Every parent has heard how his child "grunts" with his nose. The reason for this behavior can be anything: a cold, a bacterial infection, an allergic reaction, a congenital anomaly in the structure of the nose, and so on. An ENT doctor will help to assess the condition of the baby and take measures aimed at eliminating these factors. One of the diagnoses that parents hear about is chronic adenoiditis in children. Today you can learn a lot of useful information about this disease.
A few words about pathology
Chronic adenoiditis in children, the symptoms and treatment of which will be presented to your attention, is caused by a number of factors. The cause of its occurrence can be a viral disease, a bacterial infection, an allergy, or even a banal hypothermia of the body. As soon as immunity decreases, chronic adenoiditis(in children) worsens. Therefore, often a banal cold requires complex treatment.
In fact, adenoiditis is an inflammation of the nasopharyngeal tonsil. It is not visible to the ordinary eye, so the pathological process can only be recognized by certain symptoms. However, an ENT doctor can easily examine the lymphoid tissue and tell you about its condition. In most cases, chronic adenoiditis is caused by incorrect or untimely treatment of the acute form of the disease.
How many parents see the disease: symptoms
Chronic adenoiditis in children (photo of the tonsil is given for your reference) parents can easily miss. Many mothers and fathers mistakenly believe that inflammation of the nasopharyngeal tonsil is always accompanied by high fever, cough, green snot and other signs similar to cold symptoms. But this is far from the case.
Often, pathology can occur in a form hidden from parents. That is, the disease must be seen by an otolaryngologist. Even a pediatrician during the next preventive examination is able to suspect a pathology. Parents are waiting for some obvious signs of illness to start treatment.
It also happens that a child has acute adenoiditis. Improper treatment or lack thereof leads to the fact that the disease becomes chronic. At the same time, the expressed symptoms are eliminated, and the parents mistakenly believe that the child is on the mend. How to determine that your pupil has chronic adenoiditis? In children, symptoms may be overt or covert. Consider them.
What can you discover on your own?
Unfortunately, parents cannot reliably make this diagnosis if they do not have a medical education. But the following symptoms should definitely alert you:
- baby does not breathe through his nose, his mouth is open all the time;
- during sleep, the child may make whistling sounds (from heavy breathing to snoring);
- sleep becomes restless, disturbing;
- the baby's efficiency decreases, the craving for new knowledge disappears;
- the child is apathetic, emotional, capricious;
- voice becomes hoarse.
In an exacerbated form, chronic adenoiditis in children has the following symptoms: runny nose with copious thick mucus (sometimes it can emit an unpleasant odor), fever, headaches. Prolonged lack of treatment forms the so-called adenoid face. In this case, you can observe a child with smoothed nasolabial folds, a change in the shape of the skull and a deformity of the bite. You should immediately reassure worried relatives: if chronic adenoiditis is treated correctly, these symptoms will not appear in children.
Signs diagnosed by a doctor
As you already know, only an experienced doctor can definitely determine the problem. Show the baby to the otolaryngologist. During the examination, the specialist may see the following signs of the disease:
- thick mucus runs down the back of the throat (may be cloudy, greenish or purulent);
- nasal passages hyperemic, inflamedand swollen;
- redness of the peripharyngeal ring;
- enlarged tonsils in the throat and lymph nodes located near the source of infection;
- eczema at the base of the nasal passages.
During palpation, the doctor probes the enlarged tonsil. It can be slightly more than normal, medium or completely block nasal breathing. In accordance with this diagnosis, the stage of the disease is established. In the future, the doctor takes a smear for laboratory testing. Its result will show which microorganisms caused the pathology and which drugs can eliminate it.
Is it necessary to treat chronic adenoiditis?
From some parents you can hear that they do not want to treat chronic adenoiditis in children. The symptoms, moms and dads say, will go away on their own with age. And in some cases, this opinion turns out to be correct. But doctors do not recommend completely abandoning therapy. Be sure to treat exacerbation of adenoiditis and regularly carry out its prevention. In fact, this pathology is really age-related. Chronic adenoiditis affects more often children from 3 to 7 years. This is exactly the age when the child begins to enter large groups (kindergartens). It's no secret that kids get sick there often. Thus, they acquire immunity. Despite all the conclusions and reasoning about the pathology, it will be useful for every parent to know how to treat chronic adenoiditis in a child.
Topical preparations
A disease such as chronic adenoiditis in a child (3 years or older) involves the constant cleansing of the tonsils. If you do not carry out such procedures, then the bacteria will multiply continuously. This process will lead to the fact that the lymphoid tissue will become an independent source of the disease, a carrier of infection. Now there are a lot of convenient means for washing the nasal passages and cleansing the adenoids in children (Aquamaris, Dolphin, Aqualor, Rhinostop). All of them can be used without a doctor's prescription. With a latent course of the disease, it is enough to carry out hygiene procedures in the morning and evening. But the exacerbation of the pathology involves washing the nasal passages up to 6-8 times a day, followed by the use of medications.
Chronic purulent adenoiditis in a child involves the use of antimicrobials, antiseptics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
- "Isofra" - an antibiotic for topical use. Available as a spray, but can be used as drops by turning the bottle upside down.
- "Polydex" - a drug with antibacterial action, which has the ability to facilitate breathing (due to the content of phenylephrine in it). Allowed for children from 2, 5 years old.
- "Protargol" or "Sialor" - drops based on silver ions. They have a drying, antiseptic effect. Apply from birth (if there are no contraindications).
- Avamys is a corticosteroid drug. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous effect. Appointed from 2 years old.
- "Pinosol" -herbal oil medication that has a regenerating and anti-inflammatory effect. Assigned to children from 3 years old.
Vasoconstrictor drops should not be used in the treatment of chronic adenoiditis. You can use them for no more than 3-5 days, and after this time, all the symptoms of the disease will return. The use of such drugs in this case is useless.
Antibiotics - is there a need?
Exacerbation of chronic adenoiditis in children almost always requires the use of antibacterial drugs. Ideally, before their appointment, the doctor sends the child for analysis - bacteriological culture. Thanks to this study, the drugs will be selected as accurately as possible. The result of the diagnosis will show which medications can eliminate the pathogen.
Often, doctors do without such troubles. They simply prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics, given the age of the child. Practice shows that macrolides ("Sumamed", "Azitrus", "Azithromycin") have become effective drugs in the treatment of chronic inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil. If the child has a high temperature, then it is better to use penicillins (Augmentin, Amoxiclav, Flemoxin). Remember that all antibiotics must be prescribed by a doctor. Giving such funds to the baby yourself, you can harm him.
Boost your child's immunity
In the treatment of chronic adenoiditis, the child needs vitamins. Better if possibleget them from natural products: vegetables and fruits. Vitamin C is found in many citrus fruits, greens, cabbage. It helps to support the immune system, strengthens the protective function. B vitamins are involved in hematopoiesis, which is important during tissue regeneration. Vitamin E present in fish and some nuts will speed up the healing of the tonsil. If you cannot provide good nutrition, then you need to give your child vitamin complexes. Which ones are suitable for your child - the doctor will tell. These can be Vitrum, Multitabs, Vitamishki, Pikovit or something else. It is important to choose a complex according to age.
Disputes about the possibility of using immunomodulators in chronic adenoiditis do not subside to this day. Many modern doctors prefer to prescribe drugs such as Reaferon, Interferon, Likopid or homeopathy Aflubin, Anaferon. Other experts are inclined to believe that such drugs do not allow the immune system to recover on its own. To give immunomodulators or not is a personal matter for each parent.
Surgical interventions
Chronic adenoiditis in children can be corrected through surgery. Treatment reviews are different. Some parents say that the child's adenoids were removed, after which all problems were resolved. Others report that the operation was in vain, as after a while everything returned to normal. Perhaps this is the fault of the doctors who perform the operation?
Anyway, adenotomyperformed under anesthesia. Using long forceps, the tonsils are only partially removed. Manipulation is carried out without any incisions, access is through the pharynx and nostrils. The indication for surgical intervention is the final stage of the disease, when the child's nasal breathing is completely blocked by inflamed adenoids.
Chronic adenoiditis in children: treatment (Komarovsky)
What can a famous pediatrician tell about a known disease? Many parents, grandparents listen to Evgeny Komarovsky. The doctor says that adenotomy is an extreme measure, which, to put it mildly, is not welcome for several reasons:
- adenoids are tonsils that perform an important protective function of the body;
- surgical intervention is a serious stress for the child and his parents;
- there is no guarantee that after some time the tonsils will not grow back (and this will only be your fault, not medical error).
It is impossible to completely cure chronic adenoiditis in children with the help of surgery. Komarovsky in his programs talks about how to improve the condition of the child. The specialist talks about preventive methods that will help reduce the frequency of relapses. And after a while (with age) you can completely forget about what adenoiditis is.
Disease prevention
Preventive measures should be carried out constantly. The main recommendations given by doctors,look like this.
- Hardening increases the body's resistance. Procedures can be very different: from walking barefoot on the floor to dousing with cold water. Find tailor-made activities for your child.
- Full nutrition and plenty of fluids. A whole complex of vitamins and minerals must enter the baby's body. Food should be he althy and varied. Regular drinking prevents pathogens from colonizing the tonsils.
- Nose treatment with bacteria lysates. The well-known drug Irs-19 contains microorganisms that will help prevent frequent colds and runny noses.
- Intake of bacteriophages. These agents are viruses that effectively destroy germs and bacteria. Bacteriophages are an innovation, but they have already proven themselves on the good side.
- Trip to resorts. It is useful for a child to breathe sea air. Visit sanatoriums whenever possible. Some children are given free vouchers for treatment for certain indications.
Dr. Komarovsky recommends organizing comfortable conditions for the baby. It is necessary to ventilate the room in which the child is located more often. Warm and dry air promotes the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, so the temperature in the room should not be higher than 23 degrees, and the humidity should not be lower than 60%.
For additional advice on the treatment of chronic adenoiditis and the prevention of its exacerbation, contact your doctor.
