Diathesis on the face in infants is not a disease. This is the reaction of the body to the negative effects of the environment. The child’s immune system is not fully developed, so such malfunctions occur. How to treat diathesis in infants? The article will discuss the features of the development of pathology and its proper therapy.
What is diathesis?
The condition is not a serious illness. Diathesis is a condition characterized by a predisposition of the child's body to allergic reactions, colds, or inflammatory processes.
The main reason for the development of diathesis on the cheeks of the baby is considered to be the penetration of irritants into the body. An adult does not react to them anymore. It can be: food, household chemicals, baby clothes, etc.
Diathesis is not a diagnosis, but a condition that indicates the occurrence of a similar pathology. Therefore, they do not treat him, but a disease that arises against his background. These include: dermatitis, acute respiratory viral infections and convulsive syndrome.
Most often, diathesis affects the skin of infants. As well as inflammation, the mucous membranes of the eyes, throat or perineum are affected.
Why does diathesis affect newborns?
The baby, recently born, is forced to adapt to the outside world. The body is still weak, the immune system is not fully formed, so it is difficult for infants to deal with negative factors. The risk of diathesis include:
- the newborn suffered hypoxia or asphyxia during pregnancy or childbirth;
- a woman in the period of bearing a child abused alcohol, smoking or uncontrolled use of drugs;
- the course of pregnancy is unfavorable.
The main causes of diathesis:
- Large or low birth weight infants.
- With burdened heredity. If one of the parents is prone to allergies, then the baby will also have a similar tendency.
- With dysbiosis. If the digestive processes or intestinal microflora are disturbed, a small amount of beneficial bacteria may be present in the body of the baby, so any product is perceived as hostile.
- Improper nutrition. Early feeding or overfeeding of poorly selected foods can lead to diathesis in the baby on the cheeks.
- Bad ecology. In this case, children are born with low immunity and poor health.
- Maternal malnutrition during pregnancy. The abuse of sweets, citrus fruits and food with artificial colors and additives.
All of these factors together can lead to pathology. Therefore, parents should know how to treat diathesis in infants. Pathology has its own characteristics of therapy.
What does diathesis on the face look like?
The disease can occur in different parts of the body of the newborn. Initially, diathesis appears in the baby on the cheeks and chin. Peeling, redness and a rash are characteristic of it.
The main thing is not to confuse diathesis with prickly heat, which occurs due to overheating of the child's body and manifests itself in the form of small red bubbles.
Types of disease
Diathesis in newborns is classified into 3 types:
- Exudative-catarrhal. It belongs to the most common varieties of diathesis. It manifests itself in the form of an allergic reaction and low resistance to infections. Diathesis affects the face, hairline, mucous membranes and respiratory tract of the baby.
- Lymphatic-hypoplastic. Diathesis occurs against a background of thymus insufficiency, which leads to an increase in lymph nodes, impaired adrenal gland activity and an allergic reaction. Breasts are constantly sick with SARS and other infectious diseases.
- Arthritic Nerve. It occurs as a result of metabolism and with an excited nervous system. It is quite difficult to diagnose, because the disease is characterized by joint disease and increased nervous excitability.
How to treat diathesis in infants? The appearance of signs of one of the types of the disease requires immediate treatment to avoid complications in the future.
Symptoms of diathesis
Usually up to a year in newborns, an exudative form of the disease occurs, which goes away by 2-3 years with nutrition correction. Typical symptoms include:
- Swelling, itching, redness, peeling of the skin on the cheeks.
- Seborrheic dermatitis, which manifests itself in the form of crusts on the head. It occurs in infants in the first month of life. In a complicated course, it passes into a weeping diathesis or eczema.
- Low weight gain.
- Constant diaper rash in the folds of the skin, which may be accompanied by infectious skin lesions.
- Regularly occurring pneumonia, rhinitis, bronchitis and atopic dermatitis.
- Abdominal pain, colic and increased gas.
Lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis is diagnosed in 12% of newborns. It is noted up to 2-3 years and passes with timely treatment in adolescence. In some children, its main symptoms persist for life:
- disproportionate build of the body, expressed in a short body and long limbs;
- enlarged spleen, liver and lymph nodes;
- fatigue and apathy;
- pale skin with reduced turgor.
Neuro-arthritic diathesis is diagnosed in 3-4% of infants. It has the following symptoms:
- Sleep disturbance and nervous irritability.
- Eczema, urticaria and Quincke's edema.
- Renal and intestinal colic, constipation, pain in the heart.
In addition to weeping surfaces, crusts on the head, other symptoms arise that must be considered when treating it.
How to treat diathesis in infants on the face? Proper therapy takes into account all the signs of the disease, and not just those that occur on the skin. This includes various pathologies of the digestive tract. Inflammation may occur in the throat, nose, and lymph nodes.
Common signs of diathesis include:
- anxiety of the baby for no apparent reason;
- sleep disturbance;
- lack of appetite;
- frequent spitting up.
When such symptoms of a child appear, it is urgent to show the pediatrician. Indeed, in time the treatment started can restore his health, and avoid complications.
Diagnosis of the disease
Diathesis is not an independent pathology, so its types can be treated by different specialists. This is a pediatrician, dermatologist, neurologist and others. Such treatment contributes to the selection of various diagnostic methods.
They include:
- General analysis of blood and urine.
- A blood test for cholesterol, glucose.
- The study of immunoglobulin.
- Analysis of feces for dysbiosis.
How to treat diathesis on the cheeks of the baby? If you suspect a lymphatic-hypoplastic form of the disease, an ultrasound of the internal organs (liver, spleen, adrenal gland) and lymph nodes is performed. The specialist in some cases may prescribe an x-ray of the respiratory system.
Diathesis treatment
It is necessary to provide the therapy of the disease correctly. How to treat diathesis in infants on the face? Initially, they begin with the nutrition of the mother. After all, various allergens most often enter the body of an infant with its milk.
A nursing woman must follow a special diet, which excludes: citrus and exotic fruits, smoked meats, products containing flavorings and colorings.
Dishes that are consumed by mom should be prepared accordingly. They should not be too greasy or salty, without a lot of seasoning.
You can get rid of diathesis with the help of proper feeding and care of the child. The main recommendations include:
- early attachment to the breast and the duration of feeding for at least 6 months;
- for infants who are artificially fed, it is necessary to choose the right mixture, best hypoallergenic;
- start feeding with broccoli, zucchini or potatoes, which are thoroughly soaked before cooking;
- introduce a new product gradually, not more than 1 teaspoon at a time;
- a food diary should be kept for both the mother and the child, which will allow time to identify and exclude allergenic products from the diet.
How to treat babies at home? Therapy consists in the careful care of the newborn with the use of special hygiene products (hypoallergenic powders and baby bathing products). Mom should conduct daily wet cleaning of the room from dust and pet hair.
Medications
How to treat diathesis on the legs of a baby? For effective treatment of the disease, proper care and nutrition of the baby may not be enough. Depending on the severity of diathesis, the following drugs are prescribed:
- Antihistamines. They are prescribed for allergies and belong to the 1st and 2nd generation. The former are prescribed as sedatives for the restless behavior of the baby. The latter are allowed for up to 5 weeks, because they are not addictive.
- Sedatives. Use for children who sleep poorly and are constantly naughty.
- Probiotics Assign with dysbacteriosis caused by diathesis. Drugs restore normal intestinal microflora.
- Immunomodulators. Their use for infants is considered a moot point, so this is decided only by a specialist. In general, they increase immunity, which increases the body's resistance to various negative factors.
- Non-hormonal ointments. They are used to relieve inflammation and redness on the face and other parts of the body. It is recommended to use "Pasta Guzhienko" in such cases. If an infection occurs, "Vishnevsky Ointment" and "Levomekol" are used.
All means for the treatment of diathesis should be prescribed by a doctor.
Therapy of the disease at home
Substances and objects that are capable of causing an allergic reaction are completely removed from the child’s environment. How to treat diathesis in infants at home step by step, a photo of the procedure is presented later in the article.
Initially, seborrheic crusts on the head are lubricated with baby oil and carefully removed without injuring the scalp. From the scalp removed after bathing. The procedure is performed daily until a positive result is achieved.
The nails of the baby should be trimmed so that he does not comb the rashes on the cheeks. The affected areas are treated with ointments, which were prescribed by a specialist.
For the treatment of diathesis, the child is given medicines. It can be antihistamines, sedatives or multivitamin preparations. With dysbiosis - probiotics.
To strengthen the immune system, massage, gymnastics and tempering procedures are used.
The duration of the treatment process largely depends on the degree of the disease and the parents' compliance with the recommendations of a specialist.
Folk remedies for diathesis
Effectively, not only medicines, but also decoctions and ointments based on medicinal herbs cope with the disease. Diathesis on the legs of an infant is treated with folk remedies. These include:
- Tincture of burdock and dandelion roots. 1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed raw material is poured into a glass of boiling water. Insist and filter. Give the child 50 ml three times before meals.
- Fir oil is combined with a baby cream in a ratio of 1: 3. Lubricate the affected area in the morning and evening.
- Trays with the addition of herbs have a positive effect. To remove itching, redness and irritation will help decoctions of a string, chamomile or sage. 3 tbsp. tablespoons of raw materials pour a liter of boiling water, insist. Add to baby’s bathing water.
- To get rid of the signs of diathesis, a starch bath is used. 2 tbsp. spoons are diluted with a glass of cold water. After a while, add 2 tbsp. hot. The resulting jelly is poured into the bath for bathing.
How to treat diathesis on the cheeks of a baby? Folk remedies are used in combination with drugs and ointments, which allows you to quickly achieve a positive effect.
Tips Komarovsky
A famous doctor believes that diathesis is not a disease, but a predisposition to something. Therefore, it should not be administered therapy, because addictions cannot be cured. You can reduce the effect of annoying factors.
How to treat diathesis in infants? Komarovsky believes that parents use the word diathesis out of place. If the child ate chocolate, and his cheeks were red, then this is allergic dermatitis. An allergen enters the baby's body in 3 ways:
- with food - food allergy;
- with air - respiratory (respiratory) irritation;
- in contact with the skin - contact allergy.
When contacting a doctor, it is important for parents to outline a situation when rashes appear on the skin. What caused this reaction. Each of the three types of allergies has its own pathogen, which must be determined.
Prevention
There are no effective methods to prevent skin diseases. Expectant mothers are advised to limit the intake of allergenic foods or completely abandon them during the period of gestation.
The complex of prevention during pregnancy includes the prevention of diseases such as toxicosis, gestosis or fetal hypoxia.
After the birth of a baby, a woman during breastfeeding should eat hypoallergenic foods.
It is necessary to treat all infectious diseases of the baby on time, preventing their transition to the chronic stage.
Conclusion
Diathesis is a disease that no child is safe from. Hypoallergenic nutrition of the mother and child, proper care will help not to prevent the disease, but to reduce its symptoms.