The initial signs of scarlet fever are very similar to colds. The child has a fever, a sore throat, a headache, and vomiting may begin. And only after 1-2 days a rash appears on the body of the crumbs. The disease is dangerous by the development of complications. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the symptoms in a timely manner and seek help from doctors. Only adequate treatment of scarlet fever in a child can protect the baby from the development of unpleasant consequences.
Characteristics of the disease
Scarlet fever is a contagious disease that is a special type of streptococcal infection. Such microbes are quite common and can provoke various pathologies. They are the culprits of rheumatism, tonsillitis. However, the most commonthe disease is scarlet fever.
Children from 1 to 16 years of age are most susceptible to the disease. At the same time, children who are over 10 years old, according to doctors, have a high level of immune protection. Scarlet fever is extremely rare in infants under one year of age. From the development of pathology, they are protected by strong immunity, which the mother gives to the newborn as a result of breastfeeding.
Scarlet fever is almost always accompanied by pain and inflammation in the throat, high fever. For a long time, the disease was considered a severe childhood pathology. Today, when an effective treatment for scarlet fever in children has been developed, the disease has ceased to be so dangerous. However, we must not forget that pathology can cause serious complications.
That is why it is necessary to understand what scarlet fever is in children. Symptoms and treatment, prevention of pathology are very serious issues that we will now consider.
Causes of development and ways of transmission
The main source that provokes the disease is the bacterium streptococcus. Penetrating into the body, it produces a certain substance - erythrotoxin. As a result of such an impact, there are:
- rashes on the body and face;
- sore throat;
- redness of the tongue.
There are a great many varieties of streptococci. They have a number of similar elements in the structure, but at the same time they have differences. They differ in the ability to produce a certain type of toxic substance in the body.
After the disease, as a result of exposure to one of the types of bacteria,a person develops immunity. As a result of a collision with another type of streptococcus, completely different toxins arise. The immune system is again forced to fight them, producing new antibodies.
The main route of transmission of the disease is airborne. However, this is not the only possibility of infection. It is very important to remember how the disease spreads. Parents should know not only (if scarlet fever has already developed in children) the symptoms and treatment. Prevention of the disease implies the strict avoidance of all factors of possible infection.
So, if we talk about the main ways of transmission of scarlet fever, the following stand out:
- Airborne (sneezing, coughing).
- Contact-household (care items, toys, dishes and others).
- Food (a baby can become infected through contaminated food).
- Damages on the surface of the skin (sometimes with cuts and various injuries of the epidermis, and even with surgical interventions, streptococcus is able to penetrate the body).
Classification
Demonstrates how scarlet fever manifests itself in children, photo. Treatment is selected by the doctor depending on the symptoms that are observed in the crumbs. Signs of scarlet fever can be quite diverse and primarily depend on the type of pathology.
Today, there are several classifications of scarlet fever. Let's take a look at some of them.
According to the form of the course, the pathology can be:
- typical;
- atypical.
The latter, in turn, is divided into:
- worn form (no rash observed);
- extrapharyngeal (extrabuccal), abortive;
- form with aggravated signs (hemorrhagic, hypertoxic).
If we talk about the severity of the pathology, they distinguish:
- easy;
- medium-heavy;
- severe (septic, toxic, toxic-septic) forms.
According to the course of the disease, the pathology can be:
- spicy;
- with allergic waves, complications;
- protracted;
- without allergic waves, complications.
Of course, each variety has its own symptoms. That is why doctors take into account the type of disease in order to select the appropriate treatment for scarlet fever in a child in each case.
Characteristic symptoms
Of course, for every parent who is faced with such a disease as scarlet fever, the signs and treatment of its children is the most acute and important issue. It was mentioned above that all the symptoms that occur in a baby depend on the type of disease. Therefore, consider the typical signs of pathology characteristic of certain types of disease.
Mild symptoms
The most common type. Often, it is the mild form of scarlet fever in children that is diagnosed. Treatment of the disease in this case occurs at home. This form is characterized by the following points.
- A sharp rise in temperature to 38.5 degrees. Whereinthere are cases when the thermometer indicates slight deviations or remains normal.
- Slight or completely absent signs of intoxication. The baby may experience headache, lethargy, single vomiting.
- A small dotted rash with a pale pink color appears on the body. The manifestations on the surface of the skin are not abundant and are concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bnatural folds of the skin.
- Skin hyperemia in mild form.
- Pain in the throat is moderate enough.
- Typical language changes.
- Catarrhal angina in a mild form.
- Skin flaking characteristic of pathology.
- Possible purulent and allergic complications.
In most cases, the mild form proceeds quickly enough and without serious complications. The healing process begins already by the seventh day.
Symptoms of a more serious type of pathology
The moderate form of scarlet fever is characterized by the following symptoms.
- High temperature (can rise to 40 degrees).
- Baby may be delusional.
- There is repeated vomiting.
- Child is excited.
- A profuse rash of bright color persists on the surface of the skin for about 6 days.
- Child experiencing extreme pain in throat.
- Language changes characteristic of the pathology are observed.
- Enlarged tonsillar lymph nodes.
- Lacunar tonsillitis is diagnosed. Sometimes, extremely rarely, follicularpathology.
- Presence of purulent or allergic complications.
- The rash is localized on the mucous membranes.
This is a rather complex form of pathology. Treatment of scarlet fever in a child requires mandatory medical intervention. In this case, the acute period lasts 7 days. And for the final recovery, the baby will need about 2-3 weeks.
Severe symptoms
This is the most unpleasant kind of disease. Scarlet fever can occur in any of the following ways.
- Toxic form. The child has pronounced symptoms of general intoxication.
- Septic. In this case, the baby has a lesion of certain tissues by necrotic processes. The oropharynx, tonsillar regional lymph nodes suffer.
- Toxic-septic. The severity of the baby's condition is determined by local and general changes.
Severe toxic form of scarlet fever can be identified by the following features:
- the disease has an acute onset, in which the temperature rises sharply (almost to 40-41 degrees);
- clouding of consciousness;
- severe headaches;
- frequent vomiting, presence of diarrhea;
- delusional state of the child;
- possible convulsions;
- tongue and lips are very dry, while the first one is heavily lined;
- presence of symptoms of meningitis;
- possible occurrence of infectious-toxic shock, which is manifested by a thready pulse, collapse, cold extremities,cyanosis;
- on the third day of illness, a rash with hemorrhages occurs;
- catarrhal angina;
- blueness on hyperemic skin.
Unfortunately, with this form, the risk of death is very high. Previously, death from such a pathology occurred very often.
But today the disease is often mild. Even moderate pathology is quite rare. According to doctors, the treatment of scarlet fever in children with antibiotics avoids death and the risk of developing severe forms of the disease.
Diagnostic Methods
Before you select the treatment of scarlet fever in children at home, you must clearly make sure that the crumbs really have this pathology. The typical form of the disease does not cause any particular difficulties, since this type of scarlet fever has quite characteristic symptoms.
But if the pathology proceeds in an atypical form, it is rather difficult to recognize it correctly. In this case, the doctor resorts to the following diagnostic methods.
- Study of epidemiological data. Possible contact with infected people is being investigated.
- Bacteriological examination. Mucus from the oropharynx is examined for the presence of beta-hemolytic streptococcus. Analysis allows you to set its type.
- Immunofluorescent method. The study of mucus from the oropharynx.
- Serological survey. An increase in the number of antibodies to various streptococcal antigens is determined by the blood serum.
- Immunobiological test. Allows you to identify the absence orthe presence of the body's susceptibility to scarlet fever.
- Blood test. The development of pathology is evidenced by leukocytosis of the neutrophilic type.
In addition, it is very important to differentiate scarlet fever with those pathologies that have similar symptoms. This is:
- rubella;
- measles;
- pseudotuberculosis;
- toxic-allergic condition.
What is the disease dangerous?
From the above, it is quite obvious that scarlet fever (symptoms and treatment in children) deserves close attention from parents and doctors. Complications of the disease are very serious, so it is extremely dangerous to self-medicate.
But if you follow the recommendations of the pediatrician and timely therapy, there are practically no unpleasant complications.
Parents who deviate from the prescribed treatment regimen may doom their babies to the development of the following consequences.
- Articular rheumatism.
- Streptococcal glomerulonephritis. This is a consequence of improper therapy, as a result of which kidney failure may develop.
- Rheumatism of the heart valves.
- Sydenham's chorea. This is a late allergic complication. It is characterized by brain damage.
Exposure to toxins seriously impairs the functioning of the heart, kidneys. The child experiences shortness of breath, chest pain. He has low blood pressure and a weak pulse. In addition, pathological complications can affect the teeth, the top layer of the skin.
Depending onform and severity of the disease, the following complications may occur:
- otitis media;
- phlegmon;
- meningitis;
- mastoiditis;
- jade;
- synovitis;
- myocarditis.
The disease does not lead to infertility in boys or a decrease in potency. However, it is quite capable of reducing the body's defense mechanisms and overall tone.
Treatment of disease
Depending on the symptoms and the form of pathology, the pediatrician determines the need for hospitalization of the baby. With a mild form, scarlet fever in children is treated at home.
Doctors advise following these rules.
- Baby must be in a separate room. This will protect the rest of the family from spreading the infection.
- Bed rest is observed in the first days of illness, when the crumbs are especially symptomatic.
- Wet cleaning is carried out regularly.
- The dishes of a sick baby should be washed thoroughly.
- Dietary nutrition is an important component of treatment. It should be age appropriate. Treatment of scarlet fever in a child of four years old involves well-cooked food of a semi-liquid (ground) consistency. The diet should contain a warm drink in large quantities. Linden tea is very useful.
Drug therapy
It should be remembered that this pathology is a bacterial infection. Therefore, for effective and quick recovery, treatment of scarlet fever in children with antibiotics begins. Only a pediatrician should choose the drug, course of therapy and dosage, because the choiceis based on the safety and efficacy of the product for each patient.
The following drugs are most preferred for streptococcal infections:
- "Flemoxin-solutab";
- "Amoxiclav";
- "Ampisid";
- Augmentin.
If you have an allergic reaction to penicillin antibiotics, your pediatrician will recommend macrolides:
- Hemomycin;
- "Vilprafen";
- "Sumamed";
- Macrofoam.
Sometimes cephalosporins are used:
- Supraks;
- "Cephalexin".
Along with antibiotic therapy, if the child has a high temperature, antipyretic drugs are recommended. Treatment of scarlet fever in a 5-year-old child involves the use of drugs:
- "Efferalgan";
- "Nurofen";
- "Ibuprofen";
- Panadol;
- Calpol.
Older children (from 12 years old) can use medicines to normalize the temperature:
- "Nimesil";
- "Aspirin".
Also, it is important to remember that scarlet fever causes a sore throat. Therefore, the pediatrician will definitely prescribe means to get rid of the inflammatory process on the tonsils. For such purposes, local antiseptics can be used. Just do not forget to take into account age restrictions so that such treatment of scarlet fever in children does not harm.
Medicines used to irrigate a sore throat:
- Geksoral;
- Tantum Verde;
- Ingalipt;
- "Kameton";
- "Stop-Angin".
The beneficial effect is provided by lozenges such as:
- Grammidin;
- "Lizobakt";
- Faryngosept.
Since antibiotic therapy can disrupt the intestinal microflora, the treatment regimen for children must include drugs that normalize this system:
- Linex;
- "Acipol";
- "Biovestin-lacto";
- "Bifido tank";
- Lactulose.
Desensitizing drugs must be prescribed:
- "Suprastin";
- Zyrtec;
- "Dimedrol";
- "Tavegil";
- Claritin.
If the disease is mild, it is quite possible to treat scarlet fever in children without antibiotics. However, only a doctor can make such a decision, since this pathology has a very high risk of developing serious complications.
Treatment with folk remedies
To fight scarlet fever, you can use recipes that were used by our grandmothers. They help protect against the development of complications and contribute to a significant mitigation of symptoms.
But it is important to remember that the treatment of scarlet fever in children with folk remedies is possible only after consulting a doctor. This avoids the occurrence of allergic reactions and protects the baby from unpleasant consequences as a result of the incompatibility of certain components.
Widely distributedthe following treatments.
- The use of black radish. A large root crop must be washed, then grated. The gruel is laid out on gauze. Such a compress should be applied to the throat and warmed with a woolen cloth on top. It should stay for 3 hours. It is recommended to apply the compress twice a day for 7 days.
- Using horseradish. The middle root is crushed. This ingredient is poured with warm water (boiled) in an amount of 1 liter. For 3 hours, the components are infused. After mixing, the solution should be filtered. This remedy is intended for gargling. Pre-heating the required portion, the procedure should be performed about 5 times a day. This treatment should continue for 10 days.
- Propolis and milk. The honey component (1 tsp) is finely chopped. Add a glass of milk to it. For 15 minutes in a water bath, the mixture is heated. The mixed composition should be consumed in small sips. The entire solution is recommended to drink at night. Before this procedure, be sure to rinse your throat.
Prevention of pathology
So, how to protect the baby from the disease? If scarlet fever has been found in children, prevention and treatment are of paramount importance.
Vaccinations are not made against this infection. Therefore, the only way to protect the baby from illness is to protect him from contact with sick people. But if communication did occur, carefully monitorbaby's well-being. And when the first symptoms appear, call a doctor.
However, even with prolonged contact with a sick person, not all children become infected. The body's defenses help to avoid scarlet fever. That is why doctors recommend:
- strengthen the immune system (proper nutrition, he althy lifestyle);
- use fresh juices, fruit drinks;
- during periods of vitamin deficiency, take vitamin complexes (prescribed by a doctor).
Today, when an adequate therapy for scarlet fever has been developed, this pathology does not pose a threat to the life of a child. However, self-medication, like the lack of therapy, can lead to serious complications. Protect your child from dire consequences!
