Mycoplasma is a group of diseases characterized by infectious damage to the body by aggressive agents of the external environment - mycoplasmas. They, getting on the mucous membranes of the oral, nasal cavity or eye area, cause focal inflammation of the urinary tract, visual analyzer, musculoskeletal system, upper and lower respiratory sections.
Microbial infection
In total, there are more than 70 varieties of mycoplasmas in nature, while some of them can be transmitted not only by airborne droplets, contact, but also through sexual intercourse, causing various difficult-to-diagnose venereal diseases. They, in turn, are easily transported to all family members living with an infected person and using the same household items - bed linen, towels, other utensils.
Before you agree to the therapy prescribed for your baby, you should pay attention to the advice of professional doctors. Regarding the symptoms and treatment of mycoplasma in children, Komarovsky makes some warnings. This disease is one of the so-called "commercial" diagnoses, which also include ureaplasma and chlamydia. In this regard, the doctor recommends undergoing a deep examination and consulting with two specialists. In addition, we need a competent approach and timely treatment, so you need to go to the hospital when the first symptoms appear.
Reasons
Factors contributing to the development of the disease in children:
- Decrease in the body's immune forces.
- Genetic predisposition.
- The presence of any of the relatives of this disease.
- Infection from a peer who is a carrier of the virus. In this case, the transmission of the virus occurs by airborne droplets when talking, playing or using other people's household items.
- In adults, infection occurs through sexual contact without the use of contraceptives.
- Transmission of infection during the period of gestation or when the child passes through the birth canal of the mother. This way of transmitting the virus is most dangerous for the life of the child, since newborn children do not have strong immunity. The disease proceeds with an increase in subfebrile body temperature. May develop in children with low resistance to infection.
- Low body weightbirth on the Apgar scale. Children born prematurely or at term, but with a small body weight, are a special risk group for contracting microplasma infection.
- Diseases of the genitourinary system. For timely treatment, you should undergo various laboratory tests for the differential diagnosis of mycoplasmosis from related conditions. To prevent the disease, it is necessary to isolate the patient from contact with strangers.
Symptoms
The symptoms of mycoplasma and chlamydia in children are almost identical. It begins to actively manifest itself only when the so-called incubation period is over, which can last from several days to a couple of weeks. A feature of the manifestation of symptoms of mycoplasma is that, first of all, the infection affects the nasal mucosa and upper respiratory tract, then it descends down to the bronchi and lungs. At the same time, it should be noted that in the absence of timely therapy, mycoplasmosis in children can cause pneumonia (pneumonia).
Similar to ORI
If we consider in detail the symptoms of mycoplasma in children, it is obvious that it has much in common with the signs of an acute respiratory disease, namely:
- fever, and its degree is characteristic of an inflammatory infectious process in the body (37, 5);
- baby stuffy nose;
- headache, child lethargic and inactive;
- redness, pain, itching in the upper respiratory areaways;
- if the mycoplasma bacteria began to spread upward to the mucous membrane of the eye, then the child may experience signs of conjunctivitis (characteristic reddening of the sclera, lacrimation, sticky eyes in the morning);
- if the infection began to spread down to the bronchi, then the child has a dry cough.
Similar to pneumonia
If adequate drug therapy is not started in a timely manner or it turned out to be ineffective, mycoplasma infects children's lungs, and as a result, pneumonia develops. Symptoms of mycoplasma in children, for which treatment and diagnosis are necessary, are as follows:
- body temperature rises to 39;
- coughing attacks become longer and hard to bear by the child;
- sputum and mucus appear when expectorating;
- the child's general condition is deteriorating sharply (weakness, headache, nausea may appear).
Views
Manifestations of the disease directly depend on the method of transportation of the virus. There are only 3 groups of infection, these types and symptoms of mycoplasma in children depend on the causes:
- Respiratory. Leads to the development of pneumonia, tracheitis, laryngitis, otitis, pharyngitis. Identification of the causative agent of the underlying disease occurs in a hospital setting. The incubation period is quite easy and lasts only 2 weeks. Initially, the patient has a rare dry cough, weakness, general lethargy. Further, it may fluctuate slightlybody temperature from 36.9 - 37.4 degrees, as with a common cold. At the height of the disease, there is a significant rise in body temperature to 38 - 39 degrees, but without catarrhal manifestations (runny nose, other colds).
- Contact. Constant presence with the source of infection - a person who can provoke a disease through contact and household contact. Even with complete respiratory protection, bacteria remain on table surfaces, door handles and other pieces of furniture.
- Urinary. The genitourinary system is susceptible to two main types of bacteria:
- Mycoplasma genitalium. It is considered one of the most dangerous infections. In the initial stages, the disease manifests itself as a normal urethritis. The recovery process takes 10 to 30 days;
- Mycoplasma hominis. Is located on the mucous membranes of the urinary tract in a dormant state.
It does not manifest itself in a he althy person, but when this microflora is activated, serious inflammatory changes can occur, which entail the development of complex multicomponent diseases that are not amenable to classical therapy.
Therapy
Self-treatment of a disease in a child is impossible. Diagnosis of symptoms of mycoplasma in children, even in the laboratory, is difficult. For this purpose, fluoroscopy, a clinical blood test, cultural technologies, cytology, enzyme immunoassay are used - rather laborious procedures. After the diagnosis is made, a decision is made how totherapy is carried out - stationary or in domestic circumstances.
Performed therapy with medicinal substances, most of all - symptomatic means, that is:
- antipyretic - with an increase in temperature;
- expectorant - when coughing;
- bactericidal - for serious forms of the disease, however, doctors in this case take into account the fact that mycoplasmas are not susceptible to drugs approved in pediatrics.
In order to protect your own child from mycoplasmas, you should exclude his interaction and contact with infected people. To do this, absolutely all family members should be examined for the presence of the source of the disease.
The timely detection of mycoplasmosis in a child is very important in order to eliminate these bacteria before they do their destructive work.
Medicated treatment
Mycoplasmosis is activated by more than 100 types of pathogens. Each of them is susceptible to a particular drug, while insensitive to others. Mycoplasmas are immune to penicillin, sulfonamides, but can be treated with antibiotics from the category of macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines. Mycoplasmas die under the influence of disinfectants, when boiled and irradiated with ultraviolet light.
Courses of therapy and substances doctors prescribe strictly personally in each case. Treatment depends on the symptoms of mycoplasma in children (cough and fever). Usually,therapy covers the following substances:
- antibiotics;
- immunomodulators;
- adaptogens;
- mycoplasma immune.
Antibiotics
The main group of drugs in the treatment - antibiotics. When selecting them, several conditions are taken into account:
- age and sex of the patient;
- existence of comorbidities and allergies;
- pregnancy;
- a kind of bacterium.
The doctor develops a model and determines the type of antibiotic use (injections, tablets, ointments or suppositories). Children are prescribed such medications that show the least negative effect on the digestive system. Preparations are required to restrain the increase in the number of microorganisms and their reproduction. The most commonly prescribed types of drugs are:
- "Azithromycin";
- "Vilprafen";
- "Tetracycline";
- "Sumamed";
- "Doxycycline".
Tetracyclines
In mild cases, substances from the category of tetracyclines are prescribed to cure:
- "Minocycline"
- "Metacycline"
- "Doxycycline"
- "Tetracycline".
Macrolides
Macrolides are often used as well. To this group of medicines belong:
- "Erythromycin";
- "Macrofoam";
- "Roxithromycin";
- "Vilprafen";
- "Klacid";
- "Azithromycin".
Fluoroquinol antibiotics show excellent results in many patients. When they are used in the genitals, urine and kidney tissues, a concentration of a substance is formed that exceeds the dose, which can suppress absolutely all pathogens of sexual infection. Ofloxacin is considered a strong substance from this category. Less effective "Ciprofloxacin".
The bacterium occurs in he althy children, but the disease is expressed only in a few, as soon as immunity decreases. It is for this reason that it is so important to use general tonics.
If the disease has become chronic, then there are changes in immunity. The synthesis of interferon is inhibited. For this reason, drugs that act on the nonspecific dynamism of the body will be included in the treatment regimen. These may be proteolytic enzymes. They dissolve the areas of adhesions and release the pathogen, making it easily accessible to the influence of drugs, and resume the body's ability to create personal interferon.
Folk treatment
Treatment of mycoplasma infection with folk remedies is impossible without taking antibiotics, since the main source of the problem cannot be eliminated only with the help of herbs and other drugs. Traditional methods of treatment relieve pronounced symptoms and speed up recovery.
Effective auxiliary compounds for bacterialdefeat are considered:
- Infusion of St. John's wort and meadowsweet. It can be prepared quite easily. It is enough to take 6 tablespoons of herbs in a ratio of 2/1 and brew them in boiling water. Periodically stirring the decoction, let it brew for 3 hours, strain and take 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals.
- Camomile cleanser. Chamomile must be brewed in 500 ml of boiling water, allowed to cool and infuse. The container may not be covered. After the liquid has cooled down a bit, it can be used for external use.
Prevention
Preventive measures to help prevent mycoplasmosis infection in a child are almost identical to the usual precautions for viral respiratory infections. Prevention of symptoms of mycoplasma in children can reduce the risk of infection:
- If possible, do not take your child to crowded places (this is especially important during an outbreak of colds).
- It is necessary to monitor the state of the child's immunity and strengthen it in every possible way. This can be helped by regular walks in the fresh air, a balanced diet, including the use of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins (to avoid allergic reactions to fruits, you need to carefully monitor the child, consult a doctor in time).
- To prevent infection with urogenital mycoplasmosis, you should very carefully adhere to banal hygiene standards (the child should have his own towel, it is not allowed to use someone else's underwear). Especially thisrelevant in families where there is already a person infected with mycoplasma.
- In order to avoid congenital mycoplasmosis in a baby, the expectant mother must undergo an appropriate diagnosis for mycoplasma before conception.
