors distinguish several theories of its formation. One of them says that the ribs and cartilage develop faster than the sternum, and because of this they displace it. Other authors are of the opinion that violations occurred from intrauterine pressure, which displaced the posterior wall of the ribs. Anomalies of the diaphragm with the addition of rickets also belong to this theory. Another theory says that funnel-shaped deformity arose due to pathologies of the connective tissues.
Also, deformation can manifest itself in several defects, both not very obvious and pronounced. It all depends on the factors affecting it:
- A sternum with a degree of posterior angulation.
- Rib cartilage having a degree of posterior angulation at the point of attachment to the ribs.
Do not forget that the disease can also be aggravated by various anomalies of the diaphragm, which complicates the treatment. Doctors also have several methods that help determine the severity of the disease. This is a quantitative calculation of the distance from the sternum to the ribs.
Keeled deformation in a child
According to the degree of prevalence of deformations, keeled is in second place. It occurs with a large and rapid growth of costal cartilage. The shape of the sternum becomes like a bird's chest, as it protrudes forward. Many parents have questions about what is chest deformity in a child? Causes and treatment (photos of patients are presented in this article) will be discussed in detail.
Keeled deformity in a child with age becomes more noticeable and develops as a pronounced pathology. But it is worth noting that with such violations of the musculoskeletal system, internal organs do not suffer. Symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitations may be observed. As for the spine, it is not subject to change. Most often, boys suffer from the disease. Sometimes the disturbances are asymmetric, with indentation on one side and bulging on the other.
The causes of the disease
The etiology of such a violation is not entirely clear, as is the case with funnel-shaped deformity. It is believed that the cause is the overgrowth of osteochondral cartilage. In turn, it all depends on heredity and genetics. If relatives had such a disease, then it is possible that it was transmitted to the child. It is important to remember: if a child has a chest deformity, only experienced specialists will tell you how to fix this problem.
There is still an opinion that deformation is caused by scoliosis and congenital heart disease, as well as abnormalities of the connective tissue. Most often, doctors divide this disease into three types:
- The sternum and ribs are symmetrical, and the xiphoid process is shifted down.
- The sternum moves down and forward, a protrusion is observed. The ribs in this case are bent.
- The costal cartilages bend forward, but no sternal disturbances are observed.
Symptoms of the disease appear as early as adolescence, but they are slightly pronounced. Sometimes signs are clearly manifested during heavy physical exertion. The disease also contributes to the development of asthma.
The child has chest deformity: how to treat?
The treatment methods are diverse - it all depends on the degree and type of deformation, as well as whether there are disorders in the cardiovascular and respiratory system. If the violations are minor, then you can choose a conservative treatment. Parents who are worried about the health of their children often ask a specialist: “If the child has chest deformity, what should I do?” In such cases, it is important to listen to the opinions of doctors and not make hasty decisions. After all, the child’s body is still developing, and with improper treatment, the clinical picture will worsen. In certain cases, doctors recommend surgery. Here a special role is played by the diagnosis of the disease.
Diagnostics
Today there is a large stock of methods for studying disorders of the musculoskeletal system. One of the most common is radiography. It gives a complete picture of violations and with the correct description of the images can contribute to the effectiveness of treatment. Using radiography, you can get data on the degree and form of chest deformity.
Another instrumental method is a CT scan of the sternum. It allows you to determine the degree of disorders that affect the heart and lungs, as well as the degree of displacement of internal organs. Along with CT, another hardware method is used - MRI. It provides complete and detailed information about bone and connective tissues, their condition and the degree of development of the disease. There are also additional methods that can describe the clinical picture. These include ECG, echocardiography, and spirography. They make it possible to determine the condition of internal organs.
Chest Deformity in Children: Home Treatment
If the disease does not require surgical intervention, then conservative methods of treatment are perfect. So, parents at home can independently help their child. Such treatment includes the following actions:
- physiotherapy - moderate physical activity and bone development will help when there is a slight deformation of the chest in the child;
- massage treatment by a specialist;
- physiotherapy exercises prescribed by a doctor;
- swimming is an excellent tool for the development of the musculoskeletal system and raising the mood.
If you follow and follow all the recommendations of doctors, then at home, parents will be able to develop their child, give him a chance to be healthy and stop the disease.