Swelling of the face in a child is a fairly common manifestation of various pathological processes that occur in the child's body. Methods for eliminating this problem directly depend on the etiology of the occurrence of edema. In this case, therapy, including drug therapy, is aimed at relieving local symptoms and treating the primary disease that caused the face of the child to swell. The most commonly diagnosed causes and recommended methods for eliminating them are presented below.
Allergic edema
One of the most dangerous and requiring emergency measures is swelling caused by an allergic reaction of the body. Severe facial edema in a child develops very rapidly: the cheeks, lips, area under the eyes swell almost instantly, redness of the skin, tearing is observed. If appropriate therapy is not started with this pathology, the proliferation of edema can go to the upper respiratory tract and larynx, which poses a clear threat to the life of the child.
What to do
In case of detection of allergic edema, the following measures should be taken:
- give the child one of any antihistamines ("Fenistil", "Diazolin", "Pilpofen"), you also need to use anti-allergic eye drops and drops for the nose;
- seek medical help and it is further recommended that, in addition to an allergist, get an immunologist's consultation to correct the child’s immunity status.
Edema resulting from kidney disease
Inflammatory and infectious processes in the kidneys are usually accompanied by fluid retention in the body. This is another reason why a child has a swollen face that requires an immediate visit to a doctor. Such edema is localized, in addition to the face, ankles and wrists. A characteristic symptom of renal edema is the remaining deep mark on the body from children's socks or elastic bands on the cuff. In addition to the above, renal edema is divided into the following subspecies depending on localization, etiology and consequences:
- chronic renal failure can cause swelling of the face and legs;
- the so-called "jade" edema is characteristic of the acute stages of renal disease. As a rule, such edema is accompanied by hypertension (increased blood pressure), general weakness and the presence of blood impurities in the urine;
- nephrotic edema is localized in the face, eyes and gradually spread to the hands and fingers.
When feeling such edema is soft and do not have clear boundaries. The cause of nephrotic edema, as a rule, is diabetes in a child, glomerulosclerosis, nephropathy, renal amyloidosis and other renal pathologies.
How to fix it?
What to do, the face of the child has swollen for this reason. The usual way to relieve renal edema is to take diuretics (diuretics), such as Furosemide. Such medications well remove fluid from the body, but when used to treat children, they cause a lot of questions and doubts. Firstly, many diuretics are contraindicated in children under three years of age, and secondly, if the dosage is incorrectly selected, they can lead to dehydration. In addition, diuretics can relieve swelling only for a short time, but do not have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-infectious therapeutic effects. Therefore, if adequate treatment is not started, the edema in the child will return again.
"Kanefron" and "Renel"
Along with this, there are medications that combine anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects, namely:
- "Renel" - a drug created on the basis of medicinal plants, has a good diuretic effect, relieves swelling;
- "Kanefron" - a drug indicated for use in cystitis and pyelonephritis, contributes to the smooth passage of sand and stones from the kidneys and urinary tract, has a mild diuretic effect, which is especially suitable for children.
Edema of the face in a child caused by renal disease, with the right medication, usually disappears after a couple of days.
Edema of the face, resulting from diseases of the organs of the cardiovascular system
The cause of edema of the face and eyes in a child can be heart failure, various heart defects, myocarditis. Such swelling is accompanied by cyanosis, shortness of breath, a violation of the heart rhythm. The elimination of edema of the face of the indicated etiology is impossible without eliminating the primary disease, moreover, treatment of the child should be aimed at reducing blood stasis in the veins of the large and small circle, normalizing heart contractions. Promoting measures that will help reduce swelling not only of the face, but of the whole body with cardiovascular diseases, are:
- diet food (preference is given to boiled and foods rich in potassium (dried apricots, cottage cheese desserts);
- restriction of physical activity;
- fluid intake control;
- taking diuretics in a dosage determined by the attending physician.
Swelling of the face caused by various infectious diseases
The localization of such edema and the degree of their spread depends on each specific infection, namely:
- the most dangerous infection, which is accompanied by swelling of the baby face, is meningitis. In addition to edema, parents should be alert for signs such as a sharp increase in temperature, headache, fainting, nosebleeds. The combination of the above symptoms should be an immediate appeal for medical help;
- when the child’s body is affected by such an infectious disease as measles, facial edema is accompanied by a characteristic rash that gradually spreads to the entire surface of the body;
- with an infectious lesion of the child with scarlet fever, the eyelids, the face swell first of all, while the skin in the nasolabial triangle pales;
- with infectious conjunctivitis, the eye area is affected, severe swelling develops on the eyelids;
- swelling of the face and neck are characteristic of such an infectious disease as mumps (the popular name is "mumps").
It should be noted that drug therapy can be used only under the strict supervision of the attending physician only after a thorough diagnosis.
Swelling caused by physical damage
Separately, we should focus on edema resulting from various injuries and physical damage to tissues and organs. Children, due to their increased physical activity, are often prone to falls. The measures taken in this case to relieve swelling on the face of the child depend on the type of injury received, namely:
- With damage to the nose, swelling of the face around the eyes is characteristic, which turns into hematomas. To alleviate pain and relieve swelling, it is recommended to use "Troxevasin", "Troxerutin" or heparin ointment.
- With general head injuries, swelling of the face may indicate a concussion of the brain, which in turn requires immediate hospitalization.
In addition to all of the above, rarely the causes of facial edema in a child can be teething in infancy, improper position adopted by the child in a dream, anemia, metabolic disorders, liver disease.