Young children are often particularly sensitive to food and environmental changes. A fragile organism cannot cope with a large number of stimuli, reacting to them with the appearance of diathesis. This pathology scares parents, because its treatment is difficult. Diathesis cannot be called a disease. This phenomenon is considered the first sign of the presence of factors irritating the immune system in the body. Why does diathesis occur in a child? How to treat this pathology?
general information
The term "diathesis" is understood to mean the pathology of the body, which causes a predisposition to certain diseases. This concept was first introduced into pediatrics at the beginning of the 20th century. The level of development of science in those days did not give an accurate idea of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of diseases. Therefore, the term "diathesis" was used to indicate a predisposition to something. Today, the doctrine of this pathology is of more historical interest, but is still used in pediatrics.
Diathesis is not an independent disease or syndrome, but a feature of the body. It is closely related to hereditary, environmental, and age-related factors. In modern pediatric practice, it is customary to distinguish three forms of constitutional anomalies:
- neuro-arthritic (prone to joint inflammation, atherosclerosis, diabetes and obesity);
- lympho-hypoplastic (predisposition to pathologies of lymph nodes, infectious ailments);
- exudative-catarrhal (tendency to allergic reactions).
These are the most common forms in which diathesis can occur. Photos of young patients with such a diagnosis are practically the same, because in their pure form, various pathology options are rare. Typically, a child has a combination of several disorders at the same time with a clear predominance of one of them.
Causes of Diathesis
A key cause of constitutional abnormalities is the immaturity and weakness of the digestive system. Due to the deficiency of certain enzymes, the intestines of a newborn are not able to effectively break down food components. The permeability of the walls of this organ in a child’s body is several times higher than in an adult. Unsplit food molecules as a result penetrate the baby’s blood. As a result, antibodies begin to be produced. Thus, diathesis gradually develops.
The causes of this pathology may be hidden in the individual intolerance of certain types of protein. A genetic predisposition to allergic reactions also contributes to the appearance of this constitutional feature. Abuse of drugs / herbs and improper diet during pregnancy can affect the health of the baby.
A sharp introduction of complementary foods also often results in diathesis (a photo of the pathology is presented in the materials of the article). The foods that cause this disorder in children more often than others include the following:
- citrus;
- cow's milk protein;
- red vegetables and fruits;
- chocolate, honey, nuts.
If the baby is breastfed, and the mother does not follow the principles of proper nutrition, in 80% of cases diathesis occurs in the child. How to treat this disorder, the doctor should tell. Initially, it is necessary to determine which particular product causes an allergic reaction. In the vast majority of cases, the pathology independently passes after the formation of the child’s digestive system.
Symptoms of exudative-catarrhal diathesis
This form of the disorder is often called allergic diathesis. The child is a month old, and the doctor has already made such a diagnosis? Do not worry ahead of time. The fact is that this pathology occurs in every third baby.
Its most common clinical manifestation is atopic dermatitis. At its core, this disease is a food allergy. Its development is due to omissions in a woman’s diet both during pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Allergic diathesis is one of the most common pathologies among babies. Pediatricians explain this trend by the imperfection of the digestive system of the child's body. Against the background of certain age-related features, various aggressive substances penetrate the blood from the intestines, which cause a reaction of the immune system. In 75% of cases, such an anomaly resolves after the first year of a child’s life.
What does diathesis look like? Symptoms in most cases are associated with a violation of the digestive tract, damage to the skin and mucous membranes. The digestive tract reacts to the appearance of an allergen by bloating, intestinal colic. Among the external signs of diathesis are redness of the face, the appearance of rashes on the skin and diaper rash. In adolescents, this form of pathology is also not uncommon. Its appearance is usually indicated by allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, conjunctivitis.
Symptoms of lymphatic hypoplastic diathesis
Lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis accounts for about 10% of all constitutional abnormalities. Its development is due to a violation of the endocrine function of the adrenal cortex. The trigger mechanism for the occurrence of an ailment can be toxicosis or birth injury. What does diathesis look like?
Kids with this diagnosis are distinguished by a disproportionate physique: a short neck, elongated limbs, and a wide chest. Already in the first months of life in such children there is an increase in lymph nodes, an increase in the liver and spleen. Their muscles are poorly developed, their skin is pale. Such children get tired very quickly, often suffer from infectious ailments. The characteristic features of the constitution are pronounced from the first months of life. With a favorable development, they disappear by the puberty. In some, symptoms of thymo-lymphatic status persist throughout life.
Symptoms of neuro-arthritic diathesis
This form of pathology is caused by a violation of the metabolism of uric acid and individual purine compounds. Toxic products gradually accumulate in the body, affecting the functioning of the central nervous system, joints and other systems. Nervous diathesis begins to appear in the first year of a child's life. Such children gain weight poorly and require constant attention from their parents. After a year, babies with this diagnosis are ahead of their peers in mental development. They have a good memory and learning ability. The flip side of the coin is sleep disturbances, enuresis, and poor appetite.
Medical examination and confirmation of the diagnosis
Diathesis is not an independent disease. Therefore, babies with manifestations of constitutional anomalies can be patients of different specialists - this is a pediatrician, nephrologist, endocrinologist, dermatologist. To confirm the final diagnosis, laboratory research methods are used. All small patients take a blood and urine test to determine the level of glucose, cholesterol, uric acid. Mandatory is the study of feces for dysbiosis. With lympho-hypoplastic diathesis, an additional ultrasound of the lymph nodes, liver and spleen is performed.
General treatment recommendations
If a child is diagnosed with diathesis, what should I do? This is precisely the question that parents have. You can get rid of insidious symptoms with a strict diet, medications, and the exclusion of direct contact with allergens. Sometimes standard therapy is supplemented with traditional medicine recipes.
Doctors recommend strictly following the prescribed diet. In addition, it is necessary to care for the skin of the baby. For example, seborrheic crusts should be periodically removed, previously softened with petroleum jelly. Particular attention is recommended to be paid to the clothes of the baby. Baby's undershirts and blouses are best purchased from natural materials. When washing, use special hypoallergenic powders and products.
What needs to be changed in nutrition?
Mother's milk is considered the ideal food for the newborn. Its unique composition creates a kind of barrier in the child’s body from alien organisms. However, in some children, even breast milk causes allergies and provokes diathesis on the cheeks. Treatment in this case is based on a hypoallergenic diet for the mother. From the diet should exclude all foods that could provoke a rash on the skin of a child. Particular attention is recommended to be given to garlic, meat, fish, chicken and mushrooms. The number of dairy products in the diet can be increased. To diversify the diet should be vegetables, low-fat cheese, fruit juices.
If the child is on mixed and artificial feeding, parents are also forced to make adjustments to the diet. If you are allergic to protein compounds of cow's milk, this drink should be excluded. In such cases, children are transferred to sour milk mixtures. If such a diet is ineffective, soy protein-based mixtures are introduced into the baby's diet. The positive effect of their use is observed no earlier than after 2-3 weeks. Pediatricians recommend introducing complementary foods from four months. It starts with a one-component vegetable puree or porridge in a soy mixture. From six months you can give your baby meat purees. It is recommended to exclude egg yolk, fish and seafood from the diet. Pasta is introduced a little later.
Diet therapy is the main method of dealing with a disorder such as diathesis. Treatment for children is based on replacing foods that provoke an allergic reaction with equivalent ones. The choice of a specific diet is determined by the doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of a small organism. It should be adhered to until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Drug therapy
An important stage of treatment is drug therapy. Medicines are designed to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and alleviate the condition of the child. With catarrhal and allergic diathesis, the following agents are considered especially effective:
- Ointments and creams. They relieve irritation and itching on the skin. Any ointment from diathesis has a small dose of hormones in its composition. Drugs are prescribed by a doctor only with pronounced signs and inflammatory processes. Among the most popular means can be noted "Elokom", "Advantan", "Celestoderm."
- First generation antihistamines. Medicines have a mild sedative effect, so their use is recommended for restless children. Among the most effective means include Suprastin, Tavegil. The course of treatment is two weeks.
- Antibacterial drugs. If pathogenic microflora joins the pathological process, antibiotics are prescribed. In combination with them, you need to take probiotics: Linex, Bifidumbacterin.
- With poorly healing prickly heat, an ointment from diathesis is used with zinc oxide. Exceptionally positive feedback from parents was earned by Desitin.
- Immunomodulators. The need to prescribe medications that correct the functioning of the body's defense system remains open to question. In young children, regardless of the presence or absence of a pathological process, it is immature. An additional burden on the immune system can lead to autoimmune reactions, and not overcome diathesis.
Treatment of any form of pathology can be prescribed only by a specialist. The effect of drugs is aimed at reducing the external manifestations of the disease. Most of them incorporate hormonal substances. Therefore, they should be used with caution and only as directed by a doctor.
The treatment of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis also includes the intake of synthetic adaptogens and vitamins. With the development of adrenal insufficiency, glucocorticoids are prescribed.
Home treatment
Diathesis is an ailment that is almost impossible to get rid of without home treatment and traditional medicine. However, before starting a course of therapy, you should consult your doctor.
During an exacerbation of the pathology, small patients are shown daily baths. With weeping eczema , a small amount of potassium permanganate is added to the water, and with diaper rash, an herbal infusion. For its preparation, it is necessary to mix in equal parts a string, sage and starch. Then a tablespoon of herbal harvest is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for about 20 minutes. After this, the broth should be filtered and added to water.
After the bath, the folds of the skin are recommended by pediatricians to lubricate with warm vegetable oil. For the treatment of allergic rashes, furacilin lotions are used. Half of the tablet is diluted in a glass of water, and then a cotton pad is moistened in a solution and the baby's skin is wiped. Soda lotions are used to relieve itching. A teaspoon of soda must be diluted in a glass of warm water. Then the cotton pad should be moistened in a liquid and gently applied to the inflamed area.
To care for affected areas of the skin, pediatricians recommend using special medical cosmetics with moisturizing ingredients. Pharmaceutical companies today do not offer many options for drugs designed specifically to eliminate the external effects of diathesis. Cosmetic creams help relieve swelling and itching, get rid of rashes. However, almost all preparations contain substances that in especially sensitive babies can cause new allergic reactions.
Preventive measures and prognosis
Catarrhal diathesis is considered the safest form of pathology. If you follow the doctor’s recommendations on nutrition and treatment, his symptoms disappear without a trace. A different relationship requires neuro-arthritic and lymphatic-hypoplastic variants of the disease. In this case, serious therapy and constant monitoring of the condition of the child are required. At the initial stage of any form of diathesis, pathogenic microbes on the skin are absent, that is, inflammation is aseptic. Complications occur over time if the baby does not receive proper care and treatment. Through combing, pathogenic microflora can enter the wounds on the skin. As a result, the affected area becomes inflamed, pyoderma develops. If the diet is not followed and constant contact with allergens, pathology symptoms can be observed in adolescence. In this case, manifestations of constitutional abnormalities indicate a weak immune system and inferior functioning of the systems of internal organs.
To avoid the above consequences, it is necessary to take care of the prevention of diathesis and treat it correctly. To prevent this ailment, doctors recommend:
- observe hypoallergenic nutrition during pregnancy;
- wash baby clothes with special powders;
- care for the skin of the baby;
- temper the child, strengthen his immune system;
- at the first symptoms of diathesis, visit a doctor;
- identify an allergen and exclude contact with irritating substances.
Diathesis is primarily a signal for parents about problems in the child's body. Its manifestations should not be ignored and considered a harmless phenomenon. The first symptoms of the disorder should be an occasion to contact a pediatrician. Only timely treatment and proper care of the baby can help in the fight against this pathology. Otherwise, the likelihood of developing complications increases. The most dangerous among them can be considered pyoderma.
Take care of the baby’s health from the very first days of his life. Modern medicine helps to cope with any disturbances in the work of a small organism. Often, this does not require the use of serious medications, just adjust the diet. Be healthy!