Thrombocytopenia in a child: causes and treatment

The pathology of the child's blood does not just frighten the parents. They can cause serious damage to the health of the baby. For example, an unpleasant pathology called "thrombocytopenia" in a child can talk about the presence of a serious disease, not just blood. Although in most cases this condition can pass without specialized treatment and does not cause serious harm to the baby. But do not pay attention to its symptoms can not.

What is pathology?

Thrombocytopenia in a child is a pathological condition in which the level of platelets in the blood becomes significantly less than normal. These blood cells are very necessary for the body, as it depends on them how good the blood coagulability will be.

In most cases, a small degree of development of the disease is not dangerous and it is not always necessary to treat it. In some cases, it is enough to take vitamins and correct diet. But if the child's thrombocytopenia is very vivid, then the baby can have serious and uncontrolled bleeding.

This problem can manifest itself as an independent disease or be a symptom of a serious pathology: radiation sickness, thrombosis, bone marrow involvement.

Causes of development

If thrombocytopenia is diagnosed in children, the reasons for it may be:

• Intoxication of the body.
• Autoimmune process (excessive production of antiplatelet bodies).
• Allergic reaction.
• Lack of trace elements in the body.
• Liver pathology.
• Radiation irradiation.
• HIV.
• The pathology of Verlhof.

These reasons are the most common. In addition, pathology can be hereditary.

Degrees of severity of pathology

Thrombocytopenia in a child can have such severity:

1. Less than 20 × 10 9 / L is a severe degree, at which there is a risk of sudden and unexpected bleeding, which is difficult to stop.
2. 20-50 × 10 9 / l - the average degree. In this case, spontaneous bleeding is very rare. However, during surgery or trauma, a person may lose excess blood.
3. 50-150 × 10 9 / l - this degree is the easiest. The risk of any serious bleeding is very small.

In any case, a pathological condition can provoke such a disease as thrombocytopenic purpura in children. Treatment of this pathology should be comprehensive.

The main symptomatology of the disease

So, if thrombocytopenia develops, the symptoms in children can be:

• Dizziness.
• Bleeding gums.
• Nausea and even vomiting.
• Isolation of blood from the nose.
• Appearance of fine pinpoint rash on the body, especially on the lower limbs.
• After removing the teeth or cuts, the blood can not be stopped for a long time.
• On the body of the child bruises are formed, and no mechanical action is required. It is purpura, which is not considered an independent disease. It is a symptom of a violation of the body, and serious. Purpura may even indicate the onset of the development of leukemia in a child.
• Blood is observed even in urine and feces.

A serious degree of the presented pathology can provoke bleeding of any organ and even a hemorrhage into the brain. Therefore, you can not hesitate to consult a doctor.

Classification of a pathological condition

So, there are such kinds of thrombocytopenia:

1. Immune. It is formed before the birth of the baby due to the penetration of specific antibodies from the mother's body into the baby through the placenta. Can also appear with blood transfusions.
2. Thrombocytopenia, manifested due to oppression of the proliferation of cells that are produced in the bone marrow.
3. Thrombocytopenia consumption. It develops with thrombosis, and also after massive blood loss.
4. Pathology, which develops in the process of replacing the bone marrow with any neoplasms. Most often, this occurs with cancer, when metastases grow.
5. Thrombocytopenia, which develops as a result of mechanical damage to platelets due to hemangioma.

Most often in children, the immune form of the disease manifests itself.

Which groups of immune thrombocytopenia exist?

Immune thrombocytopenia in children is as follows:

• Isoimmune. This pathology is acquired. The main characteristic of the disease is platelet damage due to the incompatibility of the blood systems of the mother and child. The cause will also be the ingestion of maternal antibodies into the blood of the child. That is, thrombocytopenia in this case develops before the birth of the baby.
• Heteroimmune. It is associated with a change in the composition of the thrombocyte itself. Provoke this can a viral disease.
• Autoimmune. This form of pathology is characterized by the fact that the body produces antibodies against its own unchanged antigen.
• Hereditary. It is characterized by congenital inferiority of platelets. In this case, these blood cells have a short lifespan.

In newborn babies and most children who have not reached adolescence, the heteroimmune form of the disease is most often diagnosed.

Features of the chronic form

Chronic thrombocytopenia in children is diagnosed only if the symptoms do not disappear for more than a year. The peculiarity of such a pathological condition is a weak expression of symptoms. However, any aggravation is fraught with quite serious problems, so the kid should always be under close surveillance. During a period of exacerbation of the pathology, the child is forbidden to attend preschool institutions.

As for schoolchildren, they do not want to leave the classroom for change, and they are exempt from physical education. It is also important to conduct their prevention of respiratory diseases.

Diagnosis of the disease

Treatment of thrombocytopenia in children should be done only after a thorough examination. Amateur performance here is not welcome.

Diagnostics includes the following procedures:

1. Laboratory blood test for determination of platelet count.
2. Genetic test.
3. Electrocardiogram.
4. Radiography.
5. Test to determine the level of antibodies.
6. Endoscopy.
7. Ultrasound.

This is a complete list of necessary studies. Perhaps all of them will not be required. However, the cause of the development of pathology must be learned.

What are the serious pathologies of thrombocytopenia?

Thrombocytopenia in children (reviews about it are not always unambiguous) may indicate such pathologies:

1. Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome. Most often it is diagnosed in boys. Characterized by a frequent manifestation of infections of the upper respiratory tract, the presence of cutaneous purulent diseases, as well as platelet deficiency.
2. Fanconi's disease. Here the cause of thrombocytopenia is a violation of the whole hematopoiesis system. At the same time, white and red hemopoiesis fall under attack. The first symptoms can appear only a couple of years after birth.
3. Congenital insolvency of the system to form platelets. The disease is quite rare. It appears immediately after birth. Along with thrombocytopenia, the child can be diagnosed with malformations of the bones, the pathology of the chromosomes. The forecast in this case is not always comforting, especially for the youngest children.

Features of treatment of pathology

Treatment of thrombocytopenia in children is associated with certain risks. For example, there is a danger of severe bleeding, which will be difficult to control. During the period of therapy, the patient should not be subjected to even minimal physical exertion.

If thrombocytopenia in a child develops due to other diseases, then they need to be treated. Too strong manifestation of the presented pathological condition requires its treatment as the main disease.

As a therapy, transfusion of donor platelets is used, although this procedure can provide only a temporary effect. Also, the patient is prescribed the intake of folic acid and vitamin B. If the cause was a deficiency of these substances in the body, then after therapy thrombocytopenia passes.

Children must be protected from injury in every possible way, so physical education and sports are excluded. During treatment, do not use a drug such as "Aspirin", or other anti-inflammatory drugs, as they additionally disrupt the functionality of platelets.

Children can be prescribed steroid drugs to reduce the activity of the immune system. The most radical way to combat this problem is to remove the spleen. However, this procedure should not be carried out for children under four years. In addition, in the fight against pathology will help diet.

It is also necessary to establish a diet for the baby and balance work and rest. It should provide the child a normal mode of physical activity. However, do not forget about security.

It should be noted that the intensity of bleeding is the maximum in the first days of the development of the pathological condition. Treatment of an acute form of the disease can be carried out in a hospital. The child thus needs to ensure a strict bed rest.

For treatment, glucocorticosteroids are most commonly used. The course of therapy lasts about 3-6 weeks. Immunoglobulins can also be administered. The course is 5 days.

If there are frequent bleedings from the nose, then a haemostatic sponge is needed , which is impregnated with thrombin. Sometimes the baby is shown with a transfusion of erythrocyte mass. However, the agent presented is only a few days old.

Traditional methods of treatment

Naturally, before using them, you should consult your doctor. Useful recipes can be:

• Sesame oil. It contains many useful components that regulate the activity of the hematopoiesis. It's enough just to add butter to the salad.
• Dense nettle. The plant must be boiled for 10 minutes. This will require 10 grams of dry shredded raw materials and a quarter liter of boiling water. The mixture is then cooled and filtered. Take the drug every day for 20 g.
• Infusion of verbena. It should be poured 5 grams of grass with a glass of boiling water. Next, you need to wrap the container with a warm towel and let it infuse for half an hour. After this, it is necessary to cool and strain. Drink the prepared medicine for at least a month a glass a day.

Applying folk remedies, it is necessary to remember that the children's organism is very susceptible, therefore it is necessary to give the baby a decoction of herbs with caution.

Forecast

So, idiopathic thrombocytopenia (a photo in children is presented in the article) occurs quite often. The outcome in this case depends on the form of the disease. For example, in acute form complete recovery occurs in 80% of cases. And the treatment is not always used.

As for chronic thrombocytopenia as an independent disease, there is no need to fully recover. However, the outlook is favorable for life. Although patients already require continuous monitoring.

Can disease be prevented?

So, thrombocytopenia in children (the reasons and treatment are already considered) is a complex pathology, which can be a symptom of a more serious disease. However, such a pathological condition can be prevented. To do this, follow these preventive measures:

1. It is necessary to avoid situations in which the risk of injury is increased. For example, it is better to protect the child from certain sports.
2. It is desirable to adjust the power. It is necessary that the diet had the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals.
3. It is better not to take such drugs as "Aspirin", "Ibuprofen", "Voltaren".

In principle, thrombocytopenia in most cases is not a life-threatening disease. However, one should not give her a little attention. It is necessary to examine the child. Be healthy!