Atopic dermatitis is a fairly common disease among infants. Very often this disease becomes the first serious problem that the baby and his parents face. Despite the apparent simplicity and safety of the disease, the consequences of improper treatment or lack of it can be more than serious - from permanent skin rashes to allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and other allergic diseases. That is why it is so important to understand in time how a child can cure atopic dermatitis and avoid complications.
Atopic dermatitis in children: symptoms
Few parents pay attention to such, it would seem, nonsense, like flushed cheeks and flowering-pink cheeks with roughness. Such manifestations of the sensitivity of the baby's skin most often do not cause any alarm in the parents. But it is these "non-serious" symptoms that give out more than a serious disease - atopic dermatitis in infants.
There is a persistent stereotype that this disease affects only babies who are on artificial feeding. Meanwhile, often manifestations of atopic dermatitis are observed in infants feeding on mother's milk.
The peculiarity of atopic dermatitis in children is the relationship of symptoms and age of the patient, that is, the manifestations of the disease in a newborn and a one-year-old baby will differ.
The main signs of atopic dermatitis in children under one year are:
- redness, itching and peeling of the buttocks and cheeks - the main symptom;
- intertrigo;
- excessive dryness of the skin;
- peeling scalp and face (especially the scalp and on the eyebrows).
Care of parents and timely diagnosis can easily get rid of the manifestations of the disease in the initial stages, because at this time only the uppermost layers of the skin are affected. If you notice and do correct treatment in time failed, the disease continues to develop, penetrating farther into the skin and embracing new areas of the body - the back, stomach, and limbs of the baby. The nature of irritation also changes - peeling and redness intensifies, they are added to ulcers, pimples and vesicles on the skin, the child suffers constant itching. In especially severe cases, fungi and pathogenic bacterial flora, as well as neurological disorders, are attached to atopic dermatitis in the child.
Causes of atopic dermatitis in children:
The main cause of the development of the disease is hereditary predisposition to allergic manifestations and reactions in the child. The use of aggressive allergens in family life increases the risk of developing the disease. Among the factors that increase the risk of developing the disease, they also note: increased sweating, a tendency to constipation, drying out the skin, contact with synthetic materials. The most important and dangerous are the allergens that enter the baby's body with food. That is why the lure of children with atopic dermatitis should be carried out very carefully, it is important to ensure that the food for the baby was qualitative and hypoallergenic. Children fed on artificial feeding should be given only high-quality
If the child is fed by mother's milk, the diet of the wet-nurse should be strictly controlled, since the quality and composition of breast milk directly depends on it.
Atopic dermatitis in infants: treatment
It is not easy to cure atopic dermatitis, and the more advanced the disease, the more difficult it will be for parents and doctors to fight for the health of their children. There are two types of treatment:
- Non-medicamentous . This treatment is based on the detection and elimination of a food allergen that causes a reaction in a child. The breastfeeding mother should review her diet, consult a pediatrician and an allergist to create a new diet. In children, artificial animals, first of all, exclude the possibility of reaction to cow milk. To do this, they are transferred to dairy-free (soybean) mixtures. If the disease began to develop during the period of introduction of complementary foods - look for an irritant among the lure, excluding them one by one and watching the reaction. It is also very important to ensure that the child is not exposed to household allergens - washing powder, air freshener, detergents, etc. There are entire lines of products intended for allergy sufferers - sparing washing powders, shampoos and gels for bathing without soap, not drying the skin, hypoallergenic creams, etc. It is also necessary to monitor the temperature and humidity of the air in the premises where the child is - the apartment should not be too hot and dry;
- Medicamentous . Treatment with medications is prescribed if the measures described do not help improve the baby's condition. To stop the disease, an allergist or pediatrician prescribes hormonal (with glucocorticoids) cream or ointment. Use these drugs should be strictly according to the scheme prescribed by the doctor. In no event can you appoint them yourself or cancel them at your discretion - the health consequences of the child can be more than serious. Also, it is necessary to prescribe means that help to restore the protective properties of the skin, its protective barrier (excipial m-liposolution, excipil m-hydrosleep). Such drugs do not contain hormones, so they are often used alone for mild disease. In severe cases, additionally prescribed calcium preparations, antibacterial, immunomodulating, antihistamines, antigen-specific therapy is performed. Useful walks in the fresh air, a normal emotional atmosphere in the family, sufficient night and day sleep. Physiotherapy is used to normalize nervous disorders, and in severe cases - medical therapy.
Prevention of atopic dermatitis in children is reduced to the maximum restriction of the effect of potential allergens
It is important to remember that the treatment of allergic manifestations in the first year of life has every chance of a favorable outcome. This is exactly the age when it is quite possible to rid the baby of allergic manifestations forever.