Skin diseases are common in bothboth adults and children. Atopic dermatitis is most common in children. As a rule, atopic dermatitis occurs in younger children. However, without timely adequate treatment, atopic dermatitis will worsen and then subside, making itself known throughout life. Therefore, it is so important to recognize the problem in time and take all necessary measures to eliminate it. Atopic dermatitis in children requires immediate treatment. In no case is it permissible to independently diagnose and prescribe treatment for the baby. The peculiarity of atopic dermatitis is that it can disguise itself as various other types of skin disease. For example, atopic dermatitis rashes sometimes resemble allergic skin reactions - "urticaria" or fungal diseases - for example, lichen. Incorrect treatment will not only not bring relief to the child, but will also aggravate the course of the disease. In children, the disease is milder than atopic dermatitis in adults, and treatment is also simpler and more effective. If any skin diseases appear in a child, parents should seek help from a doctor - a dermatologist, and if there is none - from a doctor - a pediatrician. The doctor will conduct all the necessary studies, including immunological tests - skin tests and studies. And based on the results obtained, the doctor will reliably diagnose the disease and prescribe adequate effective treatment. Remember that if your child has atopic dermatitis, treatment with folk remedies is unacceptable. If the baby has atopic dermatitis, herbal treatment will only worsen the situation.
Causes of atopic dermatitis
As is known, no disease occursout of nowhere, without predisposition or provoking factors. The same applies to atopic dermatitis. The main causes of this disease are listed below:
- Hereditary factor
Atopic dermatitis is an allergicskin disease. That is why a child's genetic predisposition to allergic diseases can serve as a provoking factor for the development of atopic dermatitis. It is the increased production of those cells of the immune system that are responsible for the occurrence of allergic reactions, transmitted to the child from one of the parents, that very often becomes a favorable ground for the development of atopic dermatitis. Most often, when examining a sick child, doctors find out that in his family, the closest relatives (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, uncles and aunts, sisters and brothers) have various allergic diseases. Moreover, these diseases are not always skin diseases - it can be allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and bronchial asthma. If someone in your family suffers from allergic diseases, you need to be especially attentive to the health of your children.
- Staphylococcus aureus
No less often the strongest provocativeThe factor causing the development of atopic dermatitis is Staphylococcus aureus, which is present on the child's skin. During its life cycle, Staphylococcus aureus secretes various decay products, which provoke the development of various allergic reactions in the child's body.
- Fungal diseases
Approximately the same similar provocativethe occurrence of allergic reactions is also affected by fungi found on the skin and mucous membranes of the child. For example, Candida fungi, the causative agent of seborrhea and some other fungi are often the true culprits in the development of severe allergic reactions in the baby.
- Complicated pregnancy course
Some complications that may occur during pregnancya woman, can also become a provoking factor for the child, leading to the development of all kinds of allergic reactions. Most often, such complications are provoked by various viral diseases, such as acute respiratory viral infections and flu, as well as the use of certain pharmacological drugs.
- Violation of the correct infant feeding algorithm
Very, very often parents, out of ignorancewith their own hands create a huge number of various factors that provoke the development of allergic reactions. Most often, these are banal errors in feeding infants. For example, late first attachment of the baby to the breast deprives him of such necessary immunoglobulins, which provide powerful protection to the child and activate the normal functioning of his immune system. And these immunoglobulins are contained in female colostrum only in the first few hours. Of course, other immunoglobulins will then replace them, but one of the most important and necessary links in successful breastfeeding will be irretrievably lost. Also very often, those parents whose children are bottle-fed complain of various allergic reactions in their child, including atopic dermatitis. This is explained simply - even the best mixture does not contain the substances that are found in mother's milk and protect the child from the development of all kinds of allergic reactions. This is also extremely important to consider when deciding to transfer the child to artificial feeding. If for some reason you still cannot continue breastfeeding, do not buy the formula yourself, choosing it empirically. Such experiments are permissible only under the supervision of the attending physician, who will help you choose the most optimal formula for your baby, taking into account his needs and developmental characteristics, thereby significantly reducing the risk of allergic reactions.
- Breastfeeding mommy diet
As everyone knows, a woman who breastfeeds herbreastfeeding a child, must follow a certain diet. All substances that enter a woman's body with food also penetrate into breast milk. That is why a nursing mother must very carefully monitor her diet. A woman should not eat fried, salty and spicy foods, various semi-finished products, products containing dyes, carbonated drinks.
- Disturbance of complementary feeding
Sometimes, a previously completely healthy baby suddenlya severe allergic reaction occurs, most often a skin reaction. And this usually happens during the introduction of complementary foods into the baby's diet. Most often, this happens for a number of the following reasons. Too early introduction of complementary foods is fraught with the development of atopic dermatitis. This happens because the child's digestive system is not mature enough, and, as a result, does not produce all the necessary enzymes that should break down complementary foods. As a result, the child's immune system encounters unfamiliar complex substances and responds by developing skin allergic reactions. Also, very often the cause of the development of allergic reactions is poor-quality complementary foods.
- Various diseases
Very often doctors note the presence of atopicdermatitis in those children who are often ill. The factors that provoke the development of allergic reactions can be such diseases as acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, sore throats, runny noses, bronchitis. All these diseases impose a certain burden on the child's immune system. And if this burden is too great, a certain failure may occur in the immune system and, as a result, the development of various allergic reactions, in particular, and topical dermatitis.
Age of atopic dermatitis
Many parents are interested in the question ofat what age is atopic dermatitis most common. As mentioned above, this disease can occur at any age and even in adults. Although, of course, this is more an exception to the rule than a rule. Most often, cases of true atopic dermatitis occur in younger children - in newborns and infants, in some cases - in children of the first five years of life. Atopic dermatitis has two periods of progression - initial and secondary. Or, more simply, the acute stage of the disease and the stage of remission (disappearance of the main symptoms of the disease). As a rule, the acute stage occurs unexpectedly, manifests itself quite violently and with pronounced signs. After some time, the acute stage passes, pronounced symptoms of the disease disappear. However, the disease does not go away completely, but only "hides" in the body, waiting for the next suitable opportunity to activate. As a rule, this second stage occurs if the parents did not notice the problem in time and did not seek help from a doctor. If parents ignore atopic dermatitis in their child for some reason, they risk facing various complications, including the development of bronchial asthma and even Quincke's edema, which poses a serious threat not only to the baby's health, but even to his life. In addition, the disease will haunt the child for many years, sometimes worsening, sometimes subsiding, thereby bringing a lot of inconvenience and discomfort to the child. That is why it is so important to immediately seek medical help from qualified specialists at the first symptoms of the disease.
Symptoms of atopic dermatitis
As already mentioned a little above, atopicDermatitis is an extremely insidious disease that can very successfully disguise itself as various other diseases. Symptoms of the disease may depend on the severity of atopic dermatitis, the causes of its occurrence, the age of the sick child, his living conditions, the nature of nutrition and the individual characteristics of the body of each specific child. However, of course, despite the variety of types of manifestation of atopic dermatitis, there are still certain symptoms common to all cases. It is by these signs, in addition to laboratory tests, that doctors diagnose atopic dermatitis. Below are the main signs, in the presence of which atopic dermatitis can be suspected in a child:
- Itching of the skin of a sick child
Skin in areas affected by atopicdermatitis itch. The child constantly tries to scratch them, often scratching until they bleed. This phenomenon is extremely undesirable, since if the integrity of the skin is violated, there is a risk of a secondary bacterial infection. Simply put, by scratching the skin until it bleeds, the child can introduce an infection into the wound, which will result in an inflammatory process and the wound will begin to fester. In addition, it is necessary to remember that itching of the skin itself accompanies a large number of diseases, and not just atopic dermatitis. That is why this symptom of atopic dermatitis is taken into account only in combination with other signs of the disease.
- Development of eczema
Often, when a child becomes illatopic dermatitis, he develops real eczema on his skin. Moreover, the presence of eczema does not always indicate that the disease is in an advanced form. Sometimes eczema is the first sign of an incipient disease. Eczema is an inflammatory process of the skin, accompanied by such phenomena as redness of the skin. Its swelling and thickening. Often, blisters filled with clear liquid appear on the skin, which itch very badly. These blisters have a feature of merging into one large spot and bursting. In their place, a weeping wound appears, which is called weeping eczema. In addition, cracks may appear on the skin affected by atopic dermatitis. This happens due to the fact that the skin actively loses moisture and dries out. In addition, as already mentioned, the symptoms and manifestations of atopic dermatitis differ significantly in children of different ages. It is also very important for parents to know this in order to detect the problem in time and seek medical help. Below are detailed descriptions of the symptoms of atopic dermatitis in two main age groups of children:
- Atopic dermatitis in children under the age of one year
The course of atopic dermatitis in the youngesthas its own characteristics. In particular, this concerns the location of the inflamed skin (eczema). Most often, eczema is located on the baby's face - on his cheeks and forehead, on the neck, especially in its folds. If treatment of the disease is not started in a timely manner, skin lesions intensify, eczema continues to develop further - it appears on the elbow joints, in the armpits, on the tummy, under the knees. Eczema in babies looks standard - redness and swelling of the skin, the appearance of transparent blisters with liquid inside, their merging and the appearance of a weeping wound after a breakthrough. As the wounds heal, they become covered with yellow crusts that fall off on their own. In no case should you try to tear off these crusts yourself - in this case, scars and small marks may remain on the skin. Make sure that the child does not scratch them. To prevent the child from picking off the crusts at night while sleeping, pediatricians recommend that parents put cotton mittens on the baby at night.
- Atopic dermatitis in children 3 to 5 years old
Older children have atopic dermatitismanifests itself a little differently. Of course, all the main symptoms remain the same - the appearance of eczema, itching of the skin, its redness. However, the localization of the skin lesion changes slightly. For example, in babies, eczema often affects the elbows and knees, and in older children - the hands and feet. In addition, cracking of the skin due to dehydration is much more common in older children than weeping eczema. Very often, children with atopic dermatitis have scalp lesions - yellowish crusts appear on the skin, resembling scabs in appearance. The child regularly complains of a strong itching of the scalp. Parents, trying to alleviate the condition of their child, try by hook or by crook to get rid of these crusts on the baby's head. All available means are used - vegetable oil, combing out the crusts with a comb. However, all these measures will not bring the baby any relief, because they are aimed at eliminating the consequences of the disease, but not its cause. The baby's head itches not because of the presence of crusts, but because of atopic dermatitis, which leads to their appearance.
- Symptoms of atopic dermatitis in school children
As mentioned above, atopic dermatitismost often, young children suffer from it. However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example, if the disease was ignored in childhood and developed into a chronic form. In schoolchildren, atopic dermatitis proceeds differently than in small children. The skin is most often affected on the palms, soles, elbows and knees. The appearance of weeping eczema in school-age children is very rare. As a rule, the skin in the affected areas thickens greatly, becomes rough and begins to peel heavily. The affected areas of the skin acquire either a dark red or even burgundy hue. The spots tend to merge with each other, covering a significant area of the skin. In the chronic course of atopic dermatitis, seasonal exacerbation of the disease is noted. As a rule, the greatest exacerbation occurs in the cold season, especially in winter. In summer, most often, all external manifestations of atopic dermatitis disappear without a trace, unless some very strong allergen provokes an exacerbation of the disease. Doctors explain this seasonality of the disease by various climatic factors, such as air temperature, its humidity, etc.
- Symptoms of atopic dermatitis in adolescents
If the disease is not cured and continuesdevelop, in adolescents the manifestations of atopic dermatitis also change slightly. Weeping eczema returns again, but the burgundy flaky spots also remain in place. Skin lesions are localized in the following places - the face (cheeks and forehead), the back of the neck (especially in girls), the shoulder girdle, the back, the groin area and knees, feet and hands. In addition to physical discomfort, skin lesions in atopic dermatitis also cause psychological discomfort to the child. In adolescence, children become extremely picky and demanding of their appearance, often seeing problems where there are none at all. What can we say about teenagers suffering from atopic dermatitis? Perhaps, parents will even have to seek help from a child psychologist. In no case should you brush off the concerns of a teenager - after all, you do not want your son or daughter to suffer from an inferiority complex all their life?
Factors provoking an exacerbation of chronic atopic dermatitis
It has already been said above what is the reasondevelopment of primary atopic dermatitis and how important it is to promptly seek medical help and begin the necessary treatment for the child. These measures will help prevent atopic dermatitis from becoming chronic. If for some reason this does happen, it is extremely important to lead a healthy lifestyle and avoid those factors that can cause an exacerbation of atopic dermatitis. After all, chronic dermatitis occurs in two phases - the exacerbation stage and the remission stage. And if the sick person takes precautions, the disease can be asymptomatic, without causing discomfort, for many years.
- Violation of the therapeutic and prophylactic diet
For a person suffering from atopicdermatitis, a therapeutic and preventive diet is extremely important. As mentioned above, atopic dermatitis is nothing more than an allergic disease. Accordingly, allergens contained in food can provoke its exacerbation. That is why so much attention should be paid to the diet of a child with atopic dermatitis. All products that can provoke an allergy should be excluded from the child's diet - citrus fruits, strawberries, cherries, honey, chicken, products containing dyes and flavors. Of course, sometimes it is very difficult for parents to resist and not give in to the baby's requests to buy him chips or the same "chupa-chups". However, remember that every minute weakness will result in a lot of unpleasant minutes for both you and your baby. Try to learn to find an alternative - does the child ask for chips? Offer him to try making chips at home by frying thinly sliced \u200b\u200bpotatoes until golden brown. Is your child asking for a chocolate bar? Offer him a nice tasty apple or banana. And most importantly, be consistent. Having forbidden something once, do not do it again. In this way, you confuse your little one, and he will constantly test you for “strength” - what if this time you give in and buy him the forbidden treat? Many parents worry that their child will feel deprived if you do not buy him the treats, even if they are harmful, but such favorites. However, in fact, this is not true at all. All children adapt very quickly to something new for them and forget the past. Therefore, if you are persistent and consistent, your baby will very soon forget about the forbidden products.
- Direct exposure to skin irritants
Often exacerbation of atopic dermatitisis caused by direct impact on the skin. For example, an attack can be caused by things made of wool yarn or coarse fabric, with prolonged exposure to the skin. Also, there are frequent cases of exacerbation of atopic dermatitis as a result of exposure to chemicals on the skin - skin care products powders, creams, detergents - shampoos, gels, soaps and washing powder. This should also be taken into account if there is a child in the family suffering from atopic dermatitis. Children's cosmetics should be selected from a hypoallergenic series, and even its quantity should be reduced to the possible minimum. It is necessary to approach the issue of choosing a washing powder very carefully - it should also be hypoallergenic, have a certificate of conformity. Liquid washing powder will be the most optimal - when washing with it, situations are excluded in which undissolved crystals of the powder remain in the fibers of the fabric. By the way, special attention should be paid to rinsing the laundry - carefully ensure that there is no powder left on the clothes. It makes sense to wash the clothes of the smallest children with soap.
- Infections of the skin
The presence of such on the skin of a sick childpathogens such as streptoderma, Staphylococcus aureus can also provoke not only the primary disease of atopic dermatitis, but also an exacerbation of its chronic form. To alleviate the condition of a sick person, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the exacerbation of atopic dermatitis.
- Sharp climate change
Climate change often triggers severeexacerbation of chronic dermatitis. This happens especially often when moving from a cold to a hot climate. When going on vacation with a child suffering from atopic dermatitis, parents should keep this in mind and begin preventive treatment in a timely manner. Traditional methods of treating atopic dermatitis advise parents to take the child to the south - however, this will only worsen the situation.
- Hormonal reorganization of the body
Very often atopic dermatitis, peacefullydormant in the child's body for many years, makes itself known during adolescence. Doctors explain this by nothing other than hormonal changes in the child's body.
Possible complications of atopic dermatitis
As already mentioned, atopic dermatitisnegatively affects the child's immune system - the protective function of the body is significantly reduced. All this leads to the fact that the course of atopic dermatitis is significantly complicated. Atopic dermatitis leads to the following series of complications. Due to the fact that atopic dermatitis affects the skin, the protective function of the skin is significantly weakened. As a result, the child often has concomitant skin diseases such as furunculosis, candidiasis (oral thrush), herpes rashes. Also very often in children suffering from atopic dermatitis, other diseases of allergic origin are added - seasonal hay fever, allergic urticaria, food and drug allergies, and even bronchial asthma. In addition, in some cases, an advanced form of atopic dermatitis leads to very extensive lesions of the skin - the so-called generalized form of atopic dermatitis. The area of skin lesions can reach 70% of the total skin area. This form of atopic dermatitis is almost always accompanied by purulent infections.
Treatment of atopic dermatitis
Treatment of atopic dermatitis should not beis aimed only at eliminating the skin manifestations of the disease. The scheme "atopic dermatitis - treatment ointment" is hopelessly outdated. To successfully get rid of it, the treatment must be comprehensive. And remember that the treatment should be prescribed only by a qualified doctor - a dermatologist or a pediatrician. The first thing to do is to find and eliminate the allergen that caused the development of atopic dermatitis. To do this, the sick child must be on a strict diet until the manifestations of atopic dermatitis completely disappear. After this, it is necessary to begin to introduce various products into the baby's diet, but no more than one type every three days. By observing the child's condition, you can similarly identify the allergen, which in the future must be permanently excluded from the child's diet. Effective treatment of atopic dermatitis without a diet is simply impossible. Along with the diet, it is necessary to begin taking measures aimed at strengthening the child's immune system. A doctor - an immunologist or a pediatrician will tell you how to properly strengthen the child's immunity. In no case should you buy immunomodulatory drugs on your own - this can lead to a deterioration in the child's condition. Pay attention to the care of the child. It should be especially thorough - it is necessary to closely monitor the cleanliness of the child's skin, bathing him and changing clothes on time. Sweat, urine - all this can become a strong factor provoking the development of atopic dermatitis. Also, various drugs are used to treat atopic dermatitis, which are designed to reduce skin inflammation, prevent purulent skin diseases. The choice of drugs is extremely large, but many of them contain hormones, so their use in children is highly undesirable. That is why only a doctor should prescribe drugs for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Even homeopathic treatment of atopic dermatitis should be carried out only under the supervision of doctors. We advise you to read:
