Such a concept as increased intracranial pressurepressure in children is familiar to many parents. And, as a rule, having heard such a diagnosis, mom and dad are very scared. And is it really so groundless? This is exactly what we will try to understand in this article. To begin with, let's find out what this intracranial pressure is. Doctors characterize this concept as the level of pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid on the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by small vessels of the brain. This fluid is located in the ventricles of the brain and plays an extremely important role in the human body:
- Elimination of metabolic products occurring in brain cells.
- Antibacterial protection of brain cells from pathogenic microflora.
- Protection of the brain from weak external physical impacts (strokes).
A healthy child's body produces per dayapproximately 400 - 500 milligrams of cerebrospinal fluid. But despite this, intracranial pressure always remains within normal limits. And this happens because the fluid is systematically absorbed into the vessels of the brain. From all of the above, we can conclude that intracranial pressure directly depends on the amount of cerebrospinal fluid produced and the degree of its absorption into the vessels of the brain.
Why does this pressure increase?
Intracranial pressure, as well asarterial, is a very unstable indicator. Its level can increase and decrease during the day. In babies, there are several factors that can lead to an increase in intracranial pressure - strong emotions, crying, screaming, physical activity. This is especially evident in small children, whose babies often bulge from crying - this happens precisely because of an increase in intracranial pressure. Most often, minor fluctuations in intracranial pressure are a completely natural and normal phenomenon inherent in everyone without exception - both children and adults. But in some cases, intracranial pressure increases quite strongly, and sometimes for a long time, as a result of which even the functioning of the brain can be disrupted. In such cases, doctors assume the presence of intracranial hypertension. In the case of an increase in intrauterine pressure in babies, hydrocephalus is most often the culprit of the pathology. If the cerebrospinal fluid is produced in too large quantities, or its absorption into the brain vessels is disrupted, or circulation in the ventricles does not occur properly, the baby is diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Doctors distinguish two types of the disease - congenital and acquired hydrocephalus, depending on the reasons for its development in the child. As you can easily guess from the name, acquired hydrocephalus develops in a child under the influence of various external unfavorable factors. Congenital hydrocephalus develops in the baby during pregnancy, and it makes itself known on the first day after the birth of the child. There are several reasons that can provoke the development of intrauterine hydrocephalus - these are certain genetic anomalies, disruption of the normal outflow of cerebrospinal fluid, hemorrhages in the brain. But there is no need to despair in this situation - the disease is diagnosed fairly quickly, and timely treatment allows the child to grow and develop normally, in no way inferior to his healthy peers.
Symptoms of intracranial pressure
Unfortunately, in some casesDoctors may not notice the onset of the disease. And it is not their competence - they just see the child much less often than the parents. Therefore, mom and dad must be very attentive so as not to miss the signs of the disease. Such symptoms include:
- Changes in the shape of the head
One of the first signs of hydrocephalus ischange in the shape of the baby's head - it becomes disproportionately large. The baby's forehead increases in size especially strongly. Please note - all children change their head shape at different rates, so you need to sound the alarm at the first suspicions. Although often the increase in the head can only be detected by measuring it. That is why it is so important to visit your pediatrician for all preventive examinations in a timely manner.
- Rodnichok and the seams of the skull
Parents may also suspect that their babythe presence of a problem in the case when the baby has a distance between the sutures of the skull, or if the fontanelle is constantly bulging. In a healthy child, the fontanelle is normally either slightly sunken, or if it is bulging, then only slightly. But in the case when the fontanelle of the child is bulging all the time, regardless of whether the child is straining or is completely at rest, it is worth worrying.
For doctors, this phenomenon is quite beautiful.name - "setting sun" symptom. Look closely at the baby's eyes. If the baby has a problem such as hydrocephalus, his gaze will be almost constantly lowered. And parents can notice a strip of sclera between the pupil and the upper eyelid.
- Veins on the head of a baby
In the case where a child suffers from hydrocephalus, a clearly expressed venous network is almost always visible on the skin of the head. In the case where the child strains, the veins are especially clearly visible.
A child with hydrocephalus is usually overlyirritable and whiny - he can scream for a very long time, and very monotonously. And such sudden emotional outbursts can be replaced by severe lethargy and drowsiness.
- Features of physical development
Children with hydrocephalus, in the absence ofwithout proper treatment, they may significantly lag behind in physical development. They begin to hold their heads up, sit up, crawl, and then walk much later than their peers. And the baby's body weight may be significantly lower than normal, because such children are characterized by abundant and frequent regurgitation. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that increased intracranial pressure can be a symptom of a variety of diseases, and not just hydrocephalus. Such diseases include severe craniocerebral injuries, brain tumors, various infections - meningitis, encephalitis, hemorrhages, genetic disorders. Therefore, in any case, a child suffering from increased intracranial pressure should be examined by appropriate specialists as soon as possible.
Treatment of this pathology
As mentioned above, increasedIntracranial pressure should never be ignored. If it is not normalized in a timely manner, the development of the child's brain may slow down, and in particularly severe cases, stop altogether. This can lead to a variety of consequences - from mild mental retardation to severe disability of the child. Unfortunately, most often pharmacological drugs do not have the desired effect. And therefore, they are usually prescribed as a temporary measure while the child is being prepared for surgery. By the way, they are often prescribed to children who are mistakenly diagnosed with "increased intracranial pressure". Alas, this happens quite often - we will talk about this a little later. The treatment of true hydrocephalus and other diseases accompanied by increased intracranial pressure is surgical intervention. The purpose of this intervention is to install a shunt - a special tube that will remove excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain. The fluid is drained either into the heart cavity or into the abdominal cavity. The time for which the shunt is installed varies greatly – from several weeks to many years of the child’s life. As a rule, the effect of this operation is amazing – the child recovers extremely quickly. And the sooner the shunt is performed, the faster the child will recover. Very often, doctors hear from parents the question of whether the shunt will interfere with the child. Their concern is understandable, but absolutely unfounded – children who have undergone shunting can lead a normal, full life.
What can not be done in any case?
Sometimes parents whose children are diagnosed"increased intracranial pressure", try to cope with the problem on their own, using various folk methods of treatment. Or use pharmacological drugs that can only harm the baby. This should never be done, because intracranial pressure in children under one year old is an extremely serious danger and indicates the presence of an extremely dangerous disease. And even more so, you should not place special hopes on physiotherapy, massages, exercise therapy, vitamin therapy, etc. - they will not be able to help the child in such a situation. They are used only as a means of rehabilitation after surgery, helping the child to recover as quickly as possible. And then - all these procedures should be selected strictly individually, taking into account the characteristics of the course of the disease and the general health of the child.
Why is such a diagnosis made so often?
We have already mentioned above that very oftenDoctors, playing it safe, diagnose a child with increased intracranial pressure. Why does this happen? Is it because of the doctors’ incompetence? Don’t rush to blame the doctors – they are right in many ways. After all, increased intracranial pressure is not an independent disorder, but merely a symptom of some other, very serious disease. That is why a doctor simply has no right to overlook signs that even remotely indicate the possibility of increased intracranial pressure. Otherwise, the onset of some disease may not be noticed, as a result of which the child will not receive timely treatment. And since there are quite a lot of symptoms that may indicate that a child has increased intracranial pressure, the doctor plays it safe and makes a diagnosis. After all, it will not be possible to confirm it immediately, since numerous and complex studies are needed that cannot be carried out in one day. Doctors often need more than one month to confirm or refute their suspicions. And all this time, the child will be under strict supervision of a pediatrician and a neurologist. If the child really has such a problem as increased intracranial pressure, he will definitely have other signs of this pathology, or the disease that led to the increase in intracranial pressure. As a rule, in all cases the situation finally becomes clear by the end of the first year of life - the symptoms of increased intracranial pressure either completely disappear, or it is possible to identify the underlying cause that led to the development of this pathology. In any case, parents should first calm down and consult a doctor. Panic is the worst assistant in this situation. The only correct action of parents in this situation is to find a good doctor - a neurologist, whom they can completely trust. After all, in the coming months, the doctor and parents will have to cooperate very, very closely - only joint efforts will help the child grow up a healthy person. We advise you to read:
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Intracranial pressure in an infant can be a sign of serious brain pathologies Photo: Getty Such pathology is possible if:
