As if parents did not protect their kids, but they still fall and stuff their own bumps. For this reason, there are questions about what constitutes a concussion in the child, the symptoms of the disease and how to distinguish it from a bruise. Some head blows can lead not only to hospitalization, fracture of bones, but also to death.
Causes of concussion of the brain
Childhood of each child passes in the movement and knowledge of the world, which is not always combined with the coordination of motor skills. Such activity is sometimes excessive and leads to various injuries. Not all guys can feel danger and height. In preschool children, the head still has a lot of weight relative to the entire body weight, so it suffers the very first. The concussion in the child has its statistics at different ages:
- in newborns - 2%;
- in infants - 25%;
- up to 3 years - 8%;
- in preschool children - 20%;
- from 6-7 years - 45%.
This factor is due to periods of activity. Concussion in a child up to a year happens due to negligence of the parents and their carelessness. Very often, children are injured during falling from beds, strollers, changing tables and even at the hands of adults. The disease can occur and with excessive motion sickness, when the mother strongly shakes baby.
Approximately from 9 months the kid starts to learn to walk and yet does not expose hands forward to insure a head at falling. At the time of a sharp shake (jumping, jerking the child, rough handling) or hitting the brain, the inertia beats against the cranium. In this case, all vital areas are affected, the direction of the blood changes and pressure jumps.
Degrees of concussion of the brain
The children's skull is a vulnerable and fragile construction. Still not strengthened bones can easily be displaced by impact. Depending on its strength, distinguish such degrees of the disease:
- A slight concussion in the child occurs in 90% of cases of severe head injury. Symptoms appear 20 minutes after the fall, this stage is easily treatable.
- Medium severity - in this case, fractures of bones in the cranial vault are possible.
- Severe degree of concussion - the baby can lose consciousness. He has swelling of the nervous system, a fracture of the skull base, intracranial hematomas appear, which squeeze the brain.
How to understand that a child has a concussion?
Parents are often interested in the question of how to determine a child's concussion and distinguish it from a simple bruise. It should be understood that in adults and children the symptoms are manifested in different ways and depend on the age of the baby and the formation of his skeleton. In infants, for example, the disease may have no symptoms, and in such a case it is very difficult to establish a diagnosis.
When a brain concussion occurs in a child, the symptoms may be as follows:
- dizziness;
- pallor of the skin;
- post-traumatic blindness, which lasts from a couple of minutes to several hours;
- instability of blood pressure;
- sweating;
- severe headaches
- slowing or increasing heart rate;
- nausea;
- different pupil size;
- severe vomiting;
- fainting ;
- disorientation in space and time;
- feeling of stunnedness.
The first signs of concussion in the child
The first signs of concussion in the child appear in a few hours, after which there comes an improvement, and then again a sharp deterioration. The baby becomes whimsical, often cries, loss of appetite and sleep disturbed. Symptoms may vary depending on the characteristics of the body and age. Parents should monitor the state of health and, if necessary, take action.
Temperature with concussion in children
The increase in body temperature is not included in the symptoms of brain concussion in children. Very often it is the body's reaction to the inflammatory process, which began in the place of impact. This situation is dangerous, so hospitalization of the child should be carried out as quickly as possible. The doctor must take urgent measures to localize the consequences and eliminate the tumor.
Concussion in the child up to the year symptoms
When the baby is just beginning to make attempts to turn over, it can no longer be left alone on high surfaces without side walls. After a strong fall of the baby, young parents are wondering about how the child's concussion is manifested. Very often the disease runs without symptoms or they are little expressed, so the situation can be dangerous.
After the fall of the baby, you need to keep a constant eye on him. Symptoms of concussion in an infant may be as follows:
- frequent regurgitation ;
- anxiety;
- pallor;
- prolonged crying for no reason;
- a violation of appetite;
- drowsiness.
What to do if you have a brain concussion in a child?
In that case, if your baby falls, do not let him fall asleep for an hour. When a brain concussion occurs in a child, the symptoms manifest themselves in a strong desire to eat, drink and sleep. If you suspect a complication after the fall, call for an ambulance. The doctor (traumatologist, neurosurgeon or neurologist) should conduct an examination of the victim and make a diagnosis.
In the hospital, brain concussion in children is performed only after a thorough examination, which includes:
- checking reflexes, sensitivity and motor activity;
- measurement of intracranial pressure on the ophthalmoscope;
- CT scan;
- carrying out ultrasound neurosonography (for children under 2 years old);
- radiography of the brain
- determination of the displacement of the midline by means of echoencephalography;
- when a cerebral hemorrhage is suspected, a lumbar puncture is performed;
- study of brain bioelectric activity by electroencephalography.
First aid for concussion
If there was a brain concussion in children, then first you need:
- Unbutton the clothes, thus ensuring free breathing.
- Ensure the peace of the child, laying it on a hard surface in a level position and covering it with a warm blanket.
- If possible, fix the head in one position at the same level as the body.
- Put the baby on his side if vomiting begins.
- Apply ice compress to the place of impact.
- Talk with the child, ask him questions to understand his condition.
- Do not give painkillers.
How to treat a child's concussion?
When there was a concussion in the child, treatment is prescribed depending on the degree of severity. At an easy stage - the kid can be at home, but must comply with bed rest for a week. For more severe cases, medicines are prescribed, and children are observed in the hospital. With this disease, specialists prescribe such drugs:
- Phenytoin - with convulsions ;
- diuretic medications (Diacarb, Furosemide) - with edema of the brain ;
- potassium preparations (Asparcum, Panangin) - are applied in a complex way with other medicines;
- analgesics (Ibuprofen, Panadol) - to reduce the headache;
- soothing drugs (Notta, Phenibut) - with strong activity;
- antihistamines (Diazolin, Suprastin) - with allergies;
- Tserukal - with severe nausea.
Therapeutic treatment is supplemented with vitamin complexes, proper and nutritious nutrition, and if necessary with nootropic drugs to improve the metabolic processes in the brain. Hospitalization lasts about 3 weeks. At this time the child can not:
- to be nervous;
- watch TV or read books;
- play electronic books;
- do sport.
Consequences of concussion in children
Restoration of the child's body depends on the characteristics of his health, age and compliance with the recommendations of a doctor. The consequences of concussion of the brain can be very different. On our planet, 4000 children die of this disease each year, 15,000 go through a long and very complicated hospitalization, 4% of them remain disabled. Some untreated babies develop epilepsy, frequent headaches are felt.