Many parents complain that their child's leg hurts after DPT. What does it say? You should start by deciphering the abbreviation - adsorbed pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus vaccine. DTP is a vaccine against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria. Often there are different consequences. What to do if a child's leg hurts after DPT. Is it normal? Let's try to figure it out.
What are these diseases?
Before you know what to do if your child's leg hurts after DTP, you should deal with possible diseases. Tetanus is an acute bacterial disease that is accompanied by damage to the nervous system, muscle tension and convulsions.
Whooping cough is an acute airborne bacterial infection that manifests itself as a paroxysmal spasmodiccough.
Diphtheria is an acute, life-threatening infectious disease. All the components that make up DTP are 100% capable of forming the immunity of patients who are vaccinated.
How is the vaccine made?
The drug is injected into the leg. If injected into the buttock in children under two years old, there is a danger of hurting the sciatic nerve, nerve trunks, which is best avoided. There are fatty deposits in the buttocks, getting into which the vaccine is absorbed very slowly, and the immune system does not work properly. Therefore, young children are vaccinated in the upper outer surface of the middle part of the thigh.
Vaccination and revaccination
Tetanus and diphtheria vaccines can boost immunity for 10 years after completion of the primary course. After 10 years have passed, you need to do revaccination. Whooping cough vaccines form immunity for 5-7 years. All pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines are administered intramuscularly.
You need to be very attentive to the child, so as not to miss the moment when he needs medical help. This vaccine is given to the baby four times: the first time at three months, the second time, if there are no indications, after 45 days, the third time also after 45 days, and the fourth, also called revaccination, at one and a half years, if there are no contraindications.
How to proceed?
AfterWhen DPT is administered, an antipyretic should be given to prevent fever and to prevent convulsions in young children that may occur against a background of high temperature. Also, all antipyretic drugs anesthetize and relieve inflammation.
The use of these drugs during vaccination will help save the child from pain, which can be very severe at the injection site, and also protect against swelling at the same place.
If the child has an allergic reaction, it is necessary to use antiallergic drugs. Neither antipyretics nor antiallergic drugs affect the development of immunity and the effectiveness of this vaccine.
If a child has allergies or diathesis, it is necessary to give him a maintenance dose of an antihistamine before vaccination. Some pediatricians advise giving the baby an antipyretic after vaccination, without waiting for any complaints. First aid will relieve him of the swelling of the injection site, relieve pain in the child’s leg after DPT vaccination. What if the temperature rises during the day? It is necessary to put another candle or give some kind of antipyretic. Be sure to put a candle at night, otherwise the fever may start again. You also need to take your temperature several times at night.
If it is high, it is necessary to put a candle again and, without ceasing, give antihistamines (in the prescribed dosage). The next day, if there is a fever again, you need to put a candle and continue to give an antiallergic drug. Fever medications should only be given when the temperature is elevated.if it rose slightly, then you can refrain. After all, there is a vaccine in the body, and there may be a temperature of 38.3, this is normal. It can rise the first 2-3 days after vaccination, and if it lasts longer, then you need to look for another source of its appearance.
How does the body react?
When there is not very strong pain in a child's leg after DTP vaccination - what to do, this is, in principle, an inevitable reaction (although it may not be). Non-serious side effects are a good sign that the child's immune system is working properly and immunity is being effectively formed. Reactions to the vaccine may vary, such as redness or swelling. According to statistics, redness is observed in 1-2% of vaccinated children, swelling is also observed in 1-2%, pain at the injection site in 16% is manifested when the child moves the leg - all this is a consequence of the inflammatory process.
There may also be fever or pain at the injection site, there may be vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia or lethargy. As with all other vaccines, there is an adverse reaction to DPT - this is a possible rash, hives, swelling, which covers a significant area at the injection site.
Seal
After vaccination, a seal may form at the injection site, it cannot be rubbed and heated. This seal can persist for a month and then go away on its own, it is nothing serious. If touching this place brings pain to the child, then it is necessarysee a doctor. You also need to go to the doctor if this seal increases and exceeds the size of a small pea. This vaccine is heavy enough for a child's body. Vaccination is considered one of the most difficult, and not all babies tolerate it painlessly. But it should be borne in mind that it protects against dangerous diseases and is necessary for the child. So don't give up without a good reason.
What appears?
In addition to common side effects such as malaise, fever, whims and low appetite, there may be more serious reactions at the injection site:
- swelling and reddening of the injection site;
- the injection site hurts a lot;
- swelling of the legs.
Thickening and redness of the injection site is normal if the temperature is not higher than 38oC. It is also considered normal if the child's injection site is reddened and slightly swollen, but it does not hurt, and he can stand on his leg. Redness should not be more than 5 cm in diameter. But if the child cannot stand up, cries, and the redness exceeds the norm, this means that the child has a rather serious complication and you need to see a doctor. You can’t do anything on your own, you must definitely contact the clinic for help.
Sore foot
If a child's leg hurts after being vaccinated with DTP, the reason is most likely that the immune system has detected cells that are harmful to the body. There may be pathological side effects - this is an attackepilepsy, convulsions, increased nervousness, constant crying for several hours, fever above 40oC, redness of the skin, urticaria and unbearable itching. If a mother notices such adverse reactions in her child, then you should immediately contact a doctor for medical help. If parents notice swelling of a hand or foot in their baby, you can apply a cold compress to this place, this will help the child get rid of severe pain.
How long can the pain last?
A child may have leg pain up to 7-8 days after vaccination, the pain goes away gradually. But if the baby’s leg is swollen and the place of the tumor is hot, you need to urgently contact the surgeon, he will prescribe an effective ointment or compress that will help relieve symptoms. The leg may hurt due to the fact that the nurse injected the remedy incorrectly, instead of pricking the muscle into the subcutaneous layer. There are a lot of fats in the subcutaneous layer, but few blood vessels, because of this, the infiltrate is absorbed very slowly.
Child's leg hurts after vaccination, how to help?
Until the vaccine dissolves, the child will feel pain in the leg. First of all, you need to talk to the pediatrician, after that you can use the Aescusan ointment. This ointment increases blood circulation, and the bump that occurs at the injection site will resolve faster. Also, due to a violation of sanitary standards, dirt can be brought into the wound from vaccination. If this happens, the wound will fester and bleed. In such cases, the child urgently needs to be shown to the surgeon. In case of pain, you can give the child painkillers, because he should notendure the pain. And be sure to remember that if something is in doubt, you do not need to wait for everything to go away by itself: you should contact your pediatrician or come to an appointment at the clinic.
In every mother's first aid kit, there should always be an antipyretic, antiallergic and painkiller. Many parents wonder if this vaccination is necessary, is it mandatory. All over the world, this vaccine is given to babies, this indicator already indicates that it is needed and important. We must not forget that this vaccine forms immunity and protects against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. Therefore, even if after it the child’s leg hurts or there is a temperature, you still need to do the following vaccinations according to the schedule. Serious complications or severe side effects usually occur in the first hour after vaccination, so doctors recommend: after you have been vaccinated, stay for about half an hour - forty minutes in a medical facility. After arriving home, you need to be very attentive to the child so as not to miss the moment when he will need help.
Important: doctors forbid at elevated temperature, and also if the child's leg hurts after DTP, give him "Analgin"!
If the temperature has risen, it is best to give drugs with nurofen or paracetamol, if these drugs do not help, you need to call a doctor. When asked by parents about what the consequences might be, and why the child’s leg hurts after DPT, Komarovsky advises giving when the temperature rises above 37.3oantipyretics for children.
Vaccination is a big and serious burden on the child's body, so you need to make life a little easier for the child. This means that you do not need to overfeed the baby, force him to eat, if he does not want to, you do not need to overheat him. But to ensure the correct drinking regimen is very important. If the child feels fine, you need to go for a walk with him in the fresh air, but it is better to protect him from strangers and public places. You can not bathe the baby on the day of vaccination, rub the vaccination site, introduce new foods into the child's diet. And mom can’t eat anything new if the baby is breastfed. It is necessary to dress in such a way as not to put pressure on the injection site, and not to let the child touch it.
Parent reviews
To those who ask questions like: "After DTP vaccination, the child's leg hurts. What should I do?" - We advise you to study the reviews of experienced parents. They will also be useful to those who doubt whether to make this vaccine or not.
Judging by the feedback on the parent forums, there are cases of serious consequences after vaccination, but these are only a few. Some mothers write that children always endure DTP vaccination hard, up to the onset of disability. But doctors do not confirm that the vaccine can give such complications.
There are such reviews that after the vaccination, the child had convulsions, and subsequently had to resort to anticonvulsant drugs for a long time. There are quite frightening reviews, for example, that after the DTP vaccination, the child stopped talking and spoke only after 3 years. In another child afterhearing loss. In another case, after vaccination, the child was taken to the hospital with acute pyelonephritis, and the doctor admitted unofficially that this was a complication after DPT.
Do or not?
In a word, the reviews are extremely contradictory, often frightening with consequences, up to leukemia. It is known that children should be tested for drug compatibility before vaccination, but this is usually not practiced in medical institutions. Therefore, it is worth studying the opinions of real people and the opinions of doctors. And be sure to consult with the pediatrician observing the baby. But it should be remembered that reviews of vaccinations that were absolutely normal are left very rarely, while one case of complications "disperses in huge numbers." In any case, the decision on whether to do this or that vaccination and when, is up to the parents.
