Often, parents of young children have anxiety because of a purulent chiria that has appeared on the baby's body. This is a rather serious and at the same time painful inflammation, sometimes requiring the placement of a child in a hospital. And it doesn’t matter what the location of the boil is and what size it has reached. In any case, for a small child, this is an immediate threat to life, to eliminate which they sometimes resort to surgical intervention.
Sometimes purulent inflammation becomes multiple. Such symptoms indicate the occurrence of a serious disease - furunculosis. This disease is considered to be very dangerous. After all, he is capable of causing serious harm to the he alth of a small person.
Furunculosis in children (ICD-10 code - L 02) requires the provision of qualified medical care to a small patient. However, even before the start of therapy, it is necessary to find out the cause that provoked the occurrence of this problem, and eliminate it in the first place.turn. Only in this case, the prescribed course of treatment will be complete and correct.
Infiltration
The disease goes through certain stages of development. The fact that boils appear on the body is signaled by unpleasant sensations that occur at the site of localization of the focus of inflammation. They are accompanied by redness of the painful area and its swelling. This stage is called "infiltration".
Festering
The next stage of the pathology is the appearance of a thin point in the center of the focus of inflammation. In this case, only a few days pass from the beginning of the infiltration stage. The disease enters the phase of suppuration. The point that appears is nothing more than the emerging pathogenic core that is emerging. Over time, it increases in size.
Healing
Suppuration progresses over several days. At the same time, soft tissues become inflamed to a large extent around the central point of the boil. With the maturation of inflammation, a breakthrough of suppuration occurs. A similar process marks the beginning of the healing stage of boil development. The release of pus leads to cleansing of the wound. Reduces inflammation and soreness of the area. However, even after this, for some time, the remnants of pus continue to come out of the focus of the pathological process, in which inclusions are found that have a dark scarlet color.
At the final stage of the pathology, the boil heals. This process leads to tightening of the hole and scarring of the tissue. The tissues located around the wound cease to hurt, their sensitivity decreases. Skin tone changes from pink tonatural.
Location locations
Furunculosis in children (see photo below) can appear where there are hairs. These are elbows, neck, forehead, legs, arms and face.
There is no such inflammatory process only on the palms and feet. The fact is that the abscess is formed in the hair follicle, affecting the sebaceous glands and connective tissues. With the appearance of a boil, an increase in the nearest lymph nodes also occurs. A similar process provokes an increase in the child's body temperature up to 38-39 degrees.
When conducting competent treatment, boils located on the chest, pope, legs and arms do not leave any traces behind. Scars may indicate that other areas were previously pustules.
Boils that have arisen on the lower or upper eyelid, in the nose or ears, on the forehead or neck carry a significant he alth hazard, since their localization is not far from the brain and arteries. In case of improper medical care and insufficient care for a small patient, furunculosis in a child threatens with the most serious complications, even death.
Judging by the reviews of parents, boils that have arisen on the knees and elbows of the baby can be easily damaged by them. In this regard, suppuration of such localization must be protected from injury. It should be borne in mind that if the boil does not come out on its own, then there is a high probability of complications in the joints.
Classification
Regardless of its location, each boil that occurs on the skin ofchild, can lead to the most unpleasant consequences. Specialists have developed a classification of such inflammations, which characterizes certain signs:
- single, which can be located on any part of the body;
- cystic acne that occurs on the face of adolescents and proceeds in the deep layers of the dermis;
- pilonidal sinus - boils that occur in the intergluteal space due to rubbing clothes, sweating and physical inactivity;
- purulent hydradenitis, which is a large number of recurrent boils, the localization of which are places of increased sweating (armpits, groin), which are the result of inflammation of the sweat glands.
Exposure to pathogens
What are the causes of furunculosis in children? Boils occur due to the fact that pathogenic microorganisms enter the hair follicles through the hair canals. In this case, the glands are blocked, creating an excellent environment for bacteria to actively reproduce. As a result, an inflammatory process begins to develop. The immune system will certainly respond to it in the form of the release of specific white bodies that enter the fight against infection. It is this process that leads to the formation of pus. Its mass accumulates under the epidermis, which contributes to the removal of microbes from the body.
There are several varieties of pathogenic microorganisms that cause furunculosis in a child. Among them are staphylococci:
- golden;
- epidermal;
- saprophytic;
- beta hemolytic group A.
Despite such an extensive list, most often the cause of the development of furunculosis in a child lies in the infection with Staphylococcus aureus. This pathogenic microorganism, as a rule, is present in the human body, but does not manifest itself in any way until certain circumstances arise. And only after exposure to provoking factors, Staphylococcus aureus becomes active, multiplies and leads to inflammation.
All causes of furunculosis in children are divided into two groups - external and internal. Let's take a closer look at them.
External causes
In order to avoid the need to treat furunculosis in children (see photo and general appearance of pustules below), it is important for parents to know the causes of this disease and take measures to prevent it.
It is believed that staphylococci, which provoke the appearance of the disease, are almost everywhere. A child can catch them in a kindergarten, in a sandbox, in public transport, on the street, etc. However, in order for pathogenic microorganisms to begin their negative impact, weak immunity is needed.
External causes contributing to the penetration of bacteria into the body are those that damage the skin. Among them:
- injuries, cuts and scrapes;
- constant rubbing of skin with shoes or clothes;
- sores resulting from scratching by a child of insect bites or smallpimples;
- poor hygiene that contributes to skin contamination;
- blockage of the sebaceous gland;
- skin diseases caused by allergies.
Internal Causes
All parents are well aware that most children have skin microtraumas. Nevertheless, they do not develop furunculosis. The thing is that the mechanism of formation of this pathology is rather complicated. After all, there are also internal causes of furunculosis. And treatment (photos in children of pustules are presented in the article) should also be aimed at eliminating them. These internal reasons include:
- poor immunity;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of a chronic type, including dysbacteriosis;
- failures in metabolic processes;
- various endocrine ailments, including diabetes;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- hypovitaminosis;
- anemia (anemia);
- physical exhaustion resulting from malnutrition (malnutrition in young children, anorexia in adolescents);
- constant physical overwork (they are sometimes observed in schoolchildren who are too actively involved in sports);
- frequent hypothermia or overheating;
- weakening of the body after a serious illness suffered by a child.
Danger of furunculosis
Judging by the reviews of doctors, boils localized on the eyelid, on the nose, on the cheek, on the neck or on the scalp should be of particular concern to parents. The fact is that such an arrangement carriesadditional risks of developing sepsis or infection in the brain.
A boil located on the leg, on the arm and on the body, not far from the lymph nodes and blood vessels, also carries a potential danger. Indeed, in this case, there is a high probability of pus entering the lymphatic or bloodstream, which then spreads very quickly throughout the body.
Judging by the feedback from parents, many of them do not understand how the infection enters the body. This is explained quite simply. Pus from the superficial boil comes out. If the boil is deep, then it breaks inside, which is a prerequisite for infection of the body.
This focus of inflammation is doubly dangerous for newborns and infants. That is why these babies are treated in a hospital. Older children undergo therapy at home.
Quite dangerous complications can occur in the absence of treatment or if it is incorrectly prescribed. After all, this is fraught with the occurrence of extensive intoxication of the body and blood poisoning, which can lead to the death of the child.
In addition, furunculosis can cause:
- purulent lesions of internal organs;
- blood clots preventing normal lymph flow;
- other pathologies of the lymphatic system.
Maternal furunculosis
The occurrence of boils in a woman during pregnancy carries a danger not only for her, but also for her unborn baby. This disease significantly reduces the immune system, whichpromotes the penetration of infection into the body, causing:
- abscess;
- sepsis;
- meningitis;
- mastitis after childbirth;
- lymphadenitis.
There is a high probability of negative consequences for the child. Furunculosis during pregnancy is especially dangerous in the first trimester of fetal development, when the most important systems and organs of the baby are laid. The inflammatory process is reflected in the development of some congenital pathologies in the child. Among them:
- heart disease;
- kidney pathology;
- problems with the central nervous system.
Subsequently, the child may experience a lag in mental and physical development. If furunculosis occurs in the mother in the 2nd or 3rd trimester, there is a high probability;
- development of placental insufficiency;
- the occurrence of hypoxia;
- pregnancy fading;
- preterm birth.
It is not uncommon for women who had furunculosis during pregnancy to give birth to underweight babies with meningitis and pneumonia.
Elimination of pustules in babies
Treatment of furunculosis in children under one year of age should be started at the stage of infiltration, after consulting with a pediatrician. Parents should be aware that home remedies such as warming up are very dangerous for babies. Such a procedure can cause the capsule to open, as a result of which pathogenic bacteria will begin to spread throughout the body. It is also impossible to engage in squeezing out purulentformations. You need to wait for them to pass by themselves.
How to treat furunculosis in children under one year old? For such babies, all medical measures are prescribed based on the clinical picture. At the same time, the pediatrician takes into account the level of physiological development and the general condition of the child.
Regardless of the cause of furunculosis, treatment in children and newly born newborns should be started with their isolation from sources of infection. Before contact with the baby, adults should definitely wash their hands thoroughly, put on clean shoes and home clothes. It is also recommended to wear a gauze bandage. What is the reason for such precautions? The fact is that, judging by the reviews of experts, many adults, without knowing it, are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus. Of course, he poses no danger to them. But if the infection gets on a sick child, it will worsen his condition even more.
Antibiotics for furunculosis in children are a mandatory item in the course of therapy. Babies are given injections. Pediatricians sometimes prescribe antibiotics for their little patients. This will completely destroy all infectious agents. In addition, medications that help thin the blood are recommended. Their action breaks up clots that form quite quickly in infants, leading to the development of thrombophlebitis. Sometimes, to open boils in young children, it is necessary to carry out surgical intervention. Doctors drain wounds by removing surrounding tissues that have been damaged during the inflammatory process. In the most severe cases, the infantperform a blood transfusion.
Elimination of pustules in children over a year
Treatment of furunculosis in older children is carried out with the use of antibiotics only when pustules appear on the face or on the head, as well as with an acute inflammatory process. In other words, if the child does not have a high temperature, and pain occurs only in the affected area, then they are limited to local treatment of the boil.
The development of furunculosis in a child should be accelerated. To do this, a bandage soaked in ichthyol ointment or Vishnevsky balm will need to be applied to the focus of inflammation 2 or 3 times during the day. It is fixed with a plaster and left for 2 hours. More than this time, you can not keep the bandage. In this case, it will cause overheating, which may cause a rupture of the capsule with purulent contents.
Such dressings are made until a whitish-greenish spot, soft to the touch, appears in the center of the focus of inflammation. A similar sign indicates the maturation of the purulent rod. The boil should open on its own. After that, its base will begin to be rejected.
