Diathesis in children has recently become more and more common. Some children may eat whatever they like, not react to pets and be indifferent to dust or pollen, while in other children, excess cookies can cause diathesis. What is diathesis and how to deal with it - our article will tell you about this.

The concept of "diathesis" in children

Diathesis is the tendency of the body to manifestations and diseases due to congenital metabolic disorders. In fact, this is not a disease, but a protective function of the body against substances foreign to it.

Scientists identify about 10 types of diathesis in children, but there are three main ones:

• Allergic diathesis - a child's susceptibility to inflammatory and allergic diseases;
• Neuro-arthritis - overweight and diseases associated with it - arthritis, diabetes, hypertension and their manifestations;
• Lymphatic-hypoplasia - the body's tendency to infections due to dysfunctions of the lymphatic system and thymus gland.

Most often, there is an allergic diathesis or dermatitis, which gives children and their parents a lot of trouble. The external manifestations of allergic diathesis in children include skin rashes, peeling, itching, and sometimes the appearance of small ulcers. If the child is agitated or very sweaty, the disease progresses. The first time a rash can appear on any part of the body or face, but after a year - only on the neck, bends of the legs and arms. The skin affected by the nodules of the rash becomes dry and the itching is unbearable.

If the cause of diathesis in children is a food allergen, then it usually goes away by 4 years.

But if such a reaction to food occurs at 3-4 years of age, then the child may suffer from allergic reactions and dermatitis all his life.

Diathesis in children of different ages

• Dermatitis can appear in both babies and adults. If an infant suffers from diathesis, rashes can appear on any part of the body. Such a disease is fraught with the fact that an infection can get into the combed wounds, and purulent sores will begin to appear on the skin.
• The second form of diathesis is adolescent, the diathesis is concentrated mainly in the folds of the skin, and with sweating, its manifestations are aggravated.
• The third form of diathesis is adult, it is called neurodermatitis. The skin becomes keratinized and stiff on the elbows, hips, under the knees, on the neck. Basically, diathesis takes up to 15 years, only in some cases the disease spills over into the "adult" form.

The reasons for the appearance of diathesis in children

The most common cause of diathesis in babies is inappropriate feeding. Moreover, the predisposition to the disease is formed even when the baby is in the womb. The course of the disease can be influenced by medication during pregnancy, heredity, environment, poor diet, excessive consumption of allergenic foods.

Symptoms of diathesis in children

The manifestations of diathesis in children can be different: in some children, in infancy, seborrhea on the head is a harbinger of diathesis - it is easy to recognize, since it has the form of brownish or dark gray scales. Often the child's cheeks are covered with a "milky crust", this indicates that the mucous membrane is affected. Subsequently, if it was not possible to establish the cause of the allergy, such manifestations can lead to eczema, and then neurodermatitis.

Also, a child may suffer from diaper rash: of course, not all diaper rash indicates exudative diathesis, but if the care is good, and the spots still do not go away, it is better to consult a pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist. When overheating, diathesis can be accompanied by profuse prickly heat, and nodules form in the places of the bends of the arms and legs, which the child mercilessly combs. Then they spread over the face and body of the child, the skin becomes rough, peels off, then weeping eczema may appear. Often, inflammatory processes are observed on the mucous membranes of a child - these symptoms of diathesis are difficult to confuse with something.

How to treat diathesis in children?

Treatment of diathesis in children should be complex: it is not enough to cure only external manifestations. First of all, you need to remove from the child's diet all foods that can cause allergies - chocolate, eggs, nuts, cottage cheese, oranges, strawberries, spices, milk. Introduce new foods carefully and in small portions.

If the cause of the allergy is not in the diet, pay attention to cleanliness, once a day it is necessary to do wet cleaning, remove plants and animals that can cause allergies from the child's room, and use air filters. Change your baby's pillow once a year - dust mites can cause allergies.

It is advisable to bathe the baby as often as possible, it is not advisable to wash him with a washcloth, so as not to irritate the skin even more. Discard the abundance of chemicals, wash it with regular baby soap with a neutral pH. Wash baby's towels and belongings with soap and baking soda. After the bath, you do not need to rub the child with a towel, just blot it, and then apply a special cream or ointment for dermatitis on the affected areas.

Your doctor may prescribe medications that relieve itching (with zinc oxide) or anti-inflammatories. Healing herbs can be added to the baths - string, oak bark, calamus, bearberry, chamomile. Lotions of strong tea, talkers with zinc oxide, oregano, bay leaf are used to treat diathesis locally. Also, the doctor may prescribe ultraviolet baths.

Prevention of diathesis in children- This is rational and proper nutrition, as well as adherence to the daily routine. The child must maintain personal hygiene and not neglect the advice of a doctor.

Diathesis in children (from the Greek. Diáthesis - predisposition) is an increased reactivity of the immune system, a consequence of innate constitutional features of the neurovegetative system and metabolism, manifested in response to contact with an irritant.

The child's body has a number of features: the processes of digestion and absorption of nutrients in it occur differently than in adults, which is why children are so sensitive to certain foods; the highest incidence of infectious diseases is observed precisely in young children, and infections can cause serious complications; aggressive environmental factors (medicines, household chemicals) have a stronger effect on the child's body.

Many of the diseases common in children are absent or extremely rare in adults. Diathesis refers precisely to such conditions, although it is not a disease, but a tendency of the body to a particular disease. The predisposition to diathesis in children usually manifests itself at the age of 3 to 6 months; in most, it disappears after a few years.

Source: sovjen.ru

Causes of diathesis in children

The main role in the appearance of diathesis is played by a genetically determined feature of the organism, multiplied by the impact of environmental factors. Factors of an adverse effect on the nervous and endocrine systems of metabolic products and chemicals are also provoking agents.

The diet of a nursing mother should be formulated with the exclusion of allergens, spicy, smoked, spices.

The conditions of intrauterine development of the fetus are also risk factors. Diathesis can result from damage to the central nervous system during childbirth or fetal hypoxia. Poor nutrition of the mother, toxicosis, and smoking have a negative impact. Later - aggressive drug therapy and feeding patterns. Typical sources of allergens are foods that have not been cooked and foods that remain allergenic even after being cooked.

Source: online.org

Forms of diathesis

There are three main forms of diathesis:

• allergic (exudative-catarrhal);
• lymphatic-hypoplastic;
• neuro-arthritic.

Allergic diathesis is a violation of the implementation of the immune response, when ordinary substances begin to be regarded by the immune system as aggressive. Destruction of tissues, including mast cells, occurs; when destroyed, histamine is released. It is its non-specific release that causes inflammation, itching, and swelling of the skin. An increase in immunoglobulin E (IgE) is found in the blood plasma. In the development of exudative-catarrhal diathesis, age-related features of the digestive system and histamine sensitivity play the main role. The presence of allergic diseases in the family history is observed in the majority of those suffering from allergic diathesis.

A complication of exudative-catarrhal diathesis can be autoimmune processes and allergic diseases.

Neuro-arthric diathesis is a violation of metabolic processes caused by a malfunction of the mechanisms of purine and protein metabolism. In this case, excessive formation of uric acid occurs, the salts of which precipitate in the tissues and affect the joints, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, lead to endocrine disorders, inflammation of the joints, atherosclerosis, overexcitation of the central nervous system. In the blood and urine, there is a persistent increase in the concentration of purines.

The occurrence of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis is associated with dysfunction of the adrenal cortex. Dysfunction of the endocrine system can lead to pathology of the lymph nodes, a decrease in the function of the thymus gland. Decreases immunity and the ability to adapt to aggressive environmental factors, increases the tendency to infectious diseases and allergic reactions.

Symptoms of diathesis in children

The first clinical manifestations of allergic diathesis in a child on the cheeks can appear in the first weeks of life. The maximum manifestations fall on the age from six months to a year.

The main clinical symptom of diathesis is pruritus. As a result of scratching the itchy areas, point erosion is formed, covered with yellowish crusts, weeping areas, often secondary infection occurs. The child has anxiety, sleep is disturbed. Sometimes the manifestations of diathesis on the face of a child can go to part of the body, arms and legs.

In the severe course of diathesis after a year, erythematous-papular rashes, manifestations of neurodermatitis, dry eczema, stomatitis, recurrent inflammatory eye diseases, rhinitis, bronchitis (sometimes with an asthmatic component), disturbances in the work of the biliary tract and the gastrointestinal tract appear.

Symptoms of diathesis in children vary depending on the form of the disease.

Allergic diathesis

With allergic diathesis, the following are observed:

• pallor, looseness, hydrophilicity, inelasticity, pastiness of the skin;
• decrease or uneven increase in body weight;
• peeling of the skin, the formation of seborrheic crusts and scales;
• the appearance of diaper rash, weeping on the body, scalp;
• hyperemia, infiltration of the skin of the cheeks;
• erythematous-papular rash, strofulus (children's urticaria);
• abdominal pain, frequent and loose stools.

Source: idermatolog.ru

The main method of treating allergic diathesis in children is the identification and elimination of allergens.

Neuro-arthric diathesis

The first manifestations of neuro-arthritic diathesis in children usually arise from the nervous system, the activation of the nerve centers occurs due to the irritating effect of urates and can manifest itself in the appearance of anxiety, sleep disturbances, and outbursts of aggression.

With damage to the joints and kidneys in the early stages, there are only complaints of joint pain (more often at night). Sometimes in the early stages there are signs of damage to the digestive tract, allergic rashes.

Symptoms of the neuro-arthritic form of diathesis:

• irritability, anxiety, aggression;
• joint pain, dysuric disorders;
• acetone vomiting, a feeling of the smell of acetone during breathing;
• convulsive syndrome;
• bronchospasm, asthma attacks;
• intestinal and hepatic colic, constipation.

Source: myshared.ru

Lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis

This form of diathesis is formed by the second or third year of life and, as a rule, ends by puberty.

Lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis in children has the following manifestations:

• pastiness, pallor;
• lethargy, inactivity;
• short neck;
• increased size of the head, abdomen;
• decreased muscle tone;
• increased excitability of the central nervous system;
• hyperplasia of lymphoid tissue (peripheral lymph nodes, tonsils and mushroom papillae of the tongue), which leads to hoarseness, whooping cough in the absence of infection;
• autonomic dysfunctions, frequent ARVI with symptoms of sore throat, obstructive syndrome, prolonged and persistent increase in body temperature;
• hypoplasia of the cardiovascular system.

Source: myshared.ru

Diagnostics

Allergic diathesis, first of all, is diagnosed by external manifestations; laboratory tests are used to clarify the diagnosis. With this form of pathology, the concentration of eosinophils in the blood increases, the level of gamma globulins and albumin decreases, the level of cholesterol decreases, the acid-base balance shifts towards acidosis.

The first clinical manifestations of allergic diathesis in a child on the cheeks can appear in the first weeks of life.

During the diagnosis of neuro-arthritic diathesis, the following are prescribed:

• general and daily urine analysis, analysis to determine urine output;
• biochemical blood test with the determination of the level of uric acid, urates, oxalates and phosphates, bicarbonates, buffer bases (increased blood levels of acetone and ketone bodies, uraturia);
• blood test for pH (pH);
• blood tests for corticosteroids;
• Ultrasound of the organs of the urinary system, liver;
• radiography of the lungs.

If you suspect lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis:

• general and biochemical blood test (lymphocytosis, decreased glucose concentration, mono- and neutrocytopenia, increased concentration of phospholipids, cholesterol);
• immunogram [decrease in immunoglobulins A, G, decrease in the concentration of B- and T-lymphocytes, increase in the concentration of circulating immune complexes (CIC), imbalance of T-helpers and T-suppressors, decreased function of the thymus gland];
• study of hormonal status;
• Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
• X-ray examination of the thymus gland.

Lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis must be differentiated from exudative-catarrhal diathesis, acute leukemia, mononucleosis, tuberculous lymphadenitis, and other pathologies in which lymph nodes are enlarged.

Treatment of diathesis in children

In the treatment of diathesis in children, the main role is given to strict adherence to a diet and a certain lifestyle.

The main method of treating allergic diathesis in children is the identification and elimination of allergens. A hypoallergenic diet is prescribed, the intake of enzymes, antihistamines, calcium preparations, non-hormonal indifferent ointments, baths with medicinal herbs (chamomile,) are used as local therapy. An individual vaccination schedule is developed, taking into account the child's allergic status.

When they talk about diathesis, most associate this diagnosis with redness of the skin and rashes. This is actually a misconception as the rash is a symptom of allergic dermatitis. But the reason for its manifestation is precisely children's diathesis - a hereditary anomaly of the child's body, due to which there is a tendency to certain diseases. These most often include allergic reactions, respiratory diseases, changes in the acid-base state, and others.

With diathesis, the child's body reacts incorrectly to the effects of the external environment, which are common for others. Moreover, this happens due to several coinciding circumstances. For example, malnutrition, irregularities, and frequent colds can trigger a trigger.

Pediatricians distinguish the following types of this anomaly:

• neuro-arthritic;
• lymphatic-hypoplastic;
• exudative-catarrhal.

These are the most common children's diathesis, moreover, more often they are combined, with the prevalence of one of the types.

Exudative-catarrhal

Causes

This type of disorder, to one degree or another, occurs in 80% of infants. Exudative-catarrhal, or, more simply, allergic diathesis in children mainly develops under the following conditions:

• non-compliance with nutritional standards (complementary foods not for age);
• the use by a nursing mother of hyperallergenic foods (chocolate, citrus fruits);
• contact with some household irritants (washing powder, hygiene products);
• animal hair, domestic ticks and more.

Symptoms

• Predisposition to allergic reactions. When allergens come into contact with food, the child shows characteristic signs of atopic dermatitis. Redness appears on the cheeks and butt, then a rash appears, which can be located both in the form of small foci and rather large spots. Over time, on the face over these areas, the skin becomes dense, a crust forms. If the baby is not treated at this stage, the rash will become wet and the skin will crack, which can lead to infection.
• The onset of diaper rash. This happens due to improper child care (dressing not for the weather, being in a wet diaper for a long time).
• Regular stomatitis and conjunctivitis.
• Frequent colds.

Such symptoms are typical for the age of up to 1 year. In most older children, the rash appears mainly on the limbs and becomes dry. By the age of 2, the diathesis gradually subsides and disappears at 3 - 4 years. At the same time, the child's allergic reactions no longer bother.

There are cases when allergic diathesis in children is transformed into diseases such as pollinosis, food allergies, urticaria, bronchial asthma and others. Recently, this has been happening more and more often, so when a diathesis is detected, it is necessary to immediately begin its treatment.

Diet

The generally accepted dietary regimen for children with diathesis should be changed to a hypoallergenic one:

• Continue breastfeeding for as long as possible, and the mother needs to eliminate all possible allergic irritants from her diet. If a child eats artificial mixtures, it is recommended to select them together with a pediatrician, and when a suitable one is found, it is not worth changing it for other reasons (improved composition, a well-known manufacturer, cost, and others).
• Introduce complementary foods only after six months. Initially, these should be dishes made from vegetables and cereals. But immediately after detecting allergies, they must be removed from the menu. And products such as nuts, honey, whole milk should be included in the diet no earlier than two years and only in the absence of skin rashes. It is advisable to feed your baby with homemade food, since store-bought purees and cereals, contrary to the statements of manufacturers, often cause allergic reactions.
• It is better to consult a specialist for the correct diet. You should not engage in experiments and count on "maybe".
• Do not worry that, guided by such diets, you are depriving your baby of the substances and vitamins he needs. A well-chosen diet contains a sufficient vitamin and mineral complex, in addition, if all the rules of care are followed, in a few years the child will be allowed various goodies.

Treatment

• To cleanse the baby's skin, it is recommended to do hygienic baths every day. Before this, water must be dechlorinated - to stand for about an hour.
• Since atopic dermatitis is pronounced in children with diathesis, it is best to get rid of its manifestations with means for external use. These are various ointments, both hormonal (Elokom, Advantan) and non-hormonal (Fenistil). But, of course, they should not be used without a doctor's prescription. If complications arise in the form of infection, combined antibacterial and hormonal ointments ("Oxycort", "Polcortolon") are prescribed. And when the affected area of ​​the skin is severely inflamed, it is recommended to apply drugs in the form of aerosols.
• In cases of formation of crust on the face and bottom of the baby, lotions are made for him, for which they roll up a piece of sterile bandage, soak it with furacilin solution and apply it to the sore spot for 15 minutes. Such procedures are carried out up to 5 times a day.

After bathing, the crust under the hairline softens. But it is impossible to comb it off with a regular comb in any case, so as not to infect an infection. To do this, use a special brush with soft fibers, moreover, before use, it is advisable to scald it with boiling water.

Folk remedies

Folk recipes will help to enhance the effect of hygienic baths. Adding herbs to them will strengthen the child's body, calm the nervous system and have a disinfectant effect:

• Take a kilogram of oak bark, dry it, grind it into powder and insist in a liter of cold water. Then simmer over low heat for half an hour. Pour into a full bath after straining.
• Pour 250 g of roots and leaves of calamus with a liter of water and boil for 30 minutes. Pour the prepared broth into the bath.
• Place 1 kg of walnut leaves in cold water and boil for 45 minutes. Then strain and add to a full bath.

• Pour 2 tablespoons of a series into a half-liter container with boiling water, leave for 12 hours, then strain. Give your child half a cup three times a day.
• Boil 0.5 liters of water, add a tablespoon of chopped wheatgrass root and leave on low heat for 15 minutes. Then cover and set aside for 2 hours, then strain. You need to drink half a glass before meals.
• Pour a teaspoon of ground dandelion root into a glass of hot water. Insist for 2 hours, then strain. Take 50 ml half an hour before meals.

Be sure to check with your pediatrician before using these recipes!

Lymphatic-hypoplastic

Causes

This children's diathesis provokes disruptions in the endocrine system, inflammation of the lymph nodes and a decrease in immunity to infectious diseases. It is activated most often at the age of 2 - 3 years. The main causes of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis are:

• long-lasting or not completely cured infectious diseases;
• improper nutrition;
• non-compliance with the daily regimen.

Symptoms

• The child looks lethargic, indifferent, gets tired quickly, is unable to concentrate on anything. The baby's skin is paler than usual, the muscles are poorly developed.
• All lymph nodes are significantly enlarged and easily palpable without causing pain.
• The adenoids and tonsils become inflamed, which characterize such signs as difficulty breathing through the nose, snoring during sleep and a regular runny nose that does not go away for a long time.
• Children get sick with ARVI much more often than their peers, while they suffer the disease more heavily.

All these symptoms of diathesis in children usually go away by the age of 6 - 7, when in the process of growing up, the immune system begins to work more effectively.

Treatment

This type of diathesis does not need treatment, since its manifestations are entirely dependent on the functioning of the immune system. The only thing that is recommended is a normal daily routine, regular walks in the fresh air, daily morning exercises. But all concomitant colds and infectious diseases need to be eliminated in a timely manner, because there is a great chance of complications.

At the same time, you should not start treatment according to your own methods. The course of therapy must be coordinated with a doctor without fail, moreover, at all stages of the disease. During an epidemic, even if the child is not sick, preventive measures should be taken by taking antiviral drugs ("Viferon", "Anaferon" and others).

Neuro-arthritic

Causes

With neuro-arthritic diathesis, there is a violation of the metabolic processes of uric acid salts. It occurs in a child in primary school and continues until puberty. The reasons that trigger it are most often:

• metabolic disorders, inherited;
• improper nutrition;
• mother's illness during pregnancy;
• complications during childbirth.

Symptoms

• An overly excited state and nervous tension observed from infancy. Initially, it is unmotivated crying in response to sudden but minor stimuli (light or sound). Then there are nightmares, mood swings, nervous muscle twitching, urinary incontinence.
• Sometimes pains appear in different parts of the body, which do not indicate any disease or pathology. The temperature may rise for no reason.
• Improper nutrition, heavy stress on the nervous system or infectious diseases can provoke an acetone crisis.

It is noteworthy that children with such a diathesis are distinguished by increased learning abilities, interests in such areas of knowledge, to which their peers have not yet “grown up”.

Treatment

When treating, first of all, it is necessary to get rid of complications, such as an acetomic crisis. After the first symptoms appear (specific breath, nausea, vomiting), you need:

• start removing toxins from the body;
• provide it with a sufficient amount of glucose (sweet tea or compote);

• replenish the fluid content by giving saline solutions ("Glucosolan", "Regidron");
• introduce an appropriate diet;
• undergo a course of treatment with enterosorbents ("Smecta", "Polisobr").

You should also adhere to the correct daily routine and timely food intake.

Photo

It is impossible to say specifically how to cure diathesis in a child. The features of the disease are such that everyone is at risk. But you can't protect a baby from the fullness of life and raise according to strict instructions! The main motto here is that everything is good in moderation. This also applies to nutrition and stress on the body. Well, and, of course, if the disease is found, timely individually selected treatment is necessary.

Diathesis in children is one of the most common diagnoses made by a pediatrician when a baby has red spots and itching due to them. Treatment of the disease without fail includes the establishment of a diet, excluding harmful products, as well as the use of medicines, if the diet did not help to achieve the desired result. It is worth being treated with medicines exclusively under the supervision of the attending physician, since the diathesis can quickly deteriorate when an infection enters the wounds.

• frequent bowel movements with foam impurities and possible green color;
• abdominal pain and rash all over the body;
• discomfort in the throat and constant sore throat;
• hacking cough;
• constant itching;
• the presence of crusts and pustules.

Attention! It is important not to confuse such symptoms with dysbiosis and start treatment on time. It should also be borne in mind that most children's medicines contain sugar or its substitutes, which are completely prohibited in the treatment of diathesis. Therefore, when treating an incorrectly diagnosed child, symptoms may worsen due to the composition of the medication taken.

Diet for diathesis in children

When diathesis appears, the first step is to establish the nutrition of the child and the mother if she is breastfeeding. Highly allergenic foods trigger pathogenic processes in the body, which leads to rashes and other unpleasant symptoms. With diathesis, the following foods are completely excluded from the diet:

• cow's milk in any form, as cow protein can cause health problems even in adults;
• any fruits and vegetables of red and orange color;
• any desserts, including dark chocolate;
• any nuts all dried fruits, including prunes;
• all sweet fruits, it is especially important to exclude citrus fruits;
• mushrooms in any form;
• seafood and fish;
• bee products, including in the form of teas and syrups;
• rich meat and chicken soups and broths;
• fatty meat and chicken, preference should be given to turkey and beef;
• millet and semolina;
• sour cream in any form, including as part of other dishes and products.

It is imperative to exclude these products, since an ordinary, at first glance, diathesis can cause the development of bronchial asthma, which can turn into a chronic stage. There are frequent cases of the transition of the disease into the form of atopic dermatitis, it is also difficult to treat and can cause many restrictions, in the form of inability to vaccinate, as well as restrictions on the work sphere in adulthood.

Attention! It is necessary to adhere to such a diet for the first month after the removal of the attack and during it. Then it is necessary to gradually introduce allergenic foods into the diet and monitor the reaction of the baby's body.

Video - What is diathesis and should it be treated?

Healing ointments for diathesis in children

Dexpanthenol

Heals the affected skin areas as quickly and gently as possible, rarely causes side effects. To obtain a stable therapeutic effect, it is required to apply the ointment in a thin layer up to twice a day. The duration of therapy with Dexpanthenol is 7-14 days. It is allowed to use the ointment in combination therapy with antihistamines, while in joint treatment it is important to adhere to exact dosages in order to prevent intoxication of the body.

Zinc ointment

Excellent for the treatment of wet diathesis, as the drug can dry the skin and relieve the inflammatory process on the skin. Use the medication on the face no more than twice a day. Zinc ointment is applied in a small thin layer exclusively on the affected areas. Care should be taken that the child does not lick sore spots so as not to provoke vomiting and abdominal pain. The medication is used for no more than two weeks.

Bepanten

The medication is applied to the cheeks in a thin layer, avoiding healthy areas of the skin. When diathesis appears on the cheeks, it is worth using the drug a maximum of two times in order to prevent an overdose and side effect. Additionally, Bepanten has an antihistamine effect, which relieves inflammation and itching. The duration of therapy using the ointment is approximately seven days.

Attention! It is advisable not to get carried away with healing ointments and use them in minimal quantities, so as not to provoke the dosage and unpleasant side effects.

Antihistamines against diathesis

Fenistil

For children of the first three years of life, the drug is available in the form of drops, which significantly facilitates their use and treatment of young children. The dosage of the drug in the first year of life can be 3-10 drops, depending on the child's body weight. The prescribed dosage is taken three times a day. From one to three years, a medication is used in a dosage of 10-15 drops, also three times a day. The medicine does not need to be diluted with water or juice, as they have a sweetish taste and pleasant aroma.

Fenkarol

It is also quite often used in the treatment of children in the presence of any negative allergic reactions, including diathesis. The complexity of treatment with this drug lies in the fact that the medication is available in the form of tablets. They must be carefully divided in order to obtain the required dosage of the drug for a small child. For children under three years of age, pediatricians recommend taking 5 mg of the active substance two to three times a day. The duration of therapy should not exceed 15 days. Young children with diathesis are usually treated for no more than five days.

Fenistil

The drug belongs to the latest generation of medicines. It can be used from the first day of a baby's life. The medication is applied to the cheeks twice a day, so as not to provoke unnecessary irritation and inflammation. With the further spread of diathesis to the body, these areas can be lubricated with Fenistil up to four times a day. The exact duration of therapy is determined exclusively by the pediatrician after an internal examination of the baby.

Attention! Antihistamines are prescribed only in exceptional cases when diathesis lesions are extensive.

The cost of medicines against diathesis

A drug	Image	Price in RF	Price in RB	Price in Ukraine
Dexpanthenol		400 rubles	12.8 rubles	164 hryvnia
Fenistil		550 rubles	17.6 rubles	225 hryvnia
Fenkarol		340 rubles	10.8 rubles	140 hryvnia
Zinc ointment		30 rubles	0.96 rubles	12 hryvnia
Bepanten		500 rubles	16 rubles	205 hryvnia
Fenistil		450 rubles	14.4 rubles	185 hryvnia

Attention! If necessary, you can purchase analogs of the described drugs, the cost and name of which can be found through a pharmacist or pediatrician.

Traditional methods against diathesis in children

Eggshell

To prepare the drug, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the chicken eggshell. It is better to wash the raw egg first, and then take the raw material and rinse again with water. Once the product is dry, it should be ground into powder using a coffee grinder. For children under one year old, the resulting mass is given once a day in an amount at the very tip of a knife, beforehand, a drop of lemon juice should be dripped onto the raw materials. After a year, the dose must be doubled and also extinguished with lemon juice. You can be treated in this way for three to four days. Additionally, this method of treatment allows you to strengthen the bones of a small child and exclude the development of rickets.

Soda wash

This substance helps in treating many problems from common thrush to severe sore throat. To prepare a soda solution for washing a baby, you need to take a teaspoon of soda for every 200 ml of warm boiled water and stir the solution thoroughly. Use a ready-made home remedy up to three times a day. For the baby's recovery, it is necessary to gently wipe the cheeks with a soft cloth or cleanly washed hands. The duration of treatment is no more than seven days. In this case, you should not touch healthy areas of the skin in order to avoid dehydration and drying.

Black radish

Black radish juice is a great helper in the treatment of diathesis in a child

In this way, it is desirable to treat diathesis on the cheeks in children from the first year of life. To prepare the drug, it is necessary to survive the juice from the vegetable, and then take it half an hour before a meal. Home medicine is used three times a day. It is recommended to give the baby one drop of juice and immediately drink a little water. Gradually every day the amount of juice increases by one drop. The maximum dosage of the drug is half a teaspoon of liquid. The duration of therapy is no more than seven days.

Petrolatum

This substance will help to remove the formed crusts easily and painlessly. With this method of treatment, no wounds or bruises are formed. Vaseline is applied in a dense layer to the affected areas. After 30-60 minutes, the child must be purchased. During bathing, all the crusts can be easily washed off along with petroleum jelly, which will significantly speed up the healing of the cheeks. The method is used exclusively while maintaining a correct diet.

Attention! Despite the fact that traditional methods of therapy do not contain aggressive substances, it is imperative to consult a doctor before using them in children under three years of age.

Video - How to treat diathesis in a child

If your baby has pink spots that gradually become crusted, you should consult your doctor before starting treatment. When such symptoms appear, the development of atopic dermatitis and other allergic reactions, which may be of a more serious nature, cannot be ruled out. Self-therapy in this case can significantly worsen the baby's condition and cause the need to take more powerful medications. read on our website

There are words that have firmly entered our lexicon, but few people know what they are. One of these words is diathesis, it is actively used by almost all young mothers, imagining that this is such a disease from which the child's cheeks turn red. What actually is this disease and what to do if this problem affects your baby?

What is diathesis? (Video from Dr. Komarovsky)

An ordinary young mother may find it surprising that there is no such thing as diathesis in the world of pediatrics. It is found exclusively in the post-Soviet space. This does not mean that in other countries children do not have the familiar red cheeks, they just do not consider it a disease there. For doctors all over the world, this is just a feature of the organism and, it should be noted, exclusively for children, since adults do not face such a problem.

Diathesis is not a disease, but only a predisposition to it, so it is very important to find out what threatens the baby and prevent this.

Translated from Greek, the word diathesis or diathesis means inclination to something. We mean by this concept a certain anomaly in the structure of the body or its feature, which makes the child predisposed to certain diseases or inadequate responses of the immune system to the most common stimuli.

What caused these features of the organism? First, by heredity, the genetic basis that he inherited from his parents. And secondly, the habitat, which begins with the mother's lifestyle during pregnancy and ends with the environmental conditions in the area where the baby lives and the hygiene features in his family.

Types of diathesis

There is a huge number of diseases, therefore, there should be a lot of manifestations of tendencies towards them. This is indeed so, today about a dozen of the most different diathesis are described, but three of them are considered the main ones:

• exudative-catarrhal or allergic diathesis - a tendency to allergic and inflammatory diseases;
• lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis - a predisposition to infectious and allergic diseases, the presence of pathology of the lymph nodes and a decrease in the function of the thymus gland;
• neuro-arthritic diathesis - a tendency to develop diabetes mellitus, obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, joint inflammation, as well as increased nervous excitability.

Most often, allergies in children appear on the cheeks.

Allergic diathesis is most common, so most of the recommendations relate specifically to it.... We will also not divide them by type, since almost all advice will be relevant for a child with any type of diathesis. At the same time, it is very important to understand that the presence or absence of a tendency to certain diseases in children does not depend on them in any way - this is what they got from their parents and was shaped by their way of life.

Symptoms and Signs

The most famous sign of diathesis is red spots on the cheeks of a child.... Subsequently, they become covered with a crust, begin to itch and become painful, which causes discomfort to the baby. This is the most common manifestation of metabolic disorders and is often referred to as allergies. In fact, in most cases it is not an allergy in the direct sense of the word, it is just that the child's body is not ready to eat certain foods and does not yet produce the enzymes necessary for their breakdown.

Milky crusts on the head are one of the signs of diathesis

If you do not optimize the baby's diet, weeping spots may appear in places of redness.... Itchy nodules appear on the bends of the limbs, which gradually spread throughout the baby's body. Even mucous membranes can become inflamed.

But red cheeks are far from the first sign of diathesis. You can suspect a malfunction in the body even earlier, before they appear. The first symptoms are too frequent, even persistent diaper rash, which does not go away with the most careful care, as well as profuse prickly heat, which appears even with minimal overheating. In addition, it is indicated by the long-lasting "milky crusts" of a grayish-yellow color on the head.

Can diathesis be avoided?

The most responsible expectant mothers, even at the stage of pregnancy planning, ask themselves the question of how to make sure that the child is born healthy and avoids diathesis? As we have already said, the role of heredity here is very large, if parents suffer from allergies, obesity or diabetes mellitus, then, most likely, their baby is also threatened. But there are some things you can do.

The formation of the child's body is greatly influenced by the lifestyle of his mother during pregnancy.... Naturally, it is necessary to quit smoking and drinking alcohol and other harmful products. In addition, one should try to avoid contact with strong allergens. If the expectant mother really wants chocolate, oranges or strawberries, you can eat a little, but not gobble up in kilograms.

Reasonable dietary restrictions can help avoid diathesis

Not all pregnant women manage to avoid illness. If you happen to get sick, in no case should you self-medicate, only a qualified doctor will be able to select drugs with minimal harmful effects on the fetus. In addition, pregnant women should avoid nervous overload, as emotional discomfort can also negatively affect the health of the unborn baby.

How to treat diathesis?

As we have already said, diathesis in itself is not a disease - it is only a predisposition, therefore the phrase "diathesis treatment" does not make sense. We cannot treat a feature of the organism, but we can try to prevent the development of the disease. If there is a suspicion that the child has a diathesis, it is not worthwhile to self-medicate, you must first of all consult a doctor and establish what kind of problems and predispositions he is signaling to us.

It is imperative to treat diathesis under the supervision of a doctor.

However, it is worth remembering that there is a list of rules, the observance of which will help prevent the aggravation of the situation and will be useful for any type of diathesis:

• It is necessary to strictly control the nutrition of the child. If the baby is breastfed, then the mother should monitor her diet, excluding all allergens from it, but at the same time trying not to cut it down to any one product, including all the components of proper nutrition. It's just that foods that cause allergies should be replaced with safer ones: for example, lamb - with a rabbit, and cow's milk - with goat's milk, or abandon it in favor of meat products.
• It is important to provide proper skin care. Dress your child in clean clothes made from natural fabrics. It is better to wash it with a hypoallergenic detergent. It is advisable to bathe the child in clean boiled water without adding detergents. You can often find recommendations to bathe such children in decoctions of herbs, for example, string or chamomile. This should not be done, as a child prone to allergies may develop a reaction to grass. After bathing, moisturize the skin with special products such as emollients. The doctor will help you pick them up, you should not do it at random.
• It is very important to limit the intake of allergens from any source. The room in which the child lives must be regularly ventilated and wet cleaning done daily. Dust should be wiped off regularly and removed from everything where it can accumulate, for example, from carpets, soft toys, velor bedspreads. When cleaning, use clean water without adding detergents.

In addition, it is important to observe the correct temperature and humidity parameters in the room where the child lives.... It is desirable that the temperature does not exceed 21-22 degrees Celsius, preferably a little lower - 18-19 degrees. The relative humidity in the baby's room should be around 50-70%. This will avoid overheating and loss of fluid in the body, which significantly worsen the condition of children with diathesis.