What diseases do your children have? Cheat SheetChildren's Infections

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Often, at the first signs of SARS, many mothers begin to use anti-cold medicines and medicines that lower the temperature to treat their baby, without thinking that more serious diseases are masked behind the signs of a common cold. To protect the health of the child, you need to pay attention to the symptoms in time.

That's why website I decided to explain how to quickly recognize a serious illness in a child and choose the right treatment.

Angina

Common cold symptoms:

• sore throat;
• elevated temperature.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• enlargement of the tonsils;
• white coating on the tongue and in the oral cavity;
• eyes hurt;
• temperature above 37.5 °C;
• aches of the whole body and general weakness;
• very painful to swallow.

The child has a sore throat, the temperature rises - this, it would seem, is a common cold. However, these symptoms may be the first harbingers of a sore throat. Be careful, as angina is dangerous for its serious complications. Streptococcus, the causative agent of this disease, often affects the heart and kidneys. To avoid complications, doctors prescribe antibiotics from the first day of illness, and you should not refuse them.

Rotavirus infection

Common cold symptoms:

• sore throat;
• elevated temperature;
• deterioration of well-being;
• runny nose.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• abdominal pain;
• vomit;
• diarrhea.

Common cold symptoms:

• dry cough;
• elevated temperature;
• runny nose.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• severe cough with a characteristic whistle;
• vomit.

Not every doctor can recognize whooping cough at an early stage, and treating a child with cold medicine at the beginning can even work. However, after a while, a hysterical cough may appear, which is the first symptom of this disease. A coughing fit may result in vomiting. You should not wait, it is better to immediately call a doctor or go to the hospital, because an accurate diagnosis can only be confirmed with a throat swab.

Scarlet fever

Common cold symptoms:

• sore throat;
• elevated temperature;
• weakness.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• small red rash.

Common cold symptoms:

• cough.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• dyspnea;
• a whistling sound coming from the lungs.

In addition to viral and infectious diseases, cough can also be with bronchial asthma. Asthma is a hereditary disease, so if you have asthma or allergies in your family, you should be careful. With asthma, asthma attacks are not uncommon, which occur when a child falls ill with SARS, encounters an allergen, laughs or cries. Asthma is a chronic disease, but with proper treatment, you can forget about the disease for a long time. An exacerbation can occur at any time, so that this does not happen, you need to take antihistamines prescribed by your doctor.

Polio

Common cold symptoms:

• weakness;
• elevated temperature;
• deterioration in well-being.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• pain in the legs and arms;
• loss of orientation in space.

Common cold symptoms:

• dry cough;
• sore throat;
• elevated temperature;
• poor appetite;
• fatigue and malaise.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• severe cough with phlegm;
• increasing weakness;
• pale skin;
• convulsions when coughing.

Common cold symptoms:

• weakness;
• elevated temperature;
• deterioration in well-being.

Distinguishing symptoms:

• coughing;
• swelling of the larynx.

Croup can begin against the background of a cold. When a child catches SARS, the virus first enters the upper respiratory tract, and then it can descend and settle in the larynx, forming edema. The edema compresses the larynx, the child begins to have a strong cough, similar to the barking of a dog, a hoarseness of voice and noisy breathing appear. If you suspect false croup, call an ambulance immediately. This disease is fraught with a fatal outcome: if the child is not helped in time, the airways are blocked and there is a chance of suffocation. The worst thing is that false croup progresses very quickly.

There are a number of diseases that are best treated in childhood. As adults, people tolerate these diseases worse, complications can suddenly begin. If you have not yet been ill with something from our list, then we advise you to be careful, maintain immunity. After all, it is precisely a weak immune system that cannot resist viruses. Be healthy!

Traditional childhood illnesses include measles, rubella, mumps (or mumps), chickenpox (or chickenpox), and scarlet fever.

Childhood diseases are airborne and highly contagious. You can literally walk down the corridor for a person who is sick, inhale the virus, and go to bed after the incubation period. It usually lasts 7-21 days. During this period, the person is usually not contagious to others.
For the diseases in question, some common signs are characteristic:
- acute course with a sudden rise in temperature to 38-40 (even the attending physician will take this for the flu);
- headache;
- general malaise;
- drowsiness;
- moderate or long incubation period;
- rash of various kinds (except for mumps).
According to WHO, childhood infections are especially dangerous for pregnant women, if the expectant mother falls ill, then the baby will probably have congenital malformations. In adulthood, such diseases are more difficult to tolerate, often with the development of complications such as pneumonia, nephritis, and rheumatic processes. Let's talk more about each disease. If you notice such signs, consult a doctor, he will prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Chickenpox

The disease is caused by one of the herpes viruses. You can become infected through direct contact or staying in one small room. Walk outside more often, chickenpox does not live long in the fresh air! The virus is unstable in the external environment, so the final disinfection after the patient is not carried out. A person with chickenpox becomes contagious two days before the rash appears, and remains contagious for the first 5 to 7 days after the rash appears. The virus enters the human body through the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and pharynx. The virus resides for life in the spinal ganglia, the nuclei of cranial nerves that are associated with areas of the skin most affected by primary infection. Reactivation of the virus occurs in conditions of weakened immunity in the form of herpes zoster.

Measles

About the same symptoms are characteristic as with chickenpox. However, the patient is also tormented by a dry cough, runny nose with copious mucous or purulent discharge. After 3-5 days, the fever becomes less pronounced, and the patient feels better. However, after a day, intoxication increases again and the patient's body temperature again becomes high. During a repeated deterioration in well-being, white spots with a reddish border appear on the buccal mucosa. The period of rash begins, it is characterized by the appearance of maculopapular exanthema. Then gradually the state of health returns to normal. The oral cavity and eyes require special care during measles. The patient should be protected from bright sunlight and artificial light, as photophobia often develops during illness. As a result of the transferred disease, a stable lifelong immunity is formed.

Rubella

Mild rubella usually does not require hospitalization. Its manifestation is similar to the symptoms of the common cold and include headaches, redness of the eyes. A characteristic symptom is a rash in the form of flat pink spots, which appear primarily on the face, and then spread to the body and limbs. It usually disappears within a few days. In some cases, more often in adults, there is inflammation in the joints, accompanied by arthralgia.

Piggy

The disease is caused by paramyxovirus. It is transmitted by airborne droplets, but cases of domestic infection are not excluded. The main sign of mumps is inflammation of the parotid salivary glands, sometimes the submandibular and sublingual glands are involved in the process. Swelling appears in their projection, palpation causes pain to the patient. This usually lasts for several days, but in adults, swelling can persist for about two weeks. Most often, when a virus that causes mumps enters the blood, glandular organs are affected: the pancreas (acute pancreatitis), testicles in men (orchitis), ovaries in women (oophoritis). The most serious complications of mumps in men are priapism and infertility. When the virus enters the brain, meningitis may develop. In rare cases, people who have had mumps develop hearing loss or total deafness.

Scarlet fever

The causative agent is group A streptococcus (S. pyogenes), which also causes other streptococcal infections - tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis, rheumatism, acute glomerulonephritis and others. You can get infected through food, in public transport. First, the temperature rises sharply, the throat hurts, pustules appear in the mouth. Then a small, itchy rash begins, which covers almost the entire body in a few hours. An important sign of scarlet fever is a thickening of the rash in the form of dark red stripes on the skin folds in places of natural folds - in the inguinal folds, armpits, elbows. The skin feels very dry and feels like sandpaper. After 3-5 days, the skin turns pale and severe peeling begins, especially pronounced on the palms of the child: the skin is removed from them like gloves.

Childhood diseases

a group of diseases that occur predominantly or exclusively in childhood and are associated with the characteristics of the development of the child's body. Intensive growth and development of the child determine the anatomical and physiological characteristics of his body and the originality of the pathology. Even diseases that occur mainly in adults have a peculiar course in children, which also depends on the age of the child. In the development of a child in medical practice, two periods are distinguished - intrauterine and extrauterine, which, in turn, is conditionally divided into the following periods: newborns (the first 18-24 days), infancy (up to 1 year), early childhood (from 1 to 3 years old), preschool (from 3 to 7 years old), junior school (from 7 to 12 years old), senior school (from 12 to 17 years old) and teenage (15-17 years old). For each age period, certain groups of diseases are characteristic.

During the neonatal period (see Newborn child), the body adapts to new living conditions. The functional systems of his body are in a state of unstable equilibrium, which is easily disturbed. During this period, changes in the child's body are detected associated with impaired fetal development in the prenatal period (intrauterine fetal asphyxia; mother's disease: Listeriosis, Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Influenza, etc.; exposure to her body of certain chemicals, such as alcohol, radiant energy and etc.). From the first days after birth, malformations, prematurity, the consequences of birth trauma (intracranial hemorrhages, etc.), hemolytic disease of the newborn, as well as some hereditary diseases, appear. The high sensitivity of newborns to coccal and viral infections causes the frequent occurrence of purulent-septic diseases of the skin and navel, acute viral and bacterial diseases of the respiratory system.

The rapid increase in body weight of a child in infancy (see. Infant) and an intensive metabolism determine the significant need for a child in food (per 1 kg body weight of a child in terms of calories is 2-2.5 times more than an adult). Thus, the load on the functionally imperfect digestive system of the child is sharply increased, which leads to the frequent development in children of this age of gastrointestinal diseases (dyspepsia), as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract caused by bacteria and viruses (dysentery, colienteritis, viral diarrhea), and chronic eating disorders (children's dystrophy), especially if its regimen is violated. Improper feeding, insufficient use of air and sun can lead to the development of Rickets a. Due to the child's great need for oxygen, the functional load on his respiratory organs is increased (the number of breaths per minute and the amount of air passed are relatively greater than in adults), the tenderness and vulnerability of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs cause their frequent diseases. At this age, pneumonia of bacterial and viral origin is not uncommon. In early childhood and preschool age, the incidence of acute childhood infections increases: measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, scarlet fever (See Scarlet fever), diphtheria (See Diphtheria), and tuberculosis. This is due to a decrease in the titer of antibodies (see Immunity) received by the child from the mother, as well as the increasing contact of children with peers and others. Diseases in the development of which Allergy plays an important role (bronchial asthma, rheumatism, eczema, nephritis, etc.) are becoming more frequent. In children of primary school age, along with acute infectious diseases, disorders of internal secretion are observed, the incidence of rheumatism, diseases of the heart and nervous system is becoming more frequent. In senior school and adolescence during puberty, disorders of internal secretion, anomalies of the genital area can be detected. More common are psychoneuroses, rheumatism, disorders of the cardiovascular system, in particular vascular dystonia; possible exacerbation of tuberculosis.

Prevention D. b .: Antenatal protection of the fetus, prevention of birth injuries, careful care of newborns, proper diet and hardening, the fight against infectious diseases (prophylactic vaccinations against tuberculosis, smallpox, diphtheria, measles, etc.); ensuring normal physical development (physical education, sports, hardening of the body from an early age).

Lit.: Belousov V. A., Textbook of childhood diseases, M., 1963; Tour A.F., Propaedeutics of childhood diseases, 5th ed., L., 1967.

R. N. Ryleeva, M. Ya. Studenikin.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Childhood diseases" are in other dictionaries:

CHILDHOOD DISEASES- CHILDHOOD DISEASES. Thanks to a number of anatomo fiziol. features of the child's body, its functions. instability and pronounced plasticity, the occurrence, course and outcome of D. b. often present such peculiar features that they fully justify ...

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See Pediatrics. * * * CHILD DISEASES CHILD DISEASES, see Pediatrics (see PEDIATRICS) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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A disease is a process that occurs as a result of exposure to an organism of a harmful (extreme) stimulus of the external or internal environment, characterized by a decrease in the adaptability of a living organism to the external environment while ... ... Wikipedia

CHILDREN'S PARALLIES- CHILDREN'S PARALLIES. Contents: Cerebral palsy. Etiology ........................ 818 Pathologist, anatomy and pathogenesis ..... 816 Forms of cerebral palsy ........ 818 A. Cases with a predominant lesion pyramidal pathways ........ 818 B. Cases with ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

Children's hospices in Russia and the world- Hospice is the basic structure of palliative medicine to help seriously ill people in a terminal condition (when organ damage is irreversible), who have days and months to live rather than years. Palliative… … Encyclopedia of Newsmakers

CHILDREN INFECTIONS- a group of infections. diseases occurring preim. in children. A common symptom of all infections. diseases, the ability to be transmitted from an infected organism to a healthy one and, under certain conditions, to take on a mass (epidemic) distribution. Source ... ... Russian Pedagogical Encyclopedia

Children's infections- a group of diseases that occur mainly in children and can be transmitted from an infected organism to a healthy one and, under certain conditions, take on a massive (epidemic) distribution. The source of infection can be not only ... ... Pedagogical terminological dictionary

Children's infectious diseases have been known since antiquity. Written sources from Mesopotamia, China, ancient Egypt (II-III century BC) indicate the description of cases of tetanus, poliomyelitis, erysipelas, mumps and febrile conditions in children. And only since the 20th century, the vaccination of such diseases has been introduced. Historically, infectious diseases that occur predominantly in children are called children's diseases.

So, childhood infections- this is a group of infectious diseases that are recorded in the overwhelming majority in the children's age group, are transmitted from a patient to a healthy child and can become epidemic (that is, acquire an outbreak or mass character).

What could be the reason for the allocation of childhood infections to a separate group? Due to the high prevalence, the first meeting with the causative agent of infection occurs precisely in childhood. In rare cases, a child manages to survive to adulthood without becoming infected from patients or carriers of the causative agents of these infectious diseases. After a disease, a stable (sometimes lifelong) immunity is formed, so most adults do not suffer from these diseases again.
Due to close contacts in the children's age group, when one patient occurs, infection of the rest is almost always observed.

What infections are called childhood?

1. Traditional childhood diseases with an aerogenic mechanism of infection (rubella, chickenpox, whooping cough, diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever, mumps, poliomyelitis, pneumococcal infection, hemophilic infection)
2. Infections occurring both in the pediatric age group with the possibility of developing outbreaks of the disease in groups, and among adults with various infection mechanisms (meningococcal infection, infectious mononucleosis, acute respiratory infections, acute intestinal infections, acute viral hepatitis A).

Virtually any infectious disease can be contracted by a child through accidental contact with a sick person. The exception is the first year of a baby's life, when maternal antibodies to many diseases circulate in his blood, which protects his body from infection when it encounters an infectious pathogen.

Causes of childhood infections

The source of infection is a person. It can be painful for a clinically pronounced form of the disease, an asymptomatic form of the disease, as well as a carrier of an infectious agent.

One of the frequent questions of parents: when does the patient become contagious and how long can he infect?

Infectious period in childhood infections

Mechanism of infection with traditional childhood infections - aerogenic, and route of infection: airborne. Nasopharyngeal mucus, bronchial secretion (sputum), saliva are contagious, which, when coughing, sneezing, talking, the patient can spray in the form of a fine aerosol at a distance of 2-3 meters from himself. All children who are close to the sick person are in the contact zone. Some pathogens spread well over a distance. For example, the measles virus during the cold season can spread through the ventilation system in a single building (that is, patients can be from the same entrance of the house, for example). The contact-household route of transmission (household items, toys, towels) is also of epidemiological significance. In this regard, everything depends on the stability of pathogens in the external environment. But, despite this, an example is the high infection rate in chickenpox by contact-household contact with the resistance of the virus in the external environment for only 2 hours. The causative agents of scarlet fever and diphtheria are highly resistant in the external environment, so the contact-household route is also significant. Also, in some diseases, infection occurs by the fecal-oral route (intestinal infections, hepatitis A, poliomyelitis, for example), and transmission factors can be both household items - toys, furniture, utensils, and infected food.

Susceptibility to childhood infections is quite high. Of course, specific prophylaxis (vaccination) does its job. Due to it, an immunological layer of immune persons to measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, whooping cough, diphtheria is created. However, unvaccinated children at risk remain quite vulnerable. Childhood infections are characterized by the frequent occurrence of collective outbreaks of infection.

Features of the course of childhood infections

Children's infectious diseases have a clear cycle. Separate several periods
diseases flowing from one to another. Allocate: 1) incubation period; 2) prodromal period; 3) the period of the peak of the disease; 4) the period of convalescence (early and late).

Incubation period- this is the period from the moment the child comes into contact with the source of infection until the onset of a symptom of the disease. During this period, the child is called contact and is in quarantine (under the supervision of medical workers). Quarantine can be minimum and maximum. Usually the quarantine period is set for the duration of the maximum incubation period. During this period, they monitor the health of the contact child - measure the temperature, monitor the appearance of symptoms of intoxication (weakness, headaches, and others).

Incubation period for childhood infections

Rubella 11 to 24 days
Measles 9 to 21 days
Chickenpox 10 to 23 days
Scarlet fever from several hours to 12 days
Whooping cough 3 to 20 days
Diphtheria from 1 hour to 10 days
Mumps (mumps) 11 to 26 days
Poliomyelitis 3 to 35 days
Hepatitis A 7 to 45 days
Dysentery 1 to 7 days
Salmonellosis 2 hours to 3 days

As soon as one of the complaints appears, the second period begins - premonitory which is directly related to the onset of the disease. For the most part, the onset of the disease in childhood infections is acute. The child is concerned about the temperature, symptoms of intoxication (weakness, chills, headaches, fatigue, sweating, loss of appetite, drowsiness, and others). The temperature reaction may be different, but the vast majority of children have the correct type of fever (with a maximum in the evening and a decrease in the morning), the height of the fever may vary depending on the pathogenicity of the pathogens of childhood infections, the infectious dose, and the reactivity of the child's body itself. More often it is a febrile temperature (more than 38 °) with a peak towards the end of the first or second day of illness. The duration of the prodromal period varies depending on the type of childhood infectious disease, but on average 1-3 days.

period of illness characterized by a specific symptom complex (that is, symptoms characteristic of a specific childhood infection). The development of specific symptoms is accompanied by ongoing fever, the duration of which varies with different infections.

A specific symptom complex is the sequential occurrence of certain symptoms. For whooping cough, this is a specific cough that has the character of dry and paroxysmal with several short cough jerks and a deep wheezing breath (reprise). For mumps (mumps) - this is inflammation of the parotid, submandibular and sublingual salivary glands (swelling of the parotid region, pain when touched, puffiness of the face, pain in the affected area, dry mouth). Diphtheria is characterized by a specific lesion of the oropharynx (enlargement of the tonsils, swelling and the appearance of a characteristic fibrinous grayish plaque on the tonsils). For hepatitis A, the peak period is manifested by the appearance of jaundice. In poliomyelitis, a characteristic lesion of the nervous system.

However, one of the most common manifestations of childhood infections is rash (infectious exanthema). It is the rash that is the “frightening calling card” of infections in children and requires proper decoding. The rash may occur all at once or in stages.

With rubella, the rash is small-spotted, and then maculopapular in nature, occurs mainly on the extensor surfaces of the limbs and the trunk - the back, lower back, buttocks, the skin background is not changed. First appears on the face, then spreads to the trunk during the day. Disappears without a trace.

In measles, a maculopapular rash is observed, characterized by a descending sequence of rashes (1 day of rash - face, scalp, upper chest, 2nd day of rash - trunk and upper half of the arms, 3rd day of rash - lower arms, lower extremities, and face turns pale), the rash is prone to confluence, after the disappearance of pigmentation of the skin. Sometimes the rash with rubella resembles measles. In this situation, a specific symptom comes to the aid of the doctor - Filatov-Koplik spots (on the inside of the cheeks, whitish-greenish papules that appear on the 2-3rd day of illness).

Filatov spots with measles

With chickenpox, we see a vesicular rash (blister), the elements of which are located against the background of redness. First, this spot, then it rises, a bubble forms with a serous transparent liquid, then the bubble dries up, the liquid disappears and a crust appears. Characterized by falling asleep with repeated rises in temperature every 2-3 days. The period from the moment the rash appears to the complete disappearance of the crusts lasts 2-3 weeks.

With scarlet fever, on a hyperemic background of the skin (a background of redness), an abundant small-dotted rash appears. The rash is more intense in the area of ​​skin folds (elbows, armpits, inguinal folds). The nasolabial triangle is pale and free of rash. After the disappearance of the rash, peeling continues for 2-3 weeks.

Meningococcal infection (meningococcemia) is characterized by the appearance of a hemorrhagic rash, first small, and then confluent in the form of "stars". The rash often appears on the buttocks, legs, arms, eyelids.

In addition to a rash, any childhood infection is characterized by lymphadenopathy (enlargement of certain groups of lymph nodes). The involvement of the lymphatic system is an integral part of the infectious process in infections. With rubella, there is an increase in the posterior cervical and occipital lymph nodes. With measles, the cervical lymph nodes increase, with chickenpox - behind the ear and cervical, and with scarlet fever - the anterior cervical lymph nodes. With mononucleosis - a strong increase in the posterior cervical lymph nodes (packages of lymph nodes are visible when the child's head turns).

The period of convalescence (recovery) characterized by the extinction of all symptoms of infection, the restoration of the functions of the affected organs and systems, the formation of immunity. Early convalescence lasts up to 3 months, late convalescence affects the period up to 6-12 months, and less often longer.

Another feature of childhood infections is the variety of clinical forms. Allocate
manifest forms (with characteristic symptoms of the disease) of mild, moderate, severe degree, erased forms, subclinical (asymptomatic), abortive forms (interruption of the course of infection).

The expected complexity of infections in children is the risk of rapid development of severe
complications. These can be: infectious-toxic shock at the onset of the disease (critical pressure drop, which is more often observed with meningococcal infection, scarlet fever), neurotoxicosis at high temperature (developing cerebral edema), sudden respiratory arrest or apnea with whooping cough (due to depression of the respiratory center ), true croup syndrome in diphtheria (due to powerful toxic edema of the oropharynx), viral brain lesions (rubella encephalitis, measles encephalitis, varicella encephalitis), dehydration syndrome (in acute intestinal infections), broncho-obstructive syndrome, hemolytic uremic syndrome, DIC.

Considering all of the above, it is necessary to maintain a critical attitude towards the condition of the child and seek medical help in a timely manner.

Symptoms of childhood infections that require medical attention

1) Febrile temperature (38 ° and above).
2) Severe symptoms of intoxication (lethargy, drowsiness of the child).
3) The appearance of a rash.
4) Vomiting and severe headache.
5) The appearance of any symptoms against the background of high temperature.

Diagnosis of childhood infections

A preliminary diagnosis is made by a pediatrician. Matter: the patient's contact with other patients with infection, data on vaccination (vaccinations), characteristic symptoms of infection.

The final diagnosis is made after laboratory tests.
- Non-specific methods (general blood count, urine, feces, biochemical blood tests, blood electrolytes), instrumental diagnostic methods (X-ray, ultrasound, MRI according to indications)
- Specific methods for the detection of pathogens and / or their antigens (virological, bacteriological, PCR), as well as for the detection of antibodies to pathogens in the blood (ELISA, RNHA, RTGA, RA, RPHA and others).

Basic principles for the treatment of childhood infections

The goal of treatment is the recovery of a small patient and the restoration of impaired functions of organs and systems, which is achieved by solving the following tasks:
1) the fight against the pathogen and its toxins;
2) maintaining the functions of vital organs and systems;
3) increasing the immunological reactivity (resistance) of the child's body;
4) prevention of complications of childhood infection.

The tasks of treatment are carried out by carrying out the following activities:
1. Timely detection and, if necessary, hospitalization of a sick child, the creation of a protective regime for him - bed in severe and moderate condition, good nutrition, drinking regimen.
2. Etiotropic therapy (specific drugs aimed at suppressing growth or destroying the infectious agent). Depending on the infection, antibiotics, antiviral agents are prescribed. Incorrect interpretation of the diagnosis and the appointment of etiotropic treatment not according to the profile will lead to a possible aggravation of the infection and the development of complications.
3. Pathogenetic therapy is mainly associated with infusion therapy with solutions of a certain orientation (glucose-salt solutions, colloids, plasma, blood preparations), as well as specific parenteral drugs (protease inhibitors, glucocorticosteroids, and others), immunomodulators.
4. Posyndromic therapy is carried out for any infection (antipyretic, antiemetic, vasoconstrictor, expectorant, antitussive, antihistamine and many others).

How to prevent infections in childhood?

1) Strengthening the child's body and increasing its resistance to infections (hygiene, hardening, outdoor walks, good nutrition)
2) Timely visit to the doctor at the first symptoms of infection
3) Specific prevention of children's infections - vaccination. For many childhood infections, vaccination is included in the National Immunization Schedule - measles, rubella, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, mumps, hepatitis B). Currently, vaccines have been created for other infections (chicken pox, meningococcal infection, pneumococcal infection, hemophilic infection). Parents' neglect of routine vaccination of children without special medical reasons creates a vulnerable layer of non-immune children, who are primarily susceptible to infection with infectious pathogens.

Infectious disease specialist Bykova N.I.

The fact is that the child's body meets during the first years of its existence with a huge number of pathogenic organisms. While the causative agents of infectious diseases of a younger age have a high infectious ability (virulence). In addition, after the transfer of pathology, a strong immunity is developed, which excludes re-infection.

That is why adults do not get sick for the most part: diseases are so contagious that everyone has time to get sick with them in childhood. What diseases are we talking about?

Specific childhood infections

Chickenpox

- a real scourge of preschool and early school children. The causative agent of pathology is the herpetic virus of the third type.

The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets and is characterized by such significant virulence that just being in a room with a patient is enough to get infected.

The "calling card" of smallpox is profuse rashes all over the body. The rash appears 7-21 days after the virus enters the bloodstream and causes unbearable itching, burning and a desire to comb the affected area.

Gradually, red spots transform into papules (pimples), which open and scar. In addition, there are such manifestations as:

• increase in body temperature,
• ache in the bones,
• the appearance of pimples on the mucous membranes.

The duration of the course of the pathology is from 5 to 12 days, subject to competent and complex therapy. Chickenpox is a common skin infection.

Measles

Less contagious disease. Most often they suffer from patients aged 3-6 years. The infectious agent, a special RNA virus, is transmitted by airborne droplets.

The first manifestations are similar in nature to typical bronchitis or upper respiratory tract lesions. Observed:

• rise in temperature to 36.5-38.5 degrees,
• cough,
• redness of the mucous membranes and skin.

After a few days, a rash develops on the skin. A sign that makes it possible to distinguish measles from other diseases is the special spots of Belsky-Filatov on the mucous membranes of the mouth (white spots surrounded by a red border).

The duration of the course of the disease is about a week or two. There are no specialized drugs for treatment. Antiseptics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics are used.

Rubella

A typical viral disease that affects both infants and adolescents. Runs soft. The incubation period lasts about 3 weeks. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets.

The clinical picture is dominated by focal manifestations. After 3-5 days from the end of the incubation period, a profuse rash develops on the skin of the face, which spreads extensively over time, affecting the skin folds, mainly in the back, abdomen, buttocks, arms and legs.

The first signs of the disease are:

• increase in body temperature,
• headache,
• feeling of weakness and weakness.

Rubella can be distinguished by identifying lymphadenitis (inflammation of the lymph nodes).

There is no specific treatment. It is enough to take antibacterial drugs and antipyretics as needed. The disease resolves after 5-7 days.

Scarlet fever

- an acute infectious disease of a bacterial profile (provoked by streptococcus). A short incubation period (several days) and a pronounced clinical picture make this disease extremely dangerous.

Symptoms are pronounced and characterized by:

• hyperthermia,
• the formation of a skin rash,
• the occurrence of secondary angina,
• a change in the texture of the tongue: it becomes crimson red, grainy.

The disease is characterized by an aggressive course. In severe cases, hospital treatment is indicated. In therapy, preference is given to antibiotics.

Whooping cough

Bacterial infection of the upper and lower respiratory tract. The disease proceeds with a pronounced cough, shortness of breath. In severe cases of the disease, the development of bronchospasm, respiratory failure is possible. In this case, inpatient treatment is indicated. The main symptoms are manifested against the background of severe hyperthermia.

Therapy takes place under the supervision of a pediatrician or infectious disease specialist. The prognosis of the disease depends on the timeliness of the start of treatment.

Piggy

She's parotitis. Has a very variable age range. It is transmitted by airborne droplets. It is characterized by a predominant lesion of glandular tissues. Salivary glands, pancreas, etc. suffer.

The process begins with the development of general symptoms: headache, weakness, weakness.

On the 3rd-5th day of illness, a pronounced swelling of the salivary glands appears. There is a pain syndrome, which is aggravated by talking, chewing, head movements. At the end of the disease, a stable lifelong immunity is formed.

Polio

Dangerous pathology of the nervous system. Causes tissue damage to the spinal cord. As a rule, it proceeds only with the phenomena of general intoxication. A few weeks and even months later, against the background of imaginary well-being, paresis and paralysis of the limbs develop.

Depending on the height and localization of the lesion, immobilization of both arms and legs is possible. Over time, there is atrophy of the corresponding muscles and a complete loss of function of the affected limb.

pneumococcal infection

As the name implies, it develops due to infection of the body with pneumococcus. Possible damage to the lungs, eardrums. The most common is pneumococcal pneumonia. It is impossible to distinguish it from ordinary pneumonia - a sputum analysis is required.

Most are treated in a hospital setting. Calls:

• intense cough,
• shortness of breath
• suffocation,
• temperature rise to febrile values.

Hemophilus infection

Strictly speaking, it is not a childhood disease, since it rarely leaves strong immunity. It is characterized by various forms, depending on the localization of the lesion by hemophilic bacterium.

Pneumonia and meningitis are the most common. Diseases are accompanied by typical symptoms.

Features of the course of childhood diseases

Features of infectious diseases in children include:

• Shorter incubation period.
• Light flow. Features of the course of infectious diseases in children are characterized by a low intensity of manifestations.
• At the same time, the clinical picture, on the contrary, is observed, so to speak, "in all its glory."

At the end of the acute period, the disease does not recede completely, but continues to proceed in a chronic, latent form. The immune system is the only thing that prevents re-infection.

Childhood diseases that may manifest in adulthood

Meningococcal infection

It does not cause the formation of stable immunity, because the disease can affect a person several times. The causative agent is meningococcus.

The disease begins with typical generalized phenomena:

• headache,
• changes in the nasopharynx, lower respiratory tract.

The brain and its membranes are predominantly affected. In children, the disease is less aggressive. With the normal functioning of the immune system, meningococcal infection occurs with mild catarrhal symptoms.

Treatment at home is possible. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. Strict bed rest is shown. In severe cases, urgent hospitalization is necessary.

Infectious mononucleosis

A nonspecific disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is characterized by a generalized lesion of the whole organism.

• There is a fever (with febrile thermometer values),
• changes in the nasopharynx, lower respiratory tract, spleen, liver.

Despite the complex nature of the pathology, it proceeds both in childhood and in adulthood relatively mildly.

Acute respiratory diseases

Outdated name. The current name is acute respiratory viral infection. A kind of "garbage" diagnosis, which general practitioners and pediatricians make in all incomprehensible cases. In fact, this is a whole group of diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, caused by a viral pathogen.

The disease proceeds according to the classical "cold" pattern. Specific immunity does not develop.

Intestinal infections

Dysentery, salmonellosis, escherichiosis, damage by rotaviruses, enteroviruses, etc. They are not childhood diseases. Most often found in younger patients due to neglect of hygiene rules.

Intestinal-infectious pathologies are accompanied by:

• intense hyperthermia,
• dyspepsia,
• diarrhea
• tenesmus (false urge to empty the bowels).

During the entire period of the course of the disease, the feces of the patient are considered biologically hazardous.

Hepatitis A

Also known as "jaundice". Provoked by a viral pathogen. The incubation period is about a month. In its development, the disease goes through three phases.

The first phase proceeds with fever and the development of dyspeptic symptoms (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting), symptoms of general intoxication.

The second phase is characterized by yellowing of the sclera of the eyes and skin. Also, a change in the pigmentation of urine, feces. Fever and general manifestations recede. There are pains in the right hypochondrium.

In the resolution phase, all symptoms recede, the patient's condition returns to normal.

Taking into account the treatment, the duration of the disease is about 2-3 weeks. Hepatitis A is considered a relatively mild disease because it rarely causes complications. After treatment, the virus remains in the carrier's liver cells, continuing to exist in a latent form.

All the described diseases are only conditionally called children's. Adults can also tolerate them, however, due to the characteristics of the pathogens of such pathologies, people get sick from the very first years of life. Regardless of the nature of the course of the pathology, therapy should be carried out only under the supervision of a physician.