Pathologies of blood in a child do not just scare parents. They can cause serious damage to the he alth of the baby. For example, an unpleasant pathology called "thrombocytopenia" in a child may indicate the presence of a serious disease, and not only blood. Although in most cases this condition can pass without specialized treatment and does not cause serious harm to the baby. But its symptoms cannot be ignored.
What is pathology?
Thrombocytopenia in a child is a pathological condition in which the level of platelets in the blood becomes significantly less than normal. These blood cells are very necessary for the body, as they determine how good blood clotting will be.
In most cases, a small degree of development of the disease is not dangerous and it is not always necessary to treat it. In some cases, it is enough to take vitamins and correct the diet. But if the thrombocytopenia in a child is very pronounced, then the baby may experience serious and uncontrolled bleeding.
This problem can manifest asan independent disease or be a symptom of a serious pathology: radiation sickness, thrombosis, bone marrow damage.
Reason for development
If thrombocytopenia is diagnosed in children, its causes may be as follows:
- Severe intoxication of the body.
- Autoimmune process (overproduction of antiplatelet bodies).
- Allergic reaction.
- Lack of trace elements in the body.
- Pathologies of the liver.
- Radiation exposure.
- HIV
- Werlhof Pathology.
These reasons are the most common. In addition, the pathology may be hereditary.
Severity of pathology
Thrombocytopenia in a child can have the following severity:
- Less than 20×10 9/l is severe, with a risk of sudden and unexpected bleeding that is difficult to stop.
- 20-50×10 9/l - medium degree. In this case, spontaneous bleeding is very rare. However, a person may lose excess blood during surgery or injury.
- 50-150×10 9/l - this degree is the easiest. The risk of any serious bleeding is very small.
In any case, a pathological condition can provoke a disease such as thrombocytopenic purpura in children. The treatment of this pathology should be comprehensive.
Main symptoms of the disease
So, if thrombocytopenia develops, the symptoms in children may be:
- Dizziness.
- Bleeding gums.
- Nausea and even vomiting.
- Bleeding from the nose.
- The appearance of a small dotted rash on the body, especially on the lower extremities.
- After removing teeth or cuts, the blood cannot be stopped for a long time.
- Bruises form on the child's body, and no mechanical action is required. This is purpura, which is not considered an independent disease. It is a symptom of a malfunction of the body, and a serious one. Purpura may even indicate the beginning of the development of leukemia in a child.
- Blood is observed even in urine and feces.
A serious degree of the presented pathology can provoke bleeding of any organ and even a hemorrhage in the brain. Therefore, it is impossible to delay in going to the doctor.
Classification of the pathological condition
So, there are these types of thrombocytopenia:
- Immune. It is formed even before the birth of the baby due to the penetration of specific antibodies from the mother's body into the baby through the placenta. May also appear with blood transfusions.
- Thrombocytopenia, manifested as a result of inhibition of the proliferation of cells that are produced in the bone marrow.
- Thrombocytopenia of consumption. It develops with thrombosis, as well as after massive blood loss.
- Pathology that develops in the process of replacing the bone marrow with anyneoplasms. Most often this occurs with cancer, when metastases grow.
- Thrombocytopenia, which develops as a result of mechanical damage to platelets due to hemangioma.
Most often, it is the immune form of the disease that manifests itself in children.
Which groups of immune thrombocytopenia exist?
Immune thrombocytopenia in children is:
- Isoimmune. This pathology is acquired. The main characteristic feature of the disease is the defeat of platelets due to the incompatibility of the blood systems of the mother and child. The reason will also be the ingress of maternal antibodies into the blood of the child. That is, thrombocytopenia in this case develops even before the baby is born.
- Heteroimmune. It is associated with a change in the composition of the platelet itself. A viral disease can provoke this.
- Autoimmune. This form of pathology is characterized by the fact that the body produces antibodies against its own unchanged antigen.
- Hereditary. It is characterized by congenital inferiority of platelets. In this case, these blood cells have a short lifespan.
In newborn babies and most children under adolescence, it is the heteroimmune form of the disease that is most often diagnosed.
Chronic features
Chronic thrombocytopenia in children is diagnosed only if the symptoms do not disappear for more than a year. featuresuch a pathological condition is a weak severity of symptoms. However, any exacerbation is fraught with quite serious problems, so the baby should always be under close supervision. During the period of exacerbation of the pathology, the child is prohibited from attending preschool institutions.
As for schoolchildren, it is undesirable for them to leave the classroom during breaks, and they are also exempted from physical education. It is also important to prevent respiratory diseases in them.
Diagnosis of disease
Treatment of thrombocytopenia in children should be done only after a thorough examination. Self-activity is not welcome here.
Diagnosis involves the following procedures:
- Laboratory blood test to determine the level of platelets.
- Genetic test.
- Electrocardiogram.
- X-ray.
- An antibody test.
- Endoscopy.
- Ultrasound.
This is the complete list of required studies. You may not need to go through all of them. However, it is imperative to find out the cause of the development of the pathology.
What serious pathologies does thrombocytopenia indicate?
Thrombocytopenia in children (reviews about it are not always unambiguous) may indicate such pathologies:
- Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome. Most often it is diagnosed in boys. It is characterized by frequent manifestations of infections of the upper respiratory tract, the presence of purulent skin diseases, as well as platelet insufficiency.
- Fanconi disease. Here the cause of thrombocytopenia is a violation of the entire hematopoietic system. In this case, both white and red hematopoiesis are hit. The first symptoms may appear as early as a couple of years after birth.
- Congenital failure of the system to form platelets. The disease is quite rare. It appears immediately after birth. Along with thrombocytopenia, a child can be diagnosed with malformations of bones, pathologies of chromosomes. The prognosis in this case is not always good, especially for the youngest children.
Features of the treatment of pathology
The treatment of thrombocytopenia in children is associated with certain risks. For example, there is a danger of severe bleeding that will be difficult to control. During the period of therapy, the patient should not expose the body to even minimal physical exertion.
If a child develops thrombocytopenia due to other diseases, then they should be treated. Too strong a manifestation of the presented pathological condition requires its treatment as the underlying disease.
Therapy is transfusion of donor platelets, although this procedure may provide only a temporary effect. The patient is also prescribed folic acid and vitamin B. If the cause was a lack of these substances in the body, then thrombocytopenia disappears after therapy.
Children need to be protected in every possible way from getting injured, so physical education and sports are excluded. During treatment, you should not use sucha drug like Aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs, as they further interfere with platelet function.
Children may be prescribed steroid drugs to reduce the activity of the immune system. The most radical way to deal with this problem is to remove the spleen. However, this procedure should not be performed on children under four years of age. In addition, diet will help in the fight against pathology.
It is also necessary to adjust the baby's diet and balance work and rest. The child should be provided with a normal mode of physical activity. However, do not forget about safety.
It should be noted that the intensity of bleeding is maximum in the first days of the development of the pathological condition. Treatment of the acute form of the disease can be carried out in a hospital. The child must be provided with strict bed rest.
Glucocorticosteroids are most commonly used for treatment. The course of therapy lasts about 3-6 weeks. Immunoglobulin injections may also be given. The course is 5 days.
If there is frequent bleeding from the nose, then a hemostatic sponge is needed, which is impregnated with thrombin. Sometimes the child is shown a transfusion of red blood cells. However, the presented remedy is only valid for a few days.
Folk treatments
Of course, you should consult your doctor before using them. The following recipes may be useful:
- Sesame oil. It contains many useful components that regulate the activity of the blood-forming organs. Simply add oil to a salad.
- Dioecious nettle. The plant must be boiled for 10 minutes. This will require 10 g of dry crushed raw materials and a quarter liter of boiling water. Next, the mixture is cooled and filtered. You need to take the remedy daily for 20 g.
- Infusion of verbena. You should pour 5 g of grass with a glass of boiling water. Next, you need to wrap the container with a warm towel and let it brew for half an hour. After that, you need to cool and strain. Drink the prepared medicine should be at least a month in a glass a day.
When using folk remedies, it must be remembered that the child's body is very susceptible, so you need to give the baby a decoction of herbs with caution.
Forecast
So, idiopathic thrombocytopenia (a photo in children is presented in the article) is quite common. The outcome in this case depends on the form of development of the disease. For example, in the acute form, complete recovery occurs in 80% of cases. Moreover, treatment is not always used.
As for chronic thrombocytopenia as an independent disease, then there is no need to expect a full recovery. However, the prognosis for life is favorable. Although patients already require constant monitoring.
Can the disease be prevented?
So, thrombocytopenia in children (the causes and treatment have already been discussed) is not an easy pathology that can be a symptom of a more serious disease. However, this pathological condition can be prevented. To do this, follow thesepreventive measures:
- Situations that increase the risk of injury of any kind should be avoided. For example, it is better to keep your child away from certain sports.
- It is desirable to adjust the diet. It is necessary that the diet contains the required amount of vitamins and minerals.
- It is better to stop taking drugs such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Voltaren.
In principle, thrombocytopenia in most cases is not a life-threatening disease. However, little attention should be paid to it. It is necessary to examine the child. Stay he althy!
