The child began to eat poorly and is constantly naughty, and did he have a rash on the oral mucosa? Most likely, it is herpes stomatitis. This is a serious disease that provokes inflammation in the oral cavity. From our article you will learn why herpes stomatitis occurs and what it looks like. Photos of children, treatment of pathology and measures for its prevention will also be presented below.
Features of the pathological process
Herpes stomatitis is a common disease characterized by the development of an inflammatory process on the oral mucosa. Two of its forms are distinguished: acute and chronic recurrent. Each of them has certain flow characteristics.
Fever, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, general malaise - these symptoms accompany acute herpes stomatitis. Children, this form of the disease affects only the primary infection with the virus. Therefore, the average age of patients is 1-3 years. In some cases, it is detected in younger children, especially those who are breastfed.
After initial infection, the virus usually goes into a latent form. Its subsequent activation is observed only when favorable conditions appear. One of them is a decrease in immunity. Therefore, treatment should be started immediately after the first signs of the disease appear. The lack of timely therapy can affect the work of the whole organism.
Main causes of herpes stomatitis
The herpes simplex virus is the causative agent of the disease. Once in the body of a child, it begins to actively multiply inside the cells of the epithelium and lymph nodes. Upon transition to a latent form, the virus remains in the body forever, remaining in the nerve ganglia. But for the occurrence of a recurrence of the disease, a persistent decrease in the immune status is required. Most often this happens under the influence of the following factors:
- ORZ, SARS;
- frequent stress;
- hypothermia;
- avitaminosis;
- overwork;
- hormonal failure;
- taking antibiotics;
- use of immune suppressing medications.
Herpes stomatitis in a child most often occurs in the winter season.
Who is at risk
Herpes stomatitis belongs to the category of infectious diseases. It affects people of all ages and social classes. However, more often than others, newborn babies from six months are sick. Why?
The thing is that before this age, the baby's body fights against illnesses due to the immunity received from the mother. Gradually, its effect fades away. maternalantibodies disappear with age, and the child's own immunity is still too weak to withstand the attacks of viral agents. The risk of developing a pathological process increases several times when a newborn begins to cut teeth.
Main methods of infection
Given the prevalence and high contagiousness of the disease, it can be infected almost anywhere: on the playground, in public transport or in the hospital. In this case, the virus is transmitted in the following ways:
- contact household;
- airborne;
- hematogenous.
Infection with the virus can occur even in the womb, during the passage of the fetus through the birth canal. Fortunately, this rarely happens.
First symptoms
The incubation period of the disease can vary from one day to a whole week. At the same time, children complain of headaches, lack of appetite, loss of strength. They become overly capricious and refuse to eat. Such symptoms are characteristic of many diseases, so it is very difficult to recognize herpes stomatitis in a child at an early stage.
After a few days, the temperature may jump sharply. In especially severe cases, incessant vomiting occurs. The mucous membrane of the oral cavity swells strongly, a white coating appears on the surface of the tongue. At the same time, it is very painful for the child to swallow. A few days later, the oral cavity is covered with small pimples. They are filled with a colorless secret. Gradually, this liquid begins to become cloudy, and the bubbles themselves burst. As a result, multiple erosions are formed, which take a very long time to heal.
Herpes stomatitis in children, the symptoms of which we describe, is often accompanied by a strong burning sensation in the mouth, in the area of the lesion, which makes the child refuse to eat. Some lose sleep and cry all the time. As the pathological process develops, the lymph nodes increase in size. The rash spreads to the skin in the area of the lips and nose. Sometimes it is found even on the reproductive organs.
Diagnostic Methods
As already mentioned, it is quite difficult to recognize herpes stomatitis in a child at the initial stage of development, since the characteristic symptoms are still absent at this time. Many parents start sounding the alarm only when the baby's temperature jumps to 39 degrees.
Diagnosis of the disease consists of several stages:
- Initially, the pediatrician examines a small patient, listens to complaints.
- Then he moves on to the history. This may require the help of mom or dad, because without them it is not possible to make a complete picture of the pathological process. Parents should tell when the first rashes appeared, whether herpes stomatitis was observed in the child earlier, which of the family members suffers from this disease. This information is usually enough to make a definitive diagnosis.
- Sometimes, for a deeper study of the disease, the pediatrician prescribes a series of tests(serological/cytological examination). Based on their results, you can find out which type of herpes virus caused the illness. However, such a detailed examination takes time, and the disease must be de alt with immediately.
How to treat herpes stomatitis in a child
In the absence of complications, the treatment of the disease is carried out on an outpatient basis. Hospitalization is mandatory only for patients under three years of age. General recommendations include bed rest, a light diet, and plenty of fluids. Until the final recovery, a small patient should use individual hygiene products and utensils.
How to treat herpes stomatitis in a child, only the doctor decides. The choice of a specific treatment regimen depends on the severity of the disease and the nature of the clinical picture. Usually children are prescribed the following remedies:
- antipyretics ("Ibuprofen", "Paracetamol");
- decongestants ("Fenkarol", "Diazolin");
- immunocorrectors ("Immunal", "Taktivin", "Lysozyme");
- antiviral (Acyclovir, Zovirax).
Also small patients are shown physiotherapy. For example, ultraviolet radiation accelerates the regeneration process.
Additional oral treatment
Stomatitis-affected areas of the oral cavity must be treated several times a day with antiseptic preparations. In addition, pediatricians recommend:
- Rinses. Treatment of herpes stomatitis in a child 2 years of age and younger may be complicated by the fact that he does not know how to rinse his mouth on his own. Therefore, the affected areas of the mucosa are irrigated by tilting the head of the crumbs over the basin. Older children can independently rinse their mouths with herbal decoctions, which are already sold in ready-made form in a pharmacy.
- Medical treatment of the oral cavity. After rinsing, pimples and erosion are recommended to be treated with analgesic or wound healing drugs. It is important to carefully lubricate the affected areas, but at the same time gently lubricate them. For children over four years old, it is allowed to use "Stomatidin". The medicine has an antimicrobial and analgesic effect.
- Gadgets. With the formation of herpetic crusts, pediatricians recommend making applications. Lotions with analgesic or herbal ingredients help relieve discomfort and reduce inflammation. At the healing stage, you can use solutions of vitamins A and E, rosehip oil or sea buckthorn.
But the listed manipulations are recommended to be performed only after consulting a doctor!
Special meals
Children's herpes stomatitis cannot be cured with drugs alone. Therapy of this disease without fail provides for a strict diet. Properly selected products contribute to a speedy recovery.
What better to give up? From the diet it is necessary to exclude all those products that have an irritating effect on the oral mucosa. These include spicy and spicy dishes, sweets andbakery products. Food should be liquid or mushy. Solid foods are best ground in a blender. The child's menu may include steamed meat and fish dishes. Vegetable broths are cooked without the use of spices. After eating, pediatricians recommend rinsing your mouth every time. To enhance the disinfecting effect, a small amount of soda can be added to the water.
In the early days of illness, the process of eating often causes discomfort, but you should not refuse food. It is also necessary to monitor the drinking regimen. Small patients are allowed ordinary non-carbonated water, a variety of vegetable juices. They fortify the body with vitamins, speeding up the healing process.
Help of traditional medicine
Many parents, regardless of the severity of the disease and the possible consequences, are unwilling to seek qualified help. They prefer to use traditional medicine recipes, endangering the he alth of the baby. At the same time, they are often interested in what herbs are best to treat herpes stomatitis in children, how long the positive effect lasts after using this or that lotion.
Various applications, decoctions and vegetable oils really help to reduce inflammation and swelling of the mucosa. However, folk remedies cannot be an alternative to antiviral drugs. So, before starting therapy, you need to consult a doctor.
For example, the well-known chamomile is characterized by anti-inflammatory action. Therefore, for treatmentherpes stomatitis is often used a decoction based on it. To prepare it, you need 4 tablespoons of dried flowers, pour 1.5 liters of water and boil. Then the broth should be filtered and can be used for rinsing.
The pulp of aloe leaves is also used in the treatment of herpes stomatitis. This plant has an anti-inflammatory effect and prevents the attachment of a bacterial infection. The pulp of the leaves is recommended to be applied to the affected areas in the form of applications for 15-20 minutes daily.
Prevention Methods
Is it possible to prevent herpes stomatitis in children? Photos of small patients, which are presented in this article, suggest a negative answer. No specific measures have been developed to prevent this disease.
To prevent the virus from entering the human body, doctors recommend following basic rules of personal hygiene. From an early age, parents should teach their children about the importance of washing their hands after walking and before eating.
And in order to prevent recurrence of the disease, you need to lead a rational lifestyle. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the immunity of the child, to strengthen it. To do this, it is recommended to eat right and exercise.
