Acetonemic syndrome is a condition that often occurs in children, especially at the age of 3-5 years, less often in adults. This syndrome appears due to an increase in the blood of intermediate products of the metabolism of fats and some amino acids - acetone, acetoacetic acid and others. Normally, they are formed in small quantities for a short time and, turning immediately into non-toxic substances, are excreted from the body.
Why is there an increase in acetone in the urine of children?
In children prone to the acetonemic state, under adverse conditions, these transformations are disturbed, due to which acetone and similar substances in structure accumulate.
What does acetone mean in urine? In large quantities, it has a toxic effect on the central nervous system and causes the clinical manifestations of the syndrome, sometimes even leading to impaired consciousness. An essential condition for the development of acetonemic syndrome is a lack of glucose in the blood. According to statistics, tochildren with certain features of the constitution are prone to the development of the disease. Among the reasons for the presence of acetone in the urine may be a temporary lack of certain enzymes that are involved in the breakdown of fats and individual proteins. Such children are often characterized by increased excitability, emotional instability, and sleep disturbances. They can lag behind in terms of weight indicators, and in terms of their intellectual development, on the contrary, overtake their peers. They quickly develop speech, they are active, inquisitive, perfectly remember and retell poems and fairy tales.
Disease symptoms
Starting from 2-3 years of age, they may be bothered by pain in the legs, for unknown reasons, pain in the tummy may arise and disappear, and a tendency to allergic reactions of the body is manifested. Urinalysis for acetone may show an increased amount of uric and oxalic acid s alts (urates and oxalates).
When to suspect that the baby has a disease? In case the following symptoms of acetone in urine appear:
- The child becomes lethargic or, conversely, restless and agitated, refuses to eat. If you start to drink water at this stage, these symptoms can often be successfully eliminated.
- Baby complains of nausea and abdominal pain. If he does not speak yet, he will report his poor he alth with the help of crying. It is important for parents to remember that abdominal pain can be a manifestation of other diseases, in particular surgical pathologies, regardless of whether such a condition is observed for the first time orrepeats.
- A natural manifestation of acetonemic disease is vomiting, which, having appeared suddenly, becomes repeated many times, as soon as the baby drinks a small amount of liquid.
- Almost always at the beginning of the development of the syndrome or a little later, the temperature rises, but this sign, like pain, can indicate both elevated acetone and any other disease.
- A clear symptom of the disease is the smell of acetone from the child's mouth, often reminiscent of the smell of apples. The smell is difficult to diagnose, especially for the first time, but when the mother’s condition repeats, it is easily determined and the treatment of the baby begins immediately.
- As the number of symptoms increases, the child's condition worsens, he becomes lethargic, the skin and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, lips become dry, bright, a blush appears on the cheeks, the baby rarely urinates. This condition is dangerous for the child, so mothers rarely refuse hospitalization.
What causes illness?
It is important to find out the reason why acetone appears in the urine of a child. Any condition that disrupts the constancy of the child's body and disrupts the normal course of biochemical reactions can provoke the accumulation of acetone and similar products in the baby's body, especially if there is a tendency to it.
The cause of acetone in the urine can be any disease, even a banal acute respiratory disease, food loads - an excess of fatty or protein foods in the diet, dishes that are not recommended for age. In addition, sharpan increase in acetone can be formed as a result of physical or psychological overload, in which the child is overexcited, changes in the microsocial environment, and even an excess of positive emotions. All these provocative moments can increase the level of acetone in the blood of a child prone to the development of acetonemic syndrome.
How can I help my child?
It is important to notice the initial symptoms of the disease and intervene as early as possible, without waiting for the doctor to come. If the baby suddenly began to refuse his favorite food, became lethargic, wants to lie down, which is not typical for him at this time, you need to take a closer look at him, determine if his cheeks are reddened, if there is plaque on the tongue, breath smells like fruit, test for acetone in urine.
If there are such signs, action should be taken. In no case should you try to feed the baby with something high-calorie, such a food load will only worsen the condition. In the initial stage of the disease, the main task of parents is to remove toxic substances from the body and normalize metabolism. First of all, you should cleanse the intestines with a 1% soda solution: 1 tsp. for 500 ml of water. Since the body removes harmful substances through the intestines, it needs help in this. Drink every 5-15 minutes from a teaspoon for children under the age of 6, after 6 - from a tablespoon.
Recommended solutions for drinking: sweet tea (5% sugar), non-carbonated alkaline water ("Polyana Kvasova", "Borjomi"). They should be slightly warmed up to remove gas bubbles. In pharmacies you can buy special ready-mademedicinal solutions: "Regidron", "Gastrolit", "Human-electrolyte" and others. It is not recommended to give mineral water to babies under one year old, it is better to use ready-made solutions. It is good to drink a child with a compote of their dried fruits. S alt solutions should be combined with sweet ones, since acetone is more actively formed with a deficiency of carbohydrates. Before the doctor arrives, drinking can improve the baby's condition, perhaps in this case, the doctor will prescribe home treatment.
Food and daily routine
In case of illness, do not keep the child on a starvation diet, but the food should not be too fatty. All types of cereals in liquid form, boiled in water, vegetable soups, mashed potatoes, jelly, baked apples, diet cookies will do.
These food restrictions should be followed for at least 5 days if the child does not vomit. In this condition, the body also gets rid of accumulated toxic substances, but drinking the baby becomes very difficult. In this case, hospitalization is indispensable.
If the baby is prone to frequent exacerbations of acetonemic syndrome, nutrition should be carefully reviewed. Broths, fatty meats, smoked products, offal are completely excluded from the diet, vegetables such as cauliflower, tomatoes are limited in the use, and oranges from fruits. It is important to ensure that the child does not overwork, is enough in the fresh air, sleeps at least 8 hours. Restrictions should be reasonable and not cause negative emotions in the baby. Avoid excessive exposure tothe sun, reduce the presence near the TV or computer.
As the child grows older, in most cases, acetonemic conditions occur less and less and proceed more easily, and soon completely disappear. But it should be remembered that a violation of s alt metabolism can also manifest itself in adulthood, in the form of urolithiasis or gout. Therefore, it is advisable to save the basic principles of the diet in the future.
In early pregnancy
Acetone in the urine during pregnancy in women can be detected with the appearance of toxicosis, accompanied by repeated and incessant vomiting. A future mother suffering from severe toxicosis in the first 3 months of pregnancy should be able to distinguish between the normal or pathological nature of this phenomenon. If mild nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting at the beginning of pregnancy, is an unpleasant but natural factor that does not pose a threat to the he alth of a woman and her unborn baby, then continuous vomiting and malnutrition and drinking regimen is a reason for an immediate visit to the hospital.
Later-date
Detected acetone in the urine during pregnancy at a later date is the reason for a thorough examination and subsequent treatment in the hospital. May be a sign of preeclampsia or in other words, gestational diabetes.
After all, the high concentration of acetone in the urine of women at this stage of pregnancy provokes the occurrence of some unforeseen complications, such as:
- Severe dehydration.
- Intoxication of the organism of the future mother and child in the womb.
- The onset of labor is much premature or the threat of miscarriage.
- Coma or death.
If a woman during the period of bearing a child is not serious about her own he alth and the he alth of the baby, neglect the appointments of doctors, these complications can progress and lead to irreparable consequences. To remove acetone from the body of a pregnant woman, it is first necessary to consume a significant amount of liquid. Frequent vomiting does not allow normal electrolyte balance. After finding the cause of acetone in the urine, the treatment is to eliminate the source of the disease. To ensure the normal intrauterine development of the child, on the recommendation of a doctor, droppers with glucose and a complex of vitamins are placed.
Nutrition for a pregnant woman with acetone
In addition, a pregnant woman will need special nutrition, frequent and in small portions. If a woman, according to the results of the examination, does not need hospitalization to eliminate acetone from the body, then the main treatment is diet. In this case, you should categorically refuse fatty and fried foods, as well as hard to digest food. Recommended food cooked by boiling or stewing, or using steam with a minimum content of fats and vegetable oil. Flour sweet products are also prohibited. The diet should be rich in carbohydrates, but priority should be given to vegetables and fruits.
Most often acetone in the urinefound as a result of a disease such as diabetes mellitus. At the same time, the body does not have enough carbohydrates to completely oxidize fats and proteins. The patient must in this case constantly monitor the level of sugar and check the presence of acetone in the body.
What causes disease?
Acetonuria rarely occurs in a he althy adult, but can be triggered by the following factors: eating food with excessive protein content, insufficient water regime, hot weather, significant physical exertion. Often an adult easily tolerates acetonuria, and sometimes does not even suspect its presence.
When acetone is detected in the urine, the reasons may be as follows:
- unhe althy eating;
- excessive exercise;
- prolonged fasting or irrational diet;
- diabetes mellitus;
- heat;
- alcohol intoxication;
- serious illnesses - cancer of the stomach, esophagus and other pathologies;
- chemical intoxication.
Signs that indicate the concentration of ketone substances in the urine include:
- perceptible smell of acetone from the mouth and skin, which does not disappear during the day;
- presence of the same smell in the urine;
- intense headache;
- heat;
- vomiting after drinking food or water;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea.
If you ignore such symptoms and do not start treatment, the patient may develop a coma. When acetone accumulates inthe body changes, and when checking the general blood test, an increased content of ESR and leukocytes is detected.
Self-determination of acetone in urine?
Acetonuria is a dangerous disease that requires urgent treatment. Today, it is easy to detect the onset of the disease at home on your own. This can be done with the help of tests - special strips for detecting the presence of acetone, sold in any pharmacy. In this case, it is enough to immerse the strip in urine and determine the color in which it will be painted within a few minutes. If the test for acetone in the urine turned pink or burgundy, then this indicates the presence of acetone in the body.
In a he althy person, ketone compounds are practically not detected. Their number is so minimal (1-2 mg / 100 ml) that they are not detected using test strips. If the cause of acetone in the urine is poor nutrition, you should put your diet in order by adding carbohydrates to it. A few days after taking the medicine, this substance will be removed from the body.
The presence of acetone in the urine is always a warning factor that indicates a serious malfunction of the kidneys. Most often, the problem can be solved by adjusting the diet and leading a he althy lifestyle, but sometimes a thorough examination and serious subsequent treatment is necessary.
Recommendations for eliminating the disease
With an increase in acetone in the urine, the patient needsrefuse food like:
- fatty meat and strong broths made from it;
- spices;
- sweets;
- fried food;
- citrus fruits, bananas.
Acetonuria is a dangerous pathology of the body for both adults and children. With a neglected form and untimely assistance, the disease can lead to the failure of body systems. All people concerned about he alth need to know how to remove acetone from urine. First of all, minimize the intake of smoked meats, fatty meats, soda, semi-finished products. It is recommended to drink plenty of water in the form of alkaline mineral waters, compotes, rosehip broth.
Mandatory rejection of unhe althy habits, in the first place - the use of alcohol. In addition, you should normalize sleep and rest, as well as dose physical activity by doing morning exercises, walking or swimming.
