Today, the world knows a million different diseases, most of which people have learned to successfully fight. Of course, in our life we encounter only some diseases. One of these is Botkin's disease. How this disease is transmitted, every mother should know how to treat and prevent it. After all, the infection often affects the child's body.
What are hepatitis?
The liver is one of the main human organs. It synthesizes proteins and bile acids, carries out the accumulation and breakdown of glucose. The main function of the liver is to filter all incoming substances. Of course, if the liver is disrupted, the whole human body suffers.
There can be several reasons for the disease of this organ:
- Infections (hepatitis A, B, C, E, D).
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Long-term use of antibiotics and other medications.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Heredity.
- Ecology.
- Lifestyle and unacceptable working conditions.
Among liver diseases are:
- Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, etc.). Each form has its own characteristics of development, methods of treatment and consequences. All forms of viral hepatitis are transmitted through household contact, through semen, and also from mother to child.
- Toxic hepatitis is a drug reaction.
- Alcoholic hepatitis occurs as a result of alcohol abuse.
All hepatitis except form C is treatable. Hepatitis C is cirrhosis of the liver. There is no cure for this disease. The disease always ends in death.
Hepatitis A
Or, as it is also called, Botkin's disease (in honor of the doctor who discovered the disease) is an acute viral disease that mainly affects the liver. The nervous, digestive system and kidneys also suffer.
The disease can be called an epidemic, outbreaks of which are typical for countries in Africa, Asia, South America.
A large percentage of hepatitis A patients are children, adolescents and the elderly. The main symptoms of Botkin's disease are icteric complexion, headaches, and diarrhea. Hepatitis A is a curable disease. Enough time to go to the hospital for help. There are, of course, deaths - 0.1 - 0.3%.
Causes of disease
The virus that causes hepatitis A is very resistant to the environment. It has an acid-resistant shell, as a result of which the protective barrier of the stomach is not terrible for him. Long time hepatitis bacteriastored in water. Therefore, the main cause of epidemics is contaminated sources of drinking water. Botkin's disease is also transmitted by household contact, sometimes by airborne droplets, also through the blood. The virus can be carried by flies. Bacteria, entering the body, are absorbed through the intestines into the blood, after which they spread throughout the body and affect the liver.
The incubation period is from 10 to 40 days, after which the first symptoms of the disease begin. Once having had jaundice, a person receives stable immunity for life. Such people can no longer be blood donors.
Symptoms of Botkin's disease
Hepatitis A can occur in the body in several forms: mild (most cases), moderate (about 30%) and severe (1-3%).
Depending on the form of the disease, the symptoms can also be different. Basically it is:
- Increased body temperature, lethargy, fatigue.
- Nausea, vomiting, upset.
- Pain in the liver. When probing, this organ is noticeably enlarged.
- Disturbed sleep, lack of appetite.
- Possible runny nose and cough.
- The skin and the membranes of the eyes acquire a characteristic yellowish color. The icteric period lasts from three to six weeks.
- Urine becomes dark, stool, on the contrary, becomes discolored.
Often the signs of the disease are perceived as a common cold (flu, SARS), and not for Botkin's disease. Symptoms worsen, jaundice appears, and only then patients go to the doctor.
On average, the disease lasts about forty days. The course of the disease depends on age, immunity, concomitant diseases and methods of treatment.
One-year-old children and the elderly have a hard time with the infection. Therefore, everyone should know what Botkin's disease is, how it is transmitted and what symptoms it has. After all, often the disease affects entire families. Timely diagnosis can protect against severe forms of the disease.
Complications after hepatitis A
Hepatitis A, unlike its other forms, is completely curable. After therapy, liver function is restored. People acquire lifelong immunity.
In rare cases, Botkin's disease causes he alth problems. Causes, symptoms of complications can only be associated with non-compliance with doctor's prescriptions, violation of bed rest and malnutrition.
Patients may complain of continued pain, vomiting for another two months after therapy. This is normal, do not panic.
Minimize the complications and consequences of hepatitis with the right diet.
- Food should be eaten in small portions, but often.
- During an illness, a person loses a large amount of vitamins, so you definitely need to replenish them. The diet should include fresh vegetables, fruits, juices, dairy products.
- It is forbidden to eat fatty, s alty, smoked, pickled and spicy foods.
- Welcome "fasting" days. Dairy products work well for this.vegetables and fruits.
- Alcohol drinkers will have to give it up for a while.
- All food must be carefully processed.
How to treat Botkin's disease?
First of all, to establish an accurate diagnosis, you should go to the hospital. Only a doctor, after examining and passing all the tests, can give a conclusion to the patient. Given that the symptoms of Botkin's disease are not always pronounced, it is impossible to talk about the presence of an infection in the body without additional diagnostics. For research, you need: blood (general and biochemical analysis is performed), urine and feces. If class M antibodies were found in the biomaterials, this indicates the presence of an infection in the body. Class G antibodies - immunity to disease.
Determine how to treat Botkin's disease, symptoms. Treatment of mild and moderate forms of the disease can be done at home. The main thing is bed rest and dietary nutrition. An important role is played by drinking, which is necessary to reduce intoxication. Therapy for severe forms of hepatitis A is carried out in a hospital, in infectious diseases departments.
To improve liver function, in addition to vitamins, specific preparations such as "Gepabene", "Essentiale" can be prescribed.
Diet 5 for liver disease
It's no secret that proper and he althy food is the best assistant in the fight against diseases and infections. For each type of disease, there are treatment schemes developed by the Soviet nutritionist Mikhail Pevzner.supply.
Diet 5 is specifically designed to improve liver function. The essence of the diet is to limit the consumption of fatty and unhe althy foods. So, for the duration of the illness, you need to exclude:
- Smoked, fatty, marinades, pickles and offal.
- Fresh pastries and confectionery.
- Spicy seasonings and spices.
- Soda drinks, strong coffee and alcohol.
Allowed:
- Yesterday's bread, dried flour products.
- Cereals, soups, cereals.
- Vegetables, fruits.
- Low fat dairy products.
- Lean meats and broths.
- Teas, juices, coffee with milk.
- Vitamins.
It's better to steam food. This preserves a large number of useful trace elements.
Symptoms of Botkin's disease in children
Botkin's disease refers to acute intestinal infections. You can get the disease through food, water, as well as from infected patients.
The average incubation period is 28 days, after which the disease itself begins, which consists of three stages: preicteric, icteric and convalescent. Each period has its own symptoms.
At the first stage of the disease, the child becomes very capricious, loses his appetite. Sleep may be disturbed, the temperature may rise. There is nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. This period is also characterized by the appearance of cough and runny nose.
Symptoms of Botkin's disease in adults and children onat first, they are the same and can often be mistaken for another disease (for example, influenza). When the icteric period begins, the patient's condition improves. However, yellowness appears on the eye membranes and skin. There may also be pain in the liver. At this time, the patient begins to perceive the symptoms of Botkin's disease correctly and seeks help from a doctor.
The recovery period is characterized by the gradual fading of all symptoms. Liver functions are restored, the patient's condition is stabilizing. Sometimes nausea and pain may persist for a month or two after recovery.
Considering how complicated Botkin's disease can be, how the pathogen is transmitted, it is better to treat it in hospitals. This applies in particular to families with young children or the elderly.
Botkin's disease and pregnancy
Botkin's disease is a very dangerous disease for expectant mothers. While most people with hepatitis A have mild to moderate disease, pregnant women almost always get severe.
Botkin's disease during pregnancy is the cause of liver dystrophy. The infection also crosses the placenta to the baby. Children born from infected mothers often have various defects and pathologies. The woman herself can die during childbirth. This is because the disease affects blood clotting. Cesarean section is also contraindicated.
At all stages of pregnancy, the cause of miscarriages, premature births and stillborn children is Botkin's disease. Symptoms, treatment and signs of Botkin's diseaseevery woman should know. Proper preventive measures will help her to protect herself from the sad consequences of this disease during pregnancy.
Hepatitis A Prevention
Of all types of hepatitis, it is most easy to prevent infection with hepatitis A (Botkin's disease), which is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. To do this, it is enough to observe the rules of personal hygiene, as well as educate people about this disease.
Symptoms of Botkin's disease can be different, but the main ones are jaundice, vomiting, headaches and diarrhea. If people had applied for help in a timely manner, perhaps the number of patients would have been significantly reduced. After all, the incubation period of hepatitis A lasts long enough, and all this time a person is already a carrier of the pathogen.
To protect yourself and loved ones from this disease, you should follow these simple rules:
- Wash your hands with soap and water at all times and everywhere.
- Carefully handle food. Vegetables and fruits should only be washed under running water.
- It is better to boil tap water. Pathogenic bacteria are resistant to the aquatic environment, and boiling kills them in minutes.
- Food should be bought in specialized stores, not in spontaneous markets.
- If possible, it is better to get vaccinated against hepatitis A.
Be he althy
"Botkin's disease, symptoms, treatment, complications" is a topic that everyone should be familiar with. The cause of many diseases and infections is ignorance!
Whena person is aware, consults a doctor in a timely manner, then there will be fewer complications. It should be remembered that severe forms of hepatitis A can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer, although this happens very rarely.
