There is a group of diseases that can be introduced into any organs and systems of the human body. Intestinal or enteroviruses often affect children, this is due to immaturity of immunity and high susceptibility to infections. A feature of pathology is the variety of forms and symptoms, which makes it difficult to diagnose it.
What is an enterovirus infection?
This disease combines more than 100 types of pathogenic cells with elements of RNA or DNA. To understand what an enterovirus is, their classification helps. The disease belongs to the family Picornoviridae. It forms a class of non-polioviruses, which includes 5 forms - A, B, C, D and E. Among them are the following viruses:
- Coxsackie ;
- ECHO;
- unclassifiable enteroviruses.
A characteristic feature of the presented group of infections is a high resistance to external physicochemical factors. Pathogens survive in all conditions, using different reservoirs for reproduction, accumulation and dissemination:
- human body;
- water;
- Food;
- the soil.
Enterovirus infection causes
The entrance gates of the disease are mucous membranes of the digestive tract and respiratory tract. Enterovirus in children first causes local inflammatory reactions, and later spreads throughout the body with blood. Pathogenic cells can be built into any systems and tissues and settle in them, provoking systemic lesions. If the early stages of development revealed enterovirus infection in children - the symptoms and treatment will be easier than with the late detection of pathology. Without appropriate therapy, serious and life-threatening complications often occur.
How is the enterovirus infection transmitted?
The fecal-oral variant is considered the main way of spreading the disease. Sometimes enterovirus infection in children gets into the body by airborne and vertical (from mother to child) ways. The source of the disease is either a carrier of pathogenic cells, apparently looking absolutely healthy, or a person with obvious symptoms of defeat.
Enterovirus infection - incubation period in children
Immediately after getting the pathogens into the child's organism, they do not provoke any obvious signs, just multiply and accumulate in the mucous membranes. The rate of occurrence of a clinical picture corresponds to that which develops enterovirus infection - the incubation period depends on the following factors:
- virulence (the ability of pathogenic cells to resist the defense of the body);
- Tropism (the tendency of infection to defeat certain systems);
- serotype.
The state of immunity also affects the progressing enterovirus in children - the symptoms are more pronounced and are observed more quickly in a weakened child. Toddlers with active protection system tolerate the disease more easily, and specific signs they arise later. On average, the incubation period is 2-5 days, the possible boundaries fluctuate within 1-10 days.
Enterovirus infection in children - symptoms
Most forms of the described pathology (about 90%) occur without an obvious clinical picture or are accompanied exclusively by an increase in body temperature. In other cases, the signs of enterovirus infection in children are conventionally divided into potentially serious and non-dangerous species. If the causative agent in question provoked the development of a serious lesion of target organs, the clinical picture will correspond to one of the caused diseases:
- encephalitis;
- serous meningitis ;
- hepatitis;
- myo-, pericarditis;
- acute paralysis.
In the presence of these diseases it is important to immediately carry out a thorough examination and find out whether their cause is an enterovirus infection in children - the symptoms and treatment depend on the factors that triggered the pathology. In addition to eliminating inflammatory processes and arresting clinical signs of the disease, specific therapy will be required aimed at eliminating pathogenic cells with altered DNA or RNA structures.
It is easier to alleviate a child's condition if a non-dangerous enterovirus infection progresses - the symptoms in such cases correspond to the following diseases:
- a three-day fever ("leg-hand-mouth");
- conjunctivitis ;
- herpangin;
- uveitis;
- vesicular pharyngitis;
- enterovirus exanthema;
- influenza-like syndrome;
- pleurodynia;
- gastroenteritis .
Because of so many variations in the course of the infection, its clinical picture is characterized by polymorphism:
- increased body temperature;
- nausea;
- redness of the eye proteins;
- malaise;
- photophobia;
- pain in the head, muscles, throat, stomach, eyes;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- lack of appetite;
- small ulcers in the mouth;
- coryza;
- rashes on the skin and mucous membranes;
- flatulence;
- lacrimation;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
Enterovirus infection in children - a rash
The nature of skin manifestations depends on the form of the presented disease. A rash with enterovirus infection accompanies mainly herpes, 3-day fever and exanthema. In rare cases, it is formed against the background of other pathologies in parallel to their specific symptoms. Rashes with enterovirus infection can be of several types, as shown in the photo above:
- bubbles in the throat (burst and turn into sores);
- small blisters on the arms and legs, in the mouth and near it, which disappear on their own;
- roseous and rubella-like rash (typical of exanthema).
Diagnosis of enterovirus infection
The effectiveness and speed of the treatment depends to a large extent on the timely detection of the disease. It is advisable that at an early stage the enterovirus infection in children is diagnosed - the symptoms and treatment in this case will be much easier. To determine the pathology in question, five modern methods are used:
- Serological analysis of enterovirus infection. Specific markers IgM and IgA are secreted in the blood.
- Immunohistochemical test. The oldest, but informative way to diagnose. It consists in the detection of antibodies to enterovirus during the neutralization reaction.
- Molecular-biological study. Isolation of fragments of RNA or DNA infection.
- Culture analysis. Detection and identification of the pathogen in the biomaterial (mucus, smear).
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with reverse transcription stage. It is considered to be the most sensitive and fastest research.
Sometimes the doctor can prescribe additional diagnostic measures:
- blood biochemistry;
- Analysis of urine;
- Ultrasound of internal organs (targets).
Enterovirus infection in children - treatment
Specific methods of dealing with the described pathology does not exist. To develop a therapeutic approach, it is important to determine how an enteroviral infection is taking place - treatment of severe variants is carried out only in a hospital, and non-dangerous forms of the disease can be managed at home. General methods of alleviating the state of children:
- bed rest;
- plentiful drink (vitaminized, warm);
- sparing diet;
- high-grade rest;
- frequent airing, cleaning;
- maintaining the humid and cool air in the room.
Enterovirus infection in children - treatment: drugs
Selection of medicines should be done only by a qualified pediatrician. There are 2 options how to treat enterovirus infection in children:
- etiotropic;
- symptomatic.
In the first case, therapy helps to eliminate the causative agent of the disease. Effective antiviral drugs for enterovirus infection:
- interferons - Viferon, Laferobion ;
- intravenous immunoglobulins (rarely prescribed, efficacy not yet proven);
- capsidinhibitors - Pleconaril, Pikovir.
Simultaneously, signs that provoke enterovirus infection in children are stopped - the symptoms and treatment are consistently interrelated. To stabilize the child's condition, the following apply:
- antipyretics - Nurofen, Paracetamol;
- antiemetic - Motilium, Cerucal;
- antihistamines - Erius, Fenistil;
- enterosorbents - Smekta, Enterosgel;
- probiotics - Bififir, Lactovit.
Enterovirus infection in children - treatment of rash
Skin manifestations of this disease in specific therapy do not need. They will disappear on their own, as soon as the enterovirus in children is completely eliminated - treatment with etiotropic drugs and relief of symptoms help to get rid of rashes quickly. Even ulcers from bursting vesicles completely heal without leaving scars or scarring.
Diet in case of enterovirus infection in children
The correct diet is considered one of the main principles of treatment of pathology. If an enterovirus infection is found in the baby, its food remains the same - mother's milk or an adapted mixture. The menu of children older than 1 year should be easily digestible and maximally useful. Diet with enterovirus infection excludes:
- smoked products;
- fried food;
- pickles, marinades;
- fatty foods;
- raw fruits and vegetables;
- meat soups and broths;
- confectionery;
- baking;
- juices;
- dairy.
Recommended:
- dietary boiled meat;
- semi-liquid porridge on the water;
- boiled vegetables;
- lean soups;
- compotes;
- uzvar;
- biscuit cookies;
- fruit drinks;
- herbal teas.
Enterovirus infection - complications
This disease sometimes leads to serious and life-threatening consequences. Enterovirus in a child of infant age can lead to serious violations of cardiac and respiratory activity. In isolated cases, this is fraught with even a fatal outcome. Rarely complicates enterovirus infection in grown-up children - symptoms and treatment that are not determined in a timely manner, have the appearance of:
- diabetes mellitus;
- orchitis;
- cardiac, hepatic insufficiency;
- chronic pathology of the respiratory tract;
- edema of the brain;
- mental disorders;
- epilepsy;
- pneumonia.
Prevention of enterovirus infection in children
Specific methods of preventing infection do not exist yet, but active development of vaccines is under way. Prevention of enterovirus infection is the constant strengthening of immunity. In the period of epidemics, short-term use of solutions of leukocyte interferon and immunoglobulin is recommended. In addition, pediatricians constantly inform their parents of the course of enterovirus infection in children - symptoms and treatment known in advance can prevent infection or start effective therapy right away.
Nonspecific prevention:
- adherence to hygiene rules;
- hardening;
- balanced diet;
- regular walks and exercise;
- limiting contacts with potentially sick people.