Diathesis is ... Types, causes, treatment of diathesis

Little children often show special sensitivity to food and changes in the environment. An immature organism can not cope with a large number of stimuli, reacting to them by the appearance of diathesis. This pathology frightens parents, because its treatment is difficult. Diathesis can not be called a disease. This phenomenon is considered the first sign of the presence in the body of irritating immune system factors. Why does the baby have diathesis? How to treat this pathology?

general information

By the term "diathesis" it is customary to understand the pathology of the organism, which causes a predisposition to certain diseases. This concept was first introduced into pediatrics at the beginning of the 20th century. The level of development of science in those days did not give an accurate idea of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of diseases. Therefore, the term "diathesis" was used to indicate a predisposition to something. Today, the doctrine of this pathology is of more historical interest, but it is still used in pediatrics.

Diathesis is not an independent disease or syndrome, but a feature of the body. It is closely connected with hereditary, environmental, age factors. In modern pediatric practice, it is customary to distinguish three forms of anomalies of the constitution:

• Nerve-arthritis (propensity to joint inflammation, atherosclerosis, diabetes and obesity);
• Lymphatic-hypoplastic (predisposition to pathologies of lymph nodes, infectious ailments);
• Exudative-catarrhal (propensity to allergic reactions).

These are the most common forms in which diathesis can manifest. The photos of small patients with such a diagnosis are practically the same, because in their pure form, various variants of pathology are rare. Usually the child has a combination of several disorders at the same time, with a clear predominance of one of them.

Causes of diathesis

The key cause of anomalies in the constitution is the immaturity and weakness of the digestive system. The intestine of the newborn, due to a deficiency of certain enzymes, is not able to effectively break down the components of the food. The permeability of the walls of this organ in the child's body is several times higher than in the adult body. Undivided food molecules as a result penetrate the baby's blood. As a result, antibodies are being developed. Thus, diathesis is gradually developing.

The causes of this pathology can be hidden in the individual intolerance of certain types of protein. Genetic predisposition to allergic reactions also contributes to the emergence of this constitutional feature. Abuse of medicinal products / herbs and improper diet during pregnancy can affect the health of the baby.

A sharp introduction of complementary foods also often results in diathesis (photo pathology is presented in the article). The products that most often cause this disorder in children include the following:

• citrus;
• Protein cow's milk;
• Red fruits and vegetables;
• Chocolate, honey, nuts.

If the baby is breastfed, and the mother does not follow the principles of proper nutrition, in 80% of cases there is a diathesis in the child. How to treat this disorder, the doctor should tell. Initially, it is necessary to determine which product causes an allergic reaction. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the pathology itself passes after the formation of the digestive system of the child.

Symptoms of exudative-catarrhal diathesis

This form of disorder is often called allergic diathesis. To the child month, and the doctor already has put such diagnosis? Do not worry too soon. The fact is that this pathology occurs in every third babe.

The most common clinical manifestation is atopic dermatitis. At its core, this disease is a food allergy. Its development is due to omissions in the diet of a woman both during pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Allergic diathesis is one of the most common pathologies among toddlers. Pediatricians explain this tendency by the imperfection of the digestive system of the child's body. Against the background of certain age characteristics, various aggressive substances penetrate the blood from the intestine, which cause the reaction of the immune system. In 75% of cases, such an anomaly takes place after the first year of the child's life.

What does diathesis look like? Symptoms in most cases are associated with abnormalities of the digestive tract, skin and mucous membranes. The digestive tract on the appearance of an allergen reacts with bloating, intestinal colic. Among the external signs of diathesis include redness of the face, the appearance of rashes on the skin and intertrigo. In adolescents, this form of pathology is also not uncommon. Its appearance is usually indicated by allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, conjunctivitis.

Symptoms of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis

The share of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis accounts for about 10% of cases of all anomalies of the constitution. Its development is caused by a violation of the endocrine function of the adrenal cortex. The triggering mechanism for the onset of an illness can be toxicosis or birth trauma. What does diathesis look like?

Children with this diagnosis are disproportionate physique: short neck, elongated limbs, wide chest. Already in the first months of life in these children there is a proliferation of lymph nodes, an increase in the liver and spleen. They have poorly developed musculature, pale skin. Such children very quickly get tired, often suffer from infectious diseases. The characteristic features of the constitution are pronounced from the first months of life. With a favorable development, they disappear to the pubertal period. In some, symptoms of the thymic-lymphatic status persist throughout life.

Symptoms of neuro-arthritic diathesis

This form of pathology is caused by a violation of the exchange of uric acid and individual purine compounds. Toxic products gradually accumulate in the body, affecting the work of the central nervous system, joints and other systems. Nervous diathesis begins to manifest itself in the first year of the child's life. Such children are not gaining weight badly, they demand constant attention from their parents. After a year, babies with this diagnosis are ahead of their peers in mental development. They have a good memory and learning ability. The back side of the medal is sleep disorders, enuresis, poor appetite.

Medical examination and confirmation of diagnosis

Diathesis is not an independent disease. Therefore, children with manifestations of anomalies of constitutions can be patients of different specialists - a pediatrician, nephrologist, endocrinologist, dermatologist. To confirm the final diagnosis, laboratory methods of research are used. All small patients are given a blood and urine test to determine the level of glucose, cholesterol, uric acid. It is mandatory to study feces for dysbiosis. When lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis is additionally carried out ultrasound of lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

General recommendations for treatment

If a child is diagnosed with diathesis, what should I do? It is this question that arises in the parents. Get rid of insidious symptoms can be through a strict diet, medications and the exclusion of direct contact with allergens. Sometimes standard therapy is supplemented with recipes of traditional medicine.

Doctors recommend strictly follow the prescribed diet. In addition, it is necessary to take care of the skin of the baby. For example, seborrheic crusts should be periodically removed, first softening them with petroleum jelly. Particular attention is paid to the clothes of the baby. Raspashonki and blouses are better to buy from natural materials. When washing, use special hypoallergenic powders and products.

What needs to be changed in the diet?

Mother's milk is considered an ideal food for the newborn. Its unique composition creates in the child's body a kind of barrier from alien organisms. However, in some children, even breast milk causes allergies and provokes a diathesis on the cheeks. Treatment in this case is based on a hypoallergenic diet for the mother. From the diet should exclude all foods that could trigger rashes on the skin of the baby. Particular attention should be paid to garlic, meat, fish, chicken and mushrooms. The amount of fermented milk products in the diet can be increased. Diet should be diversified with vegetables, low-fat cheese, fruit juices.

If the child is on mixed and artificial feeding, parents are also forced to make adjustments to food. If there is an allergy to protein compounds of cow's milk, this drink should be excluded. In such cases, the children are transferred to sour-milk mixes. If such a diet is ineffective, in the diet of the baby is introduced a mixture based on soy protein. The positive effect of their use is observed not earlier than in 2-3 weeks. Feeding pediatricians are recommended to enter from four months. It starts with a one-component vegetable puree or porridge on a soy mix. From six months you can give the baby meat sauce. It is recommended to exclude from the diet egg yolk, fish and seafood. Pasta products are introduced a little later.

Dietotherapy is the main method of fighting with such a disorder as diathesis. The treatment of children is based on replacing food that provokes an allergic reaction, equivalent. The choice of a specific diet is determined by the doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of the small organism. It should be followed until the symptoms of the ailment disappear.

Medication Therapy

An important stage of treatment is therapy with the use of medications. Medications are designed to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and alleviate the condition of the child. With catarrhal and allergic diathesis, the following means are considered to be particularly effective:

• Ointments and creams. They relieve irritation and itching on the skin. Any ointment from diathesis has in its composition a small dose of hormones. Drugs are prescribed by a doctor only with pronounced signs and inflammatory processes. Among the most popular means can be noted "Elokom", "Advantan", "Celestoderm".
• Antihistamine medicines of the first generation. Medications have a mild sedative effect, so their use is recommended to restless children. Among the most effective means can be attributed "Suprastin", "Tavegil". The course of treatment is two weeks.
• Antibacterial preparations. If pathogenic microflora is attached to the pathological process, antibiotics are prescribed. In a complex with them it is necessary to take probiotics: "Lineks", "Bifidumbacterin".
• In poorly healing cotton, ointment from diathesis is used with zinc oxide. Exceptionally positive reviews of parents deserved the drug "Desitin".
• Immunomodulators. The need to prescribe medications that correct the functioning of the body's defense system remains questionable. In young children, regardless of the presence or absence of a pathological process, it is immature. An additional load on immunity can lead to autoimmune reactions, rather than overcome diathesis.

Treatment of any form of pathology can be prescribed only by a specialist. The action of drugs is aimed at reducing external manifestations of the disease. Most of them have hormones in their composition. Therefore, they should be used with caution and only as directed by the doctor.

In the course of therapy of lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis additionally include the reception of synthetic adaptogens and vitamins. With the development of adrenal insufficiency, glucocorticoids are prescribed.

Home Treatment

Diathesis is an ailment, from which it is almost impossible to get rid without home treatment and traditional medicine. However, before starting the course of therapy, you should consult your doctor.

During the exacerbation of pathology, small patients are shown daily baths. When wet eczema , a small amount of potassium permanganate is added to the water, and in the case of diaper rash, a herbal infusion is added. For its preparation it is necessary to mix in equal parts a sequence, a sage and a starch. Then, a tablespoon of herb collection is poured a glass of boiling water and insist for about 20 minutes. After this, the broth should be filtered and added to water.

After a bath of a fold of a skin pediatrists recommend to grease with warm vegetable oil. To treat allergic rashes use furatsilinovye lotions. Half the tablets are diluted in a glass of water, and then moistened in a solution with a cotton disc and rub the baby's skin. To remove the itch use soda lotions. A teaspoon of soda should be diluted in a glass of warm water. Then wadded disk should be moistened in a liquid and gently applied to the inflamed place.

To care for the affected areas of the skin, pediatricians recommend the use of special therapeutic cosmetics with moisturizing ingredients. Pharmaceutical companies today offer not so many options of funds designed specifically to eliminate the external effects of diathesis. Cosmetic creams help to remove swelling and itching, get rid of rashes. However, practically all preparations contain substances that can cause new allergic reactions in especially sensitive babies.

Preventive measures and prognosis

Catarrhal diathesis is considered the safest form of pathology. If you follow the recommendations of the doctor on nutrition and treatment, his symptoms disappear without a trace. A different attitude requires neuro-arthritic and lymphatic-hypoplastic variants of the disease. In this case, serious therapy and constant monitoring of the child's condition is required. At the initial stage of any form of diathesis, pathogenic microbes on the skin are absent, that is, inflammation is aseptic. Complications are manifested over time if the baby does not receive proper care and treatment. Through scratching in the wound on the skin can get pathogenic microflora. As a result, the affected area becomes inflamed, pyoderma develops. If diet is not observed and contact with allergens is constant, symptoms of pathology can be observed in adolescence. In this case, manifestations of the anomaly of the constitution testify to the weakness of the immune system and the inferior functioning of the systems of internal organs.

To avoid the aforementioned consequences, it is necessary to take care of the prevention of diathesis and treat it correctly. To prevent this ailment, doctors recommend:

• To observe hypoallergenic nutrition during pregnancy;
• Wash baby clothes with special powders;
• Care for the skin of the baby;
• To strengthen the immune system;
• At the first symptoms of diathesis visit a doctor;
• Identify allergen and exclude contact with irritants.

Diathesis is first and foremost a signal for parents about malfunctions in the child's body. Do not ignore its manifestations and consider it an innocuous phenomenon. The first symptoms of the disorder should be the reason for contacting the pediatrician. Only timely treatment and proper care of the baby can help in the fight against this pathology. Otherwise, the probability of complications increases. The most dangerous among them can be considered pyoderma.

Take care of the baby's health from the very first days of his life. Modern medicine helps to cope with any disabilities in the work of a small organism. Often this does not require the use of serious medications, it is only necessary to adjust the diet. Be healthy!