Unfortunately, children, as well as adults, suffer from chronic diseases. One of these ailments is rheumatism, which in childhood runs hard with a lot of exacerbations and leads to dangerous lesions of the heart and other organs.
Rheumatism in children: causes
The danger of rheumatism is that this disease is not only infectious, but also allergic. It arises as an allergic reaction of the body to streptococcal infection.
The focus of infection can be any organ and tissue of the body - teeth affected by caries or tonsils, liver, etc. Infection occurs both acute and chronic.
What can provoke the appearance of rheumatism? In many cases, rheumatism appears immediately after the child has had an angina. Exacerbation may occur after a month. During this time, streptococcus creates in the body a specific sensitivity of the body to irritants and an allergic reaction is manifested.
Responsible for the manifestation of the disease may be stress, any nervous and physical exhaustion, which leads to a weakening of immunity and, as a consequence, to the emergence of a favorable background for infection.
The course of the rheumatic process can be acute, manifested in the form of seizures, and flaccid - without seizures. It depends on the degree of heart damage. The insidiousness of rheumatism is that with every new attack pathological changes from the heart are amplified. The younger the child, the more serious the disease.
Rheumatism in children: symptoms
| In acute disease | With a lingering course of the disease |
|---|---|
| 1. The temperature can rise 38-39 ° C. | 1. A child may complain of lethargy and will quickly become tired. |
| 2. There is pain, there is swelling in the joints. | 2. Complaints of mild minor joint pain. |
| 3. The child pales. | 3. The temperature can be either normal or slightly elevated to 37-37.6 ° C. |
| 4. Shortness of breath appears. | 4. Signs of rheumatism in children are almost not apparent, parents do not pay attention to minor complaints of children and for a long time do not know about the disease. |
| 5. There are signs of heart damage. | 5. Gradually, changes in the heart begin to bother the child, but by that time they have already identified the formed heart disease. |
Rheumatism in children: treatment
Rheumatism of the heart in children is treated depending on how the disease proceeds and in what form.
Treatment for acute diseaseTuboitol :
- It is carried out in the hospital (about 6 weeks) with the strictest regime.
- It is necessary to observe peace. Have a minimal load on the cardiovascular system.
- Drug treatment (6-8 weeks) with such drugs as amidopirin and preparations of salicylic acid (sodium salicylate, salipirin, acetylsalicylic acid) is performed.
Treatment for sluggish disease:
- The first 2-3 weeks of treatment should be carried out at the hospital.
- How long it will take to comply with bed rest depends on the results of laboratory tests.
- If the process of rheumatism is not active the child can be treated out-patient.
- After discharge from the hospital, many children are recommended to have a sanatorium treatment.
- At home, you must also follow the regime. It is easy to charge and wipe to the waist in the morning. Food should contain a lot of vitamins.
Must rest in the afternoon.
Prevention of rheumatism in children
The most important is the strengthening of health through hardening, physical exercises. It is necessary to carry out rehabilitation of those organs that are exposed to chronic streptococcal infection.
A course of antibiotics is prescribed for children suffering from rheumatism in order to prevent secondary exacerbation. Medical preventive measures are conducted 2 times a year for children who are registered for illness. And recently the sick are treated for 5 years under the strict supervision of a doctor.